Although democracy is often related to cultural policy, the concept of democracy is rarely the point of departure for cultural policy research. Consequently, this article offers an analysis of Danish cultural policy from 1945 to 1969 through a democratic lens. The article shows how three different views on democracy are reflected in the Danish Social Democrats' cultural policy, which was seen as a pivotal part of the welfare state. Moreover, the article concludes that the Danish Social Democrats' welfare policy – and especially their cultural policy – can be described as an elitist democracy.