Marius and Caesar were populists. Having leaders (who are frequently themselves of the elite class) is almost a prerequisite, or else you've drifted into anarchism.
They were demagogues and elitists (and dictators, actually literally).
They made promises they knew couldn't be fulfilled or without nefarious consequences to the Republic.
They made exalted ridiculous promises to the public as an excuse to acquire more power for themselves. At the other end of the spectrum, Populism seeks to directly distribute power.
