The name of the album is a reference to the 1951 comedy film, Bedtime for Bonzo which starred Ronald Reagan. The name of the album may also reflect the band's bitterness from the aftermath of the both financially and emotionally draining trial that they were being subjected to at the time because of the controversial poster that was included with their previous album, "Frankenchrist". When the band started recording "Bedtime for Democracy", they had already played what would be their last live concert in February of 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area with lead singer Jello Biafra and they announced the band's breakup immediately after the record's release. Allmusic rated the album 3 out of 5 stars.