IX Civics Ch-1 What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

                                                                 

 

IX   Civics Ch-1

What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

Topic: What is Democracy?

 

Meaning

*Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.

*In democracy the citizens exercise power directly or elect representatives  from  among  themselves  to  form  a  governing  body,  such  as  a  parliament. 

*The basic idea behind democracy  is that people rule themselves by participating in the decision making process of the country.

*Democracy  is sometimes  referred  to  as  rule  of  the  majority.  India,  USA,  the  UK,  France,  Australia,  Brazil,  South Africa,  Japan  etc.  are the  democratic  countries.

 

Features of democracy

Basic Features of democracy are –

 

1. Major decisions by elected leaders(Done)

2. Free and fair electoral competition.(Done)

3. One person, one vote, one value.

4. Rule of law and respect for rights.

 

1.Elected representatives have final decision-making power

* In a democracy elected representatives have final decision making power .these representatives are elected by the people.

For example

*Pakistan under General Musharraf could not be called a democracy because people elected their representatives to the national and provincial assemblies but the power to take final decision rested with army officials and with General Musharraf.

*Musharraf had the power to dismiss national and state assemblies.

 

Legal frame work order (Read From Book )**

*Nepal under monarchical system before 2008 and government of Saudi Arabia cannot be called  a democratic government .

In Saudi Arabia the king is the head of state and head of government.

King Mohammad bin Salman is  not elected by the people but he holds absolute powers there.

 

2.Free and fair election

 

*A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in power have a fair chance of losing the elections.

 

For example

Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe could not be considered a democratic country

* It is ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle.

Its leader, Robert Mugabe ruled the country since independence till 2017.

He dominated the politics for four decades after the independence from Britain. 

*Elections are held regularly but always won by the ZANU-PF as President Mugabe used unfair means in the elections.

*He changed the constitution several times to increa                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             se the power of the president.

*There radio is the main source of information state run Zimbabwe Broadcasting cooperation operates TV and radio networks .Radio and TV are controlled by the government.

 

 there has been rigging and malpractices, with freedom denied to opposition. This is not what a democracy should be.

 

Example 2

China under Chinese Communist Party(23 july 1921)

*In China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country's

Parliament.

*The Parliament has the power to appoint the President of the country.

It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected by the Army.

*But this parliament (National People’s Congress ) , government  is not a democratic government because

*Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. The government is always formed by the Communist Party. There people do not have the choice to chose their leaders elections are not free and fair.

 

Example 3-

Mexico  Under Institutional Revolutionary Party (1929)

 

*Mexico holds elections after every six years to elect its President.

The country has never been under a military or dictator’s rule.

But until 2000 every election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party).

* Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed to win.

*The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections.

All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings.

*Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI.

*Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them. Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which

made it difficult for people to cast their votes.

*The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates.

 

Topic: Basic Features of Democracy

 

3. One person, one vote, one value.

*This is the third important feature of democracy.

*Democracy is based on a fundamental principle of political equality.

*Universal adult franchise is a inseparable feature of democracy.

*It means each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.

*For example Saudi Arabia and Fiji cannot be considered as democratic countries because these countries do not have the feature of political equality.

*In Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote.

*In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that

of an Indian Fijian.

*In both the countries, the right to vote is denied as there is no political equality. In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.

 

4. Rule of law and respect for rights.

*Rule of law means rules and laws are equal for all the citizens.

*Everyone should be equal in the eyes of law.

*Laws of the country are obeyed by everyone. No one can violate them

*A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional and citizens’ rights.

* A democratic government cannot do what it likes after winning the elections.

 It has to respect certain basic rules  and is accountable not only to the people but also to other

independent officials.

 

*Democratic government grants and respects Fundamental Rights of its citizens

The state should respect some basic rights of the citizen.

*Citizens should be free to think, to have opinions, to express these in public, to form associations, to protest and take other political actions.

*These rights must be protected by an independent judiciary whose orders are obeyed by

everyone.

 

Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe

On the basis of this fourth feature Zimbabwe could not be considered as democratic country

under Robert Mugabe

*It is ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle.

*Its leader, Robert Mugabe had been ruling the country since independence.

Elections held regularly but always won by the ZANU-PF.

President Mugabe used unfair means in the elections.

He changed the constitution several times to increase the power of the president.

*Opposition party workers were harassed and their meeting disrupted.

*Public protests and demonstrations against the government were declared illegal.

Criticism of the President was not allowed.

Radio and TV were controlled by the government and gave only the ruling

party’s version.

                                                                 

             Topic: Merits of Democracy.

Democracy is the better form of government than any other form of the government

Following argument can be given in the support of Democracy

 

Merits of Democracy
1.Democracy is a more accountable form of government.

2.Democracy improves the quality of decision-making

3. Democracy provides a Peaceful method to resolve conflicts.

4.It enhances the dignity of citizens.

5.Democracy allows us to correct its own mistakes.

1.Democracy is a more accountable form of government.

 

*Democracy is better than any other form of government in responding to the needs of the people.

*A nondemocratic government may and can respond to the people’s needs, but it all depends on the wishes of the people who rule. If the rulers don’t want to, they don’t have to act

according to the wishes of the people.

A democracy requires that the ruler have to attend to the needs of the people.

 

2. Democracy improves the quality of decision-making

(Democracy is based on consultation and discussion)

 

*Consultation and discussion help democracy prosper.

*A democratic decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings.

*When a number of people put their heads together, they are able to point out possible mistakes in any decision.

*This reduces the chances of rash or irresponsible decisions. Thus democracy improves the quality of decision-making.

3. Democracy provides a Peaceful method to resolve conflicts.

 

*India has amazing sharp social diversity

*People belong to different regions, speak different languages, practice different traditions follow different cultures and have different castes.

*These differences can cause conflicts and  clash.

*Democracy provides the only peaceful solution to this problem.

 *In democracy, no one is a permanent winner. No one is a permanent loser.

Different groups can live with one another peacefully. In a diverse country like India, democracy keeps our country together.

4.Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.

(i) Democracy is based on the principal of political equality on recognizing that the poorest

and the least educated has the same status as the rich and the educated.

(ii) People are not subjects of a ruler they are the rulers themselves.

(iii) Even when they make mistakes, they are responsible for their conduct.

 

5.‘‘Democracy allows people to correct their own mistakes’’

*The advantage in a democracy is that mistakes made by a government cannot be hidden for

long.

*There is a space for public discussion on these mistakes and there is room for correction.

Either the rulers have to change their decisions or they can be changed.

 

Conclusion

Democracy is not the solution to all problems. But it is clearly better than any other alternative that we know.

It offers better chances of a good decision, it is likely to respect people’s own wishes and allows different kinds of people to live together.

Even when it fails to do some of these things, it allows a way of correcting its mistakes and offers more dignity to all citizens.

That is why democracy is considered the best form of government.

Questions

How does democracy in a country enhance the diginity of an individual ? State three

points.

How does democracy in a country enhance the diginity of an individual? State three

points.

‘‘Democracy allows people to correct their own mistakes’’. Support the given statement

with three points.

How does democracy provide a method to deal with differences and conflicts?

Write any four advantages of democracy.

Why is democracy called a ‘‘government by discussion’’?

How does democracy provide a method to deal with differences and conflicts?

 

             Topic: Demerits of Democracy.

 

1. Instable form of government

1. Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.

*Frequent changes in leadership sometimes can set back big decisions and affect the government’s efficiency.

*When the government change and new leaders are elected they change the previous policies and decisions as each party has its own vision of development.

*These new leaders implement new plans and policies and process continues which leads to instability in political and economic system.

 

2. Delays in decision making

*So many people have to be consulted in  a democracy that leads  to delays.

*Democracy is based on consensus ,deliberation and negotiation.

*Democratic procedures take more time s before arriving at a decision as compared to a nondemocratic government.

 non-democratic rulers can be very quick and efficient in decision-making and implementation. But they may take decisions that are not acceptable to the people but are forced on them.

*In democracy before reaching the decisions representatives debate and discuss various aspects of proposal because  these decisions effect the different sections of the society. These decisions can not be forced on them as citizens have the right to protest against the wrong policies in democracy .

 

3. No scope for Morality

Democracy is  all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality.

4. Elected leaders don’t know the  best interest of people. It leads to bad decision.

 

5 . High rate of Corruption

 

 Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.

*Corruption weakens the democracy and weak democratic institutions are less able to control corruption.

*Many democratic poor countries are unable to control the growing corruption.

*Increasing rate of corruption leads to weak democratic institutions , poor economic conditions , infrastructure, low quality of health care and education services .

 

6.Ordinary people don’t what is  good for them   they should not decide anything .

In democracy  people take their own decisions. This does not guarantee that their

decisions will be good. People can make mistakes.

 

Democracies are not successful in reducing economic inequalities

*Economic equality comes by the equitable distribution of wealth, but this is not true in democracy.

*The poor are becoming poorer and sometimes they find difficult even to meet the basic needs of life like food, shelter, health and education.

*It is unsuccessful in reducing economic exploitation.

 

Possibility of Perfect Democracy

No country is a perfect democracy as every democratic country has to realise the ideals of democratic decision-making.

This cannot be achieved once and for all.

This requires a constant effort to save and strengthen democratic forms of decision-making.

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Worksheet

Short Answer Type Questions

 

1. How can you say that every government that holds an election is not a democracy? Give an example to prove your point.

2. In China, elections are held after every five years. Inspite of this, China does not have a democratic government. Why?

3. In which way is the right to vote denied in Saudi Arabia and Fiji?

4. ‘Democracy is based on consultation and discussion.’ Explain.

5. Why is it not possible for the people to rule directly but through elected representatives?

6. Why is Democracy considered the best form of government? Give three reasons.

7. Explain any three differences between democratic country and non-democratic country?

8. Why is Zimbabwe not considered a democratic country?

9. How does democracy in a country enhance the dignity of an individual? State three points.

10. ‘‘Democracy allows people to correct their own mistakes’’. Support the given statement with three points.

 

Long Answer Type Questions

 

11.On the basis of the various examples given in the chapter, state what are the major features of a democracy. 

12. Enumerate the arguments given against democracy.

13. How does democracy provide a method to deal with differences and conflicts?

 14. What is the significance of the rule of law and respect for rights in democratic country? State four points.

15. ‘‘Democracy improve the quality of decision making.’’ Explain.

16. Give any four reasons why democracies resolve conflict in a better way than other forms of governments.

17. Difference between the direct and indirect democracy ?

18. Why should Pakistan government under General Musharraf not be

called a democracy?

19. Explain with help of example of any country of the world free and fair elections are a part and is must for democracy.

20. Democracy is the most popular form of government emerging in the

modern times; still the shortcomings cannot be ruled out. Justify the statement by accessing short comings of democracy.

 

 

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