Contents Foreword iii A Letter for You v Unit I Chapter 1 Power sharing 1 Chapter 2 Federalism 13 Unit II Chapter 3 Democracy and Diversity 29 Chapter 4 Gender, Religion and Caste 39 Unit III Chapter 5 Popular Struggles and Movements 57 Chapter 6 Political Parties 71 Unit IV Chapter 7 Outcomes of Democracy 89 Chapter 8 Challenges to Democracy 101 ❖✎❡✏✎✑❡✒ ❲✓✔✕ ✔✕✓s ✖✕✗✘✔✙✚ ✛✙ ✚✙s✜✢✙ ✔✕✙ ✔✣✜✚ ✣✤ ✥✙✢✣✖✚✗✖❛ ✔✕✗✔ ✛✙ s✔✗✚✔✙✥ ✍ ❧✗s✔ ❛✙✗✚✳ ❲✙ ✦✣✔✙✥ ❧✗s✔ ❛✙✗✚✔✕✗✔ ✓✦ ✗✥✙✢✣✖✚✗✖❛ ✗❧❧ ✘✣✛✙✚ ✥✣✙s ✦✣✔ ✚✙s✔✛✓✔✕ ✗✦❛✣✦✙✣✚❣✗✦✣✤✔✕✙s✔✗✔✙✳ ✧✦ ✓✦✔✙❧❧✓❣✙✦✔s✕✗✚✓✦❣✣✤✘✣✛✙✚ ✌ ✗✢✣✦❣ ❧✙❣✓s❧✗✔✜✚✙★ ✙✩✙✖✜✔✓✪✙ ✗✦✥ ✫✜✥✓✖✓✗✚❛ ✓s ✪✙✚❛ ✓✢✘✣✚✔✗✦✔ ✔✣ ✔✕✙ ☞ ✥✙s✓❣✦ ✣✤ ✗ ✥✙✢✣✖✚✗✖❛✳ ✬✦ ✔✕✓s ✗✦✥ ✔✕✙ ✦✙✩✔ ✔✛✣ ✖✕✗✘✔✙✚s ✛✙ ✖✗✚✚❛ ☛ ✔✕✓s ✓✥✙✗ ✣✤ ✘✣✛✙✚ s✕✗✚✓✦❣ ✤✣✚✛✗✚✥✳ ❲✙ s✔✗✚✔ ✛✓✔✕ ✔✛✣ s✔✣✚✓✙s ✤✚✣✢ ✡ ❇✙❧❣✓✜✢✗✦✥✭✚✓✮✗✦✯✗✳❇✣✔✕✔✕✙s✙s✔✣✚✓✙s✗✚✙✗✰✣✜✔✕✣✛✥✙✢✣✖✚✗✖✓✙s ✕✗✦✥❧✙ ✥✙✢✗✦✥s ✤✣✚ ✘✣✛✙✚ s✕✗✚✓✦❣✳✱✕✙ s✔✣✚✓✙s ❛✓✙❧✥ s✣✢✙ ❣✙✦✙✚✗❧ ✠ ✖✣✦✖❧✜s✓✣✦s ✗✰✣✜✔ ✔✕✙ ✦✙✙✥ ✤✣✚ ✘✣✛✙✚ s✕✗✚✓✦❣ ✓✦ ✥✙✢✣✖✚✗✖❛✳ ✱✕✓s ✟ ✗❧❧✣✛s ✜s✔✣✥✓s✖✜ss✪✗✚✓✣✜s ✤✣✚✢s✣✤✘✣✛✙✚s✕✗✚✓✦❣✔✕✗✔✛✓❧❧✰✙✔✗✯✙✦ ✜✘ ✓✦ ✔✕✙ ✤✣❧❧✣✛✓✦❣ ✔✛✣ ✖✕✗✘✔✙✚s✳ ❈ ✞ ✝ ✆ ✂ ☎ ❤ ✄ ✂ ✁ (cid:0) ♦ P 1 ❇✠✡☛☞✌✍ ✎✏✑ ✒✓☞ ✔✎✏✕✎ Belgium is a small country in Europe, and education much later. This led to smaller in area than the state of tensions between the Dutch-speaking Haryana. It has borders with and French-speaking communities Netherlands, France and Germany. It during the 1950s and 1960s. The has a population of a little over one tension between the two communities crore, about half the population of was more acute in Brussels. Brussels I have a simple Haryana. The ETHNIC composition of presented a special problem: the this small country is very complex. Of Dutch-speaking people constituted a equation in mind. the country’s total population, 59 per majority in the country, but a minority Sharing power = cent lives in the Flemish region and in the capital. dividing power = speaks Dutch language. Another 40 per weakening the Let us compare this to the situation country. Why do we cent people live in the Wallonia region in another country. Sri Lanka is an start by talking of and speak French. Remaining 1 per cent island nation, just a few kilometres off this? of the Belgians speak German. In the the southern coast of Tamil Nadu. It capital city Brussels, 80 per cent people has about 2 crore people, about the speak French while 20 per cent are same as in Haryana. Like other nations Dutch-speaking. in the South Asia region, Sri Lanka has The minority French-speaking a diverse population. The major social community was relatively rich and groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 per powerful. This was resented by the cent) and the Tamil-speakers (18 per Dutch-speaking community who got cent). Among Tamils there are two sub- the benefit of economic development groups. Tamil natives of the country Communities and regions of Belgium a di e Ethnic: A social p ✟ ki ✄ division based on Wi ✆✝ shared culture. People © ✝ ♦ belonging to the same ✞✂ ethnic group believe in Brussels-Capital Region their common descent ✝✄ because of similarities Walloon (French-speaking) ✆ of physical type or of ❛ Flemish (Dutch-speaking) ☎ culture or both. They ✄ need not always have German-speaking ✂ Look at the maps of Belgium and Sri Lanka. In which the same religion or ✁ region do you find concentration of different (cid:0) nationality. communities? ❉ 2 are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ (13 per Dutch community could take cent). The rest, whose forefathers came advantage of its numeric majority and from India as plantation workers during force its will on the French and colonial period, are called ‘Indian German-speaking population. This Tamils’. As you can see from the map, would push the conflict among Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in communities further. This could lead the north and east of the country. Most to a very messy partition of the of the Sinhala-speaking people are country; both the sides would claim Buddhist, while most of the Tamils are control over Brussels. In Sri Lanka, the Hindus or Muslims. There are about 7 Sinhala community enjoyed an even per cent Christians, who are both Tamil bigger majority and could impose its and Sinhala. will on the entire country. Now, let us Just imagine what could happen look at what happened in both these in situations like this. In Belgium, the countries. ▼✟✠✡☛☞✌✟☛☞✟✍☞✎✏ ☞✍ ✑☛☞ ✒✟✍✓✟ Sri Lanka emerged as an independent and government policies denied them country in 1948. The leaders of the equal political rights, discriminated Sinhala community sought to secure against them in getting jobs and other dominance over government by virtue opportunities and ignored their of their majority. As a result, the interests. As a result, the relations democratically elected government Ethnic Communities adopted a series of MAJORITARIAN of Sri Lanka measures to establish Sinhala supremacy. In 1956, an Act was passed to Sinhalese Sri Lankan Tamil recognise Sinhala as the only official Indian Tamil Muslim language, thus disregarding Tamil. The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism. All these government measures, coming one after the other, gradually Majoritarianism: A ✞ ✝ increased the feeling of alienation belief that the majority ✆ ✂ among the Sri Lankan Tamils. They felt community should be ☎ able to rule a country in ❤ that none of the major political parties ✄ whichever way it wants, led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders by disregarding the ✁✂ were sensitive to their language and wishes and needs of the (cid:0) culture. They felt that the constitution minority. ♦ P 3 between the Sinhala and Tamil The distrust between the two What’s wrong if communities strained over time. communities turned into widespread the majority community The Sri Lankan Tamils launched conflict. It soon turned into a CIVIL WAR. rules? If Sinhalas parties and struggles for the recognition As a result thousands of people of both don’t rule in Sri of Tamil as an official language, for the communities have been killed. Many Lanka, where regional autonomy and equality of families were forced to leave the country else will they opportunity in securing education and as refugees and many more lost their rule? jobs. But their demand for more livelihoods. You have read (Chapter 1 autonomy to provinces populated by of Economics textbook, Class X) about the Tamils was repeatedly denied. By Sri Lanka’s excellent record of economic 1980s several political organisations development, education and health. But were formed demanding an the civil war has caused a terrible setback independent Tamil Eelam (state) in to the social, cultural and economic life northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. of the country. ❆✡✡☛☞☞☛✌✍✎✏☛✑ ✏✑ ✒✓✔✕✏✖☞ The Belgian leaders took a different single community can make decisions path. They recognised the existence of unilaterally. regional differences and cultural Many powers of the central ✠ diversities. Between 1970 and 1993, government have been given to state they amended their constitution four governments of the two regions of the times so as to work out an arrangement country. The state governments are not that would enable everyone to live subordinate to the Central Government. together within the same country. The Brussels has a separate government arrangement they worked out is ✠ in which both the communities have different from any other country and equal representation. The French- is very innovative. Here are some of speaking people accepted equal the elements of the Belgian model: representation in Brussels because the Civil war: A violent Constitution prescribes that the Dutch-speaking community has conflict between ✠ opposing groups within number of Dutch and French-speaking accepted equal representation in the a country that becomes ministers shall be equal in the central Central Government. so intense that it appears government. Some special laws require like a war. the support of majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no ✟ ✄ ✝ ✆ ✝ ♦ ✂ ✞ dia e ✝✄ What kind of a solution is kip ✆ Wi ❛ this? I am glad our © ☎ Constitution does not say ✄ The photograph here is of a street ✂ which minister will come from address in Belgium. You will notice that ✁ which community. place names and directions in two (cid:0) languages – French and Dutch. ❉ 4 Apart from the Central and the State Government, there is a third kind of government. This ‘community government’ is elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and German-speaking – no matter where they live. This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues. You might find the Belgian model very complicated. It indeed is very complicated, even for people living in Belgium. But these arrangements have worked well so far. They helped to avoid civic strife between the two European Union Parliament in Belgium major communities and a possible division of the country on linguistic lines. When many countries of Europe Union, Brussels was chosen as its came together to form the European headquarters. So you are saying that sharing of power makes us more powerful. Sounds odd! Let me think. Read any newspaper for one week and make clippings of news related to ongoing conflicts or wars. A group of five students could pool their clippings together and do the following: Classify these conflicts by their location (your state, India, ✟ outside India). Find out the cause of each of these conflicts. How many of ✟ these are related to power sharing disputes? Which of these conflicts could be resolved by working out power ✟ sharing arrangements? What do we learn from these two stories regions. Such a realisation resulted in of Belgium and Sri Lanka? Both are mutually acceptable arrangements for ✞ democracies. Yet, they dealt with the sharing power. Sri Lanka shows us a ✝ ✆ question of power sharing differently. contrasting example. It shows us that ✂ ☎ In Belgium, the leaders have realised if a majority community wants to force ❤ ✄ that the unity of the country is possible its dominance over others and refuses ✂ only by respecting the feelings and to share power, it can undermine the ✁ interests of different communities and unity of the country. (cid:0) ♦ P 5 The cartoon at the left refers to the problems of running the Germany’s grand coalition government that include the two major parties of the country, namely the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party. The two parties are historically rivals to each other. They nc. have to form a coalition government s I because neither of them got clear majority n oo of seats on their own in the 2005 art elections. They take divergent positions C e on several policy matters, but still jointly agl run the government. C un, Tyranny of the majority is not just S ary oppressive for the minority; it often g al brings ruin to the majority as well. C e h There is a second, deeper reason T b - why power sharing is good for a T © democracies. Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule Why power sharing is desirable? involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have Thus, two different sets of reasons can to live with its effects. People have a be given in favour of power sharing. right to be consulted on how they are Firstly, power sharing is good because to be governed. A legitimate it helps to reduce the possibility of government is one where citizens, conflict between social groups. Since through participation, acquire a stake social conflict often leads to violence in the system. and political instability, power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of Let us call the first set of reasons political order. Imposing the will of PRUDENTIAL and the second moral. While majority community over others may prudential reasons stress that power look like an attractive option in the sharing will bring out better outcomes, short run, but in the long run it moral reasons emphasises the very act undermines the unity of the nation. of power sharing as valuable. ✟ ✄ ✝ Annette studies in a Dutch medium school in the ✆ ✝ ♦ northern region of Belgium. Many French-speaking students in ✂ Prudential: Based on her school want the medium of instruction to be French. Selvi ✞ prudence, or on careful studies in a school in the northern region of Sri Lanka. All the ✄ ✝ calculation of gains and students in her school are Tamil-speaking and they want the ✆ losses. Prudential decisions ❛ medium of instruction to be Tamil. ☎ are usually contrasted with ✄ If the parents of Annette and Selvi were to approach those decisions based ✂ purely on moral respective governments to realise the desire of the child ✁ (cid:0) considerations. who is more likely to succeed? And why? ❉ 6 Khalil’s As usual, Vikram’s was driving the motorbike under a vow of silence and Vetal was the pillion rider. As usual, Vetal dilemma started telling Vikram a story to keep him awake while driving. This time the story went as follows: “In the city of Beirut there lived a man called Khalil. His parents came from different communities. His father was an Orthodox Christian and mother a Sunni Muslim. This was not so uncommon in this modern, cosmopolitan city. People from various communities that lived in Lebanon came to live in its capital, Beirut. They lived together, intermingled, yet fought a bitter civil war among themselves. One of Khalil’s uncles was killed in that war. At the end of this civil war, Lebanon’s leaders came together and agreed to some basic rules for power sharing among different communities. As per these rules the country’s President must belong to the Maronite sect of Catholic Christians. The Prime Minister must be from the Sunni Muslim community. The post of Deputy Prime Minister is fixed for Orthodox Christian sect and that of the Speaker for Shi’a Muslim. Under this pact, the Christians agreed not to seek French protection and the Muslim agreed not to seek unification with the neighbouring state of Syria.When the Christians and Muslims came to this agreement, they were nearly equal in population. Both sides have continued to respect this agreement though now the Muslims are in clear majority. Khalil does not like this system one bit. He is a popular man with political ambition. But under the present system the top position is out of his reach barred from him. He does not practice either his father’s or his mother’s religion and does not wish to be known by either. He cannot understand why Lebanon can’t be like any other ‘normal’ democracy. “Just hold an election, allow everyone to contest and whoever wins maximum votes becomes the president, no matter which community he comes from. Why can’t we do that, like in other democracies of the world?” he asks. His elders, who have seen the bloodshed of the civil war, tell him that the present system is the best guarantee for peace…” The story was not finished, but they had reached the TV tower where they stopped every day. Vetal wrapped up quickly and posed his customary question to Vikram: “If you had the power to rewrite the rules in Lebanon, what would you do? Would you adopt the ‘regular’ rules followed everywhere, as Khalil suggests? Or stick to the old rules? Or do something else?” Vetal did not forget to ✞ ✝ remind Vikram of their basic pact: “If you ✆ ✂ have an answer in mind and yet do not speak ☎ ❤ up, your mobike will freeze, and so ✄ ✂ will you!” ✁ (cid:0) Can you help poor Vikram in answering Vetal? ♦ P 7 ❋✠✡☛☞ ✠✌ ✍✠✎✏✡ ☞✑✒✡✓✔✕ The idea of power sharing has power should be distributed among emerged in opposition to the notions as many citizens as possible. of undivided political power. For a In modern democracies, power long time it was believed that all power sharing arrangements can take many of a government must reside in one forms. Let us look at some of the most person or group of persons located common arrangements that we have at one place. It was felt that if the or will come across. power to decide is dispersed, it would 1 Power is shared among different not be possible to take quick decisions organs of government, such as the and to enforce them. But these legislature, executive and judiciary. Let notions have changed with the us call this horizontal distribution of emergence of democracy. One basic power because it allows different organs principle of democracy is that people of government placed at the same level are the source of all political power. to exercise different powers. Such a In a democracy, people rule separation ensures that none of the themselves through institutions of organs can exercise unlimited power. self-governance. In a good democratic Each organ checks the others. This government, due respect is given to results in a balance of power among diverse groups and views that exist in various institutions. Last year we studied a society. Everyone has a voice in the that in a democracy, even though shaping of public policies. Therefore, ministers and government officials it follows that in a democracy political exercise power, they are responsible to the Parliament or State Assemblies. Reigning Reins Similarly, although judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the functioning of executive or laws made nc. by the legislatures. This arrangement is s I n called a system of checks and balances. o o art 2 Power can be shared among C gle governments at different levels – a a C general government for the entire n, de country and governments at the e ✟ Sw provincial or regional level. Such a ✆✝✄ on - general government for the entire ✝ s ♦ ns country is usually called federal ✂ ha ✞ Jo government. In India, we refer to it e ✄ Oll as the Central or Union Government. ✆✝ © The governments at the provincial or ❛ Recently some new laws were made in Russia giving more powers to ☎ regional level are called by different its president. During the same time the US president visited Russia. ✄ ✂ What, according to this cartoon, is the relationship between democracy names in different countries. In India, and concentration of power? Can you think of some other examples to ✁ (cid:0) illustrate the point being made here? ❉ 8