❝♦♥(cid:0)✁♥(cid:0)s CHAPTER I 2 ❉❊❊✂✂✄☎❘❘❆☎☎❨ ■✆ ❚✝❊❊ ☎✄✆❚❊❊✂✂◆✄✄❘❘❆❘❘❨ ❲❲✄❘✞❉ CHAPTER 2 22 ❲✝❆❚❚ ■❙❙ ❉❊✂✄✄☎☎❘❆❆☎❨❄❄ ❲✝❨ ❉❊❊✂✂✄☎❘❘❆☎☎❨❄❄ CHAPTER 3 40 ☎✄✆❙❚■❚✟❚❚■■✄✆✆❆✞ ❉❉❊❙❙■●●✆ CHAPTER 4 56 ❊✞❊☎❚✄✄❘❆✞ ◆◆✄✞✞■❚■■☎☎❙❙ CHAPTER 5 78 ❲✄❘❘✠✠■✆●● ✄❋❋ ■✆❙❚❚■■❚❚✟✟❚■✄✄✆✆❙ CHAPTER 6 96 ❉❊❊✂✂✄☎❘❘❆❚❚■☎ ❘■■●✝❚❚❙ 1 CHAPTER I ❉❡✄☎✆✝❛✆② ✐✞ ✟✠❡ ❈☎✞✟❡✄♥☎✝❛✝② ✡☎✝r☛ ❖❖❱(cid:0)✁❱✂(cid:0)❲ This book is about democracy. In this first chapter we see how democracy has expanded during the last hundred years to more and more countries in the world. More than half of the independent countries in the world today are democracies. The expansion of democracy has not been smooth and straight. It has seen several ups and downs in different countries. It still remains an unstable and uncertain achievement. This chapter begins with different stories on the making and unmaking of democracy from different parts of the world. These stories are meant to give a sense of what it means to experience democracy and its absence. We present the pattern of the spread of democracy first with a series of maps and then with a short history. The focus in this chapter is on democracy within a country. But towards the end of the chapter, we take a look at democracy or its absence in the relations among different countries. We examine the working of some international organisations. This allows us to ask a big question: are we moving towards democracy at the global level? n ó ci a N a L © President Salvador Allende (wearing a helmet) and his ✶✶(cid:0)(cid:0)✶✶ ✥✥✥✥❲❖❖ ✥✥❆❆✁✂✄ ☎☎❋❋ ✆✆✆✆✂❊❖❖✝✞❆❆✝❨ security guards in front of La Moneda, Chile’s “Workers of my homeland! I have faith in leader of the Socialist Party of Chile Presidential Palace, on 11 Chile and its future. Chileans will and led the Popular Unity coalition September 1973, hours before his death. What do overcome this dark and bitter moment to victory in the presidential election you read on everyone’s when treason became dominant. You in 1970. After being elected the face in this photograph? must never forget that, sooner rather than President, Allende had taken several later, the grand avenues will be opened policy decisions to help the poor and where free men will march on to build a the workers. These included reform better society. Long live Chile! Long live of the educational system, free milk the people! Long live the workers! for children and redistribution of land These are my last words and I have to the landless farmers. He was certainty that my sacrifice will not be in opposed to foreign companies taking vain; I have certainty that, at the least, away natural resources like copper I will be a moral lesson to castigate felony, from the country. The landlords, the cowardice, and treason.” rich and the Church opposed his These are some extracts from the policies. Some other political parties last speech of Salvador Allende in Chile also opposed his government. (pronounced Ayen-they). He was then the President of Chile, a Why did President ▼▼✐✐✟✐tt✠rr② ✡✡♦♦☛☛✏ ♦✑ ☞☞✌✌✍✍✎✎ Allende address country in South America. The On the morning of 11 September himself mainly to speech was given on the morning of 1973, the military took over the ‘workers’? Why 11 September 1973, the day his seaport. The Defence Minister was were the rich government was overthrown by the arrested by the military when he unhappy with him? military. Allende was the founder arrived at his office. The military 3 ❉❉✒✒✔✓✓✕✖✗✕✕✘ ■✙ ❚✚✒ ✛✛✓✙❚✒✔◆✓✖✗✖✘ ✜✜✜✜✓✓✖▲▲❘ commanders asked the President to military officers. They could do as resign. Allende refused to resign or they wished and no one could leave the country. But realising the question them. Thus a military danger to the country and to his life, dictatorship was established in he addressed the people on the Chile. Pinochet’s government radio, part of which we read in the tortured and killed several of those beginning. Then the military who supported Allende and those surrounded the President’s house who wanted democracy to be Did the army have any legal right to and started bombing it. President restored. These included General arrest the defence Allende died in the military attack. Alberto Bachelet of the Chilean Air minister of the This was the sacrifice he was talking Force and many other officers who country? Should about in his last speech. A refused to join the coup. General the army have the government elected by people was Bachelet’s wife and daughter were power to arrest any overthrown by the military through put in prison and tortured. More citizen? conspiracy and violence. than 3,000 people were killed by the What took place in Chile on 11 military. Many more were reported September 1973 was a military ‘missing’. No one knows what coup. General Augusto Pinochet happened to them. (pronounced Pinoshe), an Army general, led the coup. The A C T I V I T Y government of the United States of America was unhappy with Allende’s rule and is known to have supported Locate and shade Chile on the map. Which President Michelle Bachelet and funded activities that led to the ✆state in our country has a shape similar to addressing her supporters after her victory in the coup. Pinochet became the Chile? presidential election in President of the country and ruled Follow the newspaper for one month and collect January 2006. From this it for the next 17 years. From a ✆news items related to any country in Latin photograph do you notice any difference between an government that was elected by the America. Did you find the news coverge election rally in Chile and in people, the power shifted to the adequate. India? e hil C n, ó ci a N a L © 4 ❉❉❊(cid:0)✁❈❈✂❆❆❚✄❈❈ ✥✥✥✥✁▲✄❚✄❈☎ Lech Walesa Poland is famous for its one of Chile’s richest men. In this poster art. Most of the ❘❘❡❡❡❡ssss(cid:0)(cid:0)♦♦♦♦rrrr❛❛❛❛(cid:0)(cid:0)✐✐✐✐♦♦♦♦tt ♦♦✁✁ ✂✂❡❡❡❡♠♠♠♠♦♦✄✄rr❛❛❛❛✄✄✄✄②②②② Pinochet’s military dictatorship photograph of her victory speech, posters of Solidarity carried this special way of writing came to an end after he decided to she is saying to her supporters: ‘Solidarnosc’. Can you find hold a referendum in 1988. He felt “Because I was the victim of hatred, I similar examples of poster confident that in this referendum, have dedicated my life to reverse that art or wall writing in Indian politics? the people would say ‘yes’ to his hatred and turn it into understanding, continuing in power. But the people tolerance and — why not say it — into of Chile had not forgotten their love.” democratic traditions. Their vote was a decisive ‘no’ to Pinochet. This led ✂✂❡♠♠♦✄✄rr❛✄② ✐tt ✥✥♦♦❧❧❛tt❞❞ to Pinochet losing first his political Let us turn to another event, this and then his military powers. The time from Poland, in 1980. At that hope Allende expressed in his last time Poland was ruled by the Polish address was realised: felony, United Workers’ Party. This was one cowardice and treason were finally of the many communist parties that punished. Political freedom was ruled in several countries of East restored. Since then Chile has held Europe at that time. In these four presidential elections in which countries no other political party different political parties have was allowed to function. The people participated. Slowly, the army’s role could not freely choose the leaders in the country’s government has of the communist party or the been eliminated. The elected government. Those who spoke governments that came to power against the leaders or the party or ordered inquiries into Pinochet’s the government were put in prison. rule. These inquiries showed that his The government in Poland was government was not only very supported and controlled by the brutal, but also very corrupt. government of the Soviet Union Do you remember a little reference (USSR), a vast and powerful made earlier to General Bachelet’s communist state. daughter who was imprisoned and On 14 August 1980, the workers tortured along with her mother? of Lenin Shipyard in the city of That girl, Michelle Bachelet Gdansk went on a strike. The (pronounced Mishel Bashelet), was shipyard was owned by the elected President of Chile in January government. In fact all the factories 2006. A medical doctor and a and big property in Poland were moderate socialist, Michelle became owned by the government. The the first woman to be a Defence strike began with a demand to take Minister in Latin America. In the back a crane operator, a woman presidential elections she defeated worker, who was unjustly dismissed 5 ❉❉❊❊☎❖❖✆✝❆✆✆❨ ■✞ ❚✟❊ ✠✠❖✞❚❊☎◆❖✝❆✝❨ ✡✡✡✡❖❖✝▲▲☛ from service. This strike was illegal, government was weaker, the because trade unions independent support from Soviet Union uncertain of the ruling party were not allowed and the economy was in decline. in Poland. As the strike continued, Another round of negotiations with a former electrician of the shipyard, Walesa resulted in an agreement in Lech Walesa (pronounced Lek April 1989 for free elections. Solidarity Walesha), joined the strikers. He was contested all the 100 seats of the dismissed from service in 1976 for Senate and won 99 of them. In demanding higher pay. Walesa soon October 1990, Poland had its first emerged as the leader of the striking presidential elections in which more workers. The strike began to spread than one party could contest. Walesa across the whole city. Now the was elected President of Poland. workers started raising larger demands. They wanted the right to A C T I V I T Y form independent trade unions. They also demanded the release of political prisoners and an end to censorship Locate Poland on the map. Write down the ✆ on press. names of the countries that surround it. The movement became so popular Which other East European countries were ✆ that the government had to give in. ruled by communist parties in the 1980s? The workers led by Walesa signed a Shade them on the map. 21-point agreement with the Make a list of political activities that you could ✆ government that ended their strike. not have done in Poland in 1980s but you can The government agreed to recognise do in our country. the workers’ right to form independent trade unions and their ✝✝✇♦♦ ✞✞❡❡✟tt✉✉✠❡☛ ♦♦☞ ✡✡❡♠♠♦♦❝❝✠✠✟❝❝②② right to strike. After the Gdansk We have read two different kinds of agreement was signed, a new trade real life stories. The story from Chile union called Solidarity (Solidarnosc was of a democratic government led in Polish) was formed. It was the first by Allende being replaced by a non- time an independent trade union democratic military government of was formed in any of the communist Pinochet, followed by restoration of states. Within a year, Solidarity democracy. In Poland we tracked the swept across Poland and had about transition from a non-democratic one crore members. Revelations of government to a democratic widespread corruption and government. mismanagement in the government Let us compare the two non- made matters worse for the democratic governments in these rulers. The government, led by stories. There were many differences General Jaruzelski, grew anxious between Pinochet’s rule in Chile and and imposed martial law in the communist rule in Poland. Chile December 1981. Thousands of was ruled by a military dictator, Solidarity members were put in while Poland was ruled by a political prison. Freedom to organise, protest party. The government of Poland Why was an and express opinions was once claimed that it was ruling on behalf independent trade again taken away. of the working classes. Pinochet union so important Another wave of strikes, again made no such claim and openly in Poland? Why are organised by Solidarity, began in favoured big capitalists. Yet both trade unions 1988. This time the Polish had some common features: necessary? 6 ❉❉❊(cid:0)✁❈❈✂❆❆❚✄❈❈ ✥✥✥✥✁▲✄❚✄❈☎ The people could not choose or governments elected by the people (cid:0) change their rulers. and not by the army, unelected There was no real freedom to leaders or any external power. The (cid:0) express one’s opinions, form people enjoyed some basic political political associations and organise freedoms. protests and political action. From these two stories let us draw a rough way to identify a democracy. The three democratic governments Democracy is a form of government identified above — Allende’s Chile, that allows people to choose their Walesa’s Poland and Michelle’s Chile rulers. In a democracy: — are different in their approach only leaders elected by people (cid:0) towards social and economic matters. should rule the country, and Allende preferred government control people have the freedom to express (cid:0) on all big industries and the economy. views, freedom to organise and Walesa wanted the market to be free freedom to protest. of government interference. Michelle stands somewhere in the middle on We shall come back to this question this issue. Yet these three in Chapter Two and develop a governments shared some basic definition of democracy. We shall also features. Power was exercised by note some features of a democracy. Anita made a list of the features of all the five governments that we have discussed so far. But somehow the list got mixed up. Now she has a list of many features but she does not remember which feature applies to which government. Can you help her by writing the correct feature under the CHECK name of the government in the table below? Remember, some of these features may apply to more YOUR than one government and would need to be written separately under each of these. Features: PROGRESS Military Cgarolilvtoiewcriensdmm eonf tt hneot dictatoGrsohvieprnmWcoeirdnretuspptrieoand Twphoaelsi t poicrnaecsle ip dareinsotner Ruler elected owned all Ruler not by the people industries More than one elected by the Missing people parties exist people People enjoyed basic political Foreign freedoms intervention in domestic affairs Chile Chile Chile Poland Poland Allende Pinochet Bachelet Jaruzelski Walesa 7 ❉❉❊❊✁❖❖✂✄❆✂✂❨ ■☎ ❚✆❊ ✥✥❖☎❚❊✁◆❖✄❆✄❨ ✝✝✝✝❖❖✄▲▲❘ ✶✶✳✳✳✳✆✆✆✆ ✝✝❍❍❍❍✞✞✞✞ ✟✟❍❍❍❍✠✠◆◆●●●●■■■■◆◆◆◆●●●● ✡✡✡✡✠✠✠✠☛☛ ❖❖❖❖❋❋ ☞☞✞✞▼▼▼▼❖❖✌✌✍✍✠✠✌✌✌✌❨❨❨❨ Twentieth century was full of the that were democratic in 1950, a few kind of stories we have read above: years after the end of the Second stories of transition to democracy, World War. This map also shows of challenges to democracy, of countries from this set that had military coups, of struggles of the already become democratic by 1900. people to bring back democracy. The second map presents a picture Was there a pattern to these stories of democratic regimes in 1975, after that record both the march towards most of the colonies had gained democracy and the setbacks to independence. Finally, we take democracy? Let us use the basic another leap and look at democracies features we noted earlier and in the year 2000, at the beginning of identify democracies among the twenty-first century. different countries of the world. As we look at these maps, let us This is what the three maps shown ask ourselves some questions. How here do. Take a look at these three has democracy marched through maps below and find out if there was the twentieth century? Is there a a pattern in the way democracies clear pattern of expansion? When have evolved in the twentieth century. did the expansion take place? In The first map depicts the countries which regions? MAP 1.1: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS IN 1900-1950 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1900 AND 1950 DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IN 1950 BUT NOT IN 1900 8 ❉❉❊(cid:0)✁❈❈✂❆❆❚✄❈❈ ✥✥✥✥✁▲✄❚✄❈☎