PRESIDIUM GURGAON

CLASS IX
Subject: Social Science (Pol.Sci.)

Ch- 1 WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY

DEMOCRACY
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1. What is Democracy?

Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.
Abraham Lincoln quoted ‘Democracy is a rule of the people, for the people and by the
people’.
Democracy comes from a Greek word ’Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means people and
‘kratia’ means rule. So democracy is rule by the people.

2. How did General Pervez Musharraf become the President of Pakistan?

In Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999 and declared
himself the ‘Chief Executive of the Country’ and later changed his designation to ‘President’.
In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ according to which the President could
dismiss the elected assemblies. The work of the civilian cabinet was supervised by a
National Security Council dominated by military officers. Pakistan has had elections, elected
representatives had some power but the final power rested with military officers and General
Musharraf himself. In many dictatorships and monarchies they have elected parliaments
and governments, but the real power is with those who are not elected.
Hence in a democracy the final decision making power must rest with those elected by the
people.

3. How can you say that China is not a democratic country?

Elections are regularly held for electing the country’s parliament called National People’s
Congress. It has the power to appoint the President of the country. Some members are
elected by the army. Before contesting elections, a candidate needs approval of the
Chinese Communist Party. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.

4. Till 2000, Mexico was not a democratic country. Explain.

The country holds elections after every six years to elect its President and has never been
under a military/dictator’s rule. But until 2000, every election was won by a party called PRI.
Opposition parties did contest but never managed to win. PRI used dirty tricks to win
elections and spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates. Media ignored
the activities of opposition political parties. Polling booths were shifted from one place to
another at the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes.
In China the elections do not offer the people any serious choice. They have to choose the
ruling party and candidates approved by it.
In the Mexican example, in practice the people had no choice. There was no way the ruling
party could be defeated even if people were against it. These are not fair elections.
Holding elections of any kind is not any sufficient. They must offer a real choice between
political alternatives and it should be possible for the people to use this choice to remove the
existing rulers.
Hence a democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those currently in
power have a fair chance of losing.

5. What does ‘one person, one vote, one value’ mean? Name the countries who deny the
equal right to vote.

Democracy is based on a fundamental principle of political equality. In a democracy, each

adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value. Democracy is linked
to the demand for Universal Adult Franchise. Yet, there are many instances of denial of
equal right to vote.
Until 2015, in Saudi Arabia, women did not have the right to vote.
Estonia has made its citizenship rules in such a way that people belonging to Russian
minority find it difficult to get 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.
Hence in a democracy each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one
value.

6. How popular governments can be undemocratic? Explain with an example.

In Zimbabwe, since it attained independence in 1980, elections have been held regularly
and always won by ZANU-Ph the party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, President
Robert Mugabe, is popular but also uses unfair practices in elections. His government has
changed the constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make
him less accountable. Opposition party workers are harassed. Public protests and
demonstrations against the government are declared illegal. There is a law that limits the
right to criticise the President. Television and radio are controlled by the government and
give only the ruling party’s version.The country became free from white minority rule in 1980
and since then it is been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle. Its
leader Robert Mugabe has been ruling the country since independence. Elections were
always won by ZANU-PF.
Popular governments can be undemocratic and popular leaders can be autocratic.
There should be sufficient room for normal political activity including political opposition. The
state should respect some basic rights of the citizen and they must be protected by an
independent judiciary whose orders are obeyed by everyone.
Hence a democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens’
rights.

7. Why should we choose Democracy?

Rulers elected by the people take all the major decisions;

Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers;
This choice and opportunity is available to all the people on an equal basis;
The exercise of this choice leads to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution
and citizens’ rights.

8. What are the demerits or disadvantage of a democratic government?

Leaders keep changing in a democracy, which leads to instability;

Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality;
So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads to delays.
Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people and it leads to bad decisions.
Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.
Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them; they should not decide anything.
Democracy has not ended poverty in our country and in other parts of the world.
Frequent changes in leadership can set back big decisions and affect the government’s
efficiency.

9. What are the merits of a democratic government?

Democracy is better than any other form of government in responding to the needs of the
people. It is a more accountable form of government.
Democracy is based on consultation and discussion. This reduces the chances of rash or
irresponsible decisions. Thus it improves the quality of decision making.
In a diverse country like India democracy keeps our country together. It provides a method
to deal with differences and conflicts.
Democracy is based on the principle of political equality on recognizing that the poorest and
the least educated has the same status as the rich and the educated. Hence it enhances the
dignity of citizens.
Mistakes cannot be hidden for long in a democracy. There is a space for public discussion
and room for correction. Either the rulers have to change their decisions or the rulers can be
changed. Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to
correct its own mistakes.

10. Why India has not experiences a famine as severe as that of China in 1958-61?

China’s famine of 1958-1961 was the worst recorded famine in the world history.
Nearly three crore people died in this famine. During those days, India’s economic condition
was not much better than China. Yet India did not have a famine of the kind China had.
Economists think that this was a result of different government policies in the two countries.

The existence of democracy in India made the Indian government respond to food scarcity
in a way that the Chinese government did not. They point out that no large-scale famine has
ever taken place in an independent and democratic country. If China too had multiparty
elections, an opposition party and a press free to criticise the government, then so many
people may not have died in the famine.
Give your views on the broader meaning of Democracy.
The most common form that democracy takes in our times is that of a representative
democracy. In modern democracies all the people do not rule. A majority is allowed to take
decisions on behalf of all the people. Even the majority does not rule directly.
They rule through their elected representatives.
Modern democracies are representative. It is because:
They involve such a large number of people that it is physically impossible for them to sit
together and take collective decisions.
Even if they could, the citizen does not have time, the desire or the skills to take part in all
the decisions.

11. What are the features of non-democratic governments?

Other forms of government like monarchy, dictatorship or one party rule do not require all
citizens to take part in politics.
Non democratic governments may and can respond to the people’s needs but it all depends
on the wishes of the people who rule.
The people could not choose or change their rulers.
There is no real freedom to express one’s opinion, form political associations and organise
protests and political action.
In most non democratic governments censorship is imposed and there is no freedom of
press.

Image based questions:

Q1. This cartoon was drawn when elections were held in Iraq with the presence of US and
other foreign powers.
(i) What do you think this cartoon is saying?
(ii) Why is ‘democracy’ written the way it is?

(i) The military forces (The USA and allied forces) were behind effecting democracy in Iraq.
Saddam Hussain ruled Iraq nothing less than a dictator from 1979 to 2003. In 2003 NATO
forces occupied Iraq and first multiparty elections were held in 2005 in Iraq.
(ii) ‘M’ stands here to signify the role of US army in bringing democracy in Iraq. It is set up
by the US for its own interest, they made mockery of democracy. Democracy is being
ridiculed in this cartoon.

Q2. i) Do you think it applies to the Pakistani situation as well?

(ii) Think of other countries where this could apply?
(iii) Does this happen sometimes in our country as well?

Answers
The cartoon reflects as how the armed forces, be the police, army or hooligans, hijack
democracy by force.
(i) This can be applicable to the Pakistan. The democratic government of Nawaz Sharif was
toppled through a military coup by Parvez Musharaf. In Pakistan, General Musharraf with
the help of army officials controlled the elected representatives. The final power rested with
Parvez Musharraf.
(ii) This could be applied in many Latin American countries, Iraq, China, etc.
Q3. Chinese Government blocked free flow of information on the internet by placing
restrictions on popular websites like ‘Google and ‘Yahoo’. The image of tanks and an
unarmed student reminds the reader of another major event in recent Chinese history. Find
out about that event.

Answer: The cartoon is showing the famous ‘Tank Man’ who stood in the way of tanks
moving to dispel and brutally crush the democracy movement by the students. It reminds us
of the Massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
In April 1989, the death of Hu Yao bang, a liberal reformer, caused unrest among students
and led to gathering and protests taking place in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
It was largely a student run demonstration which called for economic reform, freedom of the
press and political liberalisation. The Chinese Government brutally suppressed the
movement for which it was internationally condemned. Even today, 4 June 1989 is the date
that the Chinese government does not allow any gathering there around Tiananmen
Square.

In the questions given below, there are two Statements marked as Assertion (A) and
Reason (R). Read the Statements and choose the correct option: Options are:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(D) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Q.1. Assertion: Democracy is a form of government in which the power is vested in a few
individuals.
Reason: Democracy is a form of government in which the power is vested in the hands of
the people.
Answer: (D)
The assertion is false, but the reason is true. Democracy is a form of government in which
the power is vested in the hands of the people, not a few individuals.

Q.2. Assertion: Democracy is a western concept that cannot be applied in non-western

societies.
Reason: Democracy is based on universal values such as freedom, equality, and justice
that are applicable to all societies.
Answer: (D)
The assertion is false, but the reason is true. Democracy is not a western concept but is
based on universal values that are applicable to all societies. It is possible to have
democracy in non-western societies, but it may take different forms and may face different
challenges.

Q.3.Assertion: Democracy is not just about government of the people but also about
government for the people.
Reason: Democracy ensures that the government is responsive to the needs and
aspirations of the people.
Answer: (A)