Back to: MBOSE Social Science Class 10

Democracy:  Means rule by the people. It ensures that every citizen takes part in the decision making process either directly or indirectly through the elected representative.

Features of Democracy

• Promotes equality among citizens.
• Enhance the dignity of individual.
• Improve the quality of decision making.
• Provides a method to resolve conflicts.
• Allows rooms correct mistakes.

Merits and Demerits

Merits	Demerits
People are their own masters	Slow and inefficient government.
Equal and Exact Justice	Unstable government.
Government not by force	Role of money in a Democracy.
Fewer conflict	Incompetence

The main principles of democracy

• One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power.
• In a democracy, people rule themselves through institutions of self-governance.
• In a democracy, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society.
• Everyone has a voice in the shaping up of public policies.

Outcome of Democracy:

• Electorate: Group of people who have right to vote in an election.
• Sovereignty: Supreme power of the state to take decisions in the internal as well as external matters.
• Ballot: The paper on which the names of the candidates who are contesting elections for a particular office are printed and the voters indicate their choice for a particular candidate.
• Accountability: The responsibility or obligation of government officials to act in the best interests of people or society.
• By elections: Special elections to few seats rendered vacant during the running term (by death, resignation or disqualification).
• Legitimate Government: A government under which law and action of the government are revealed to the people and government function in transparent manner.
• Democracy: Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Democracy is a government in which everyone has a share.
• Dictatorship: An autocratic form of absolute rule by leadership unrestricted by law, constitution or other social and political factor.

Things we need to understand before the evaluation of the outcomes of Democracy

• The first step towards thinking carefully about the outcome of the democracy is to recognize that democracy is just a form of government.
• It can only create conditions for achieving something.
• The citizens have to take advantage of those conditions and achieve goals.

Major areas use for to analyze the outcomes of the democracy.

• Accountable, responsive and Legitimate Government to the people.
• Economic growth and development.
• Reduction of inequality and poverty.
• Accommodation of the Social Diversity.
• Dignity and freedom of the citizen.

How does a democracy produce an accountable, responsive and legitimate government?

• A democracy produces an accountable , responsive and legitimate government as:
• In democracy people have the right to choose their rulers and have control over the rulers.
• Whenever possible and necessary, they should participate in decision –making on issues that affect them all.
• People also have control over their representative as they are answerable to the citizens for the policy implemented.
• Democracy is based on the idea of liberation and negotiation.
• Decion – making is based on norms and procedures and its transparency.

The principles of democracy be applied to all spheres of life  

1. This happens in the deepening stage of democracy. A democratic decision involves consultation with and the consent of all those who are affected by the decision.

2. Every individual irrespective his or her wealth, status, and power have the same right in decision making.

3. This practice should be equally applied to the government, a family or any other organization in the day today affairs.

‘Even though powers are vested in people in a democracy, a democratic regime has to face challenges’.

1. Election of illiterate, incapable and corrupt representatives.

2. Poverty, inequality and discrimination.

3. Improper working of democratic institutions.

4. Lack of public participation in democratic process.

5. Rising influence of corruption in society and politics.

Roles can citizens’ play in strengthening democracy.

 1. By electing efficient, diligent and capable representatives in elections.

2. By opposing governments from taking undemocratic decisions by peaceful movements and popular struggles.

3. By not falling into the trap of political parties and leaders who make false promises and adopt wrong policies.

4. By relying on democratic movements and media for stopping wrong decisions.

5. By correct awareness of issues of public interest.

The major challenges faced by the people in a country, where elections are held in unfair way.

1. Muscle power.
2. Illegal practices.
3. Dynastic succession.

The quality of democracy depends upon the degree of public participation. Suggest any three values essential for a citizen for effective participation. Value based

i. Awareness

ii. Mobilization for sharing opinions

 iii. Feeling for nation building

iv. Work for bringing social change

v. Honesty in all spheres

vi. Accommodation of all difference

vii. Any other relevant point

Economic Development is a broader concept than the Economic growth. Economic Development refers to the increase of the real nation income of the economic and socio economic structure of any country over a long period of time. Economic growth can be measured through an increase in the GDP per capita income, etc. Four factors that influence Economic growth of a country.

•              Land (natural Resources) available.

•              Investments in Human Capital.

•              Investment in Physical Capital.

•              Entrepreneurship

Reduction of Equality and Poverty

• Democracy is based on principle of equality is likely to promote greater social justice. Democratic laws work for betterment of the people as a whole. The ways in which democracies have been able to reduce inequality and poverty are.
• Women have been given equal rights like those of men in most the democratic countries like in India.
• Special efforts have been made to uplift the weaker sections of the society (like SC, ST), so that they could live with dignity and honour.
• Democracies everywhere try to provide a fair share to every citizen in the natural resources of the country.
• In almost all democratic countries of the world, poor people are given many concessions but richer classes are made to pay more income tax.

Condition under which democracies accommodate social diversities.

• It will be a fair expectation that democracy should produce a harmonious social life.
• Democracies usually develop a procedure to conduct their competition; it would reduce the possibility of tensions.
• No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups. Democracy is the most suitable form of government for to produce this outcome.
• Non democratic regimes often turn blind eye to suppress internal social differences.
• Ability to handle social differences and divisions and conflicts is the merit of the democratic regimes.

Democracy must fulfill two conditions to achieve the Outcome

It is necessary to understand that democracy is not simply rule by majority opinion. The majority always needs to work with the minority so that government functions to represent the general view. Majority and minority opinions are not permanent.

It is also necessary that rule by majority does not become rule by majority community in terms of religion or race or linguistic group etc. Rule by majority means that in case of every decision or in case of every election, different persons and groups may and can form majority. Democracy remains democracy only as long as every citizen has a change of being majority at some point of time. If someone is barred in majority on the basis of birt, then the democratic rule ceases to be accommodative for that person or group.

Challenges faced by democracy:  A Challenge in literal means a demanding situation that requires some kind of action. Challenges to democracy means problems that comes while ensuring a democratic set up in the country. It discusses the issues that need to be solved to sustain democracy in the country.

1. Foundation challenge. It relates to making the transition to democracy and then instituting democratic government. It involves bringing down the existing non-democratic regime, keeping military away from controlling government and establishing a sovereign and functional State.

2. Challenge of expansion. This stage involves applying the basic principle of democratic government across all the Regions, different social groups and various institutions. Ensuring greater power to local governments, extension of federal principle to all the units of the federation, inclusion of women and minority groups, etc. This also means that less and less decisions should remain outside the democratic control. Most of the democracies like India and USA faces challenge of expansion.

3. Challenge of deepening of democracy. This involves strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy by people’s participation and control. This should happen in such a way that people can realize their expectations of democracy. This requires an attempt to bring down the control and influence of the rich and powerful in making governmental decisions.

Political reform: All the suggestions or proposals about overcoming various challenges to democracy are called democratic reforms or political reforms. The following are the FOUR broad guidelines that should be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India.

1. Reforms through Legal Ways:-. Law has an important role to play in political reform. Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage good ones. Eg. RTI. Such legal reforms are to be carried out mainly by political activists, parties, movements, and politically conscious citizens.

2. Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the results may be counter-productive.

3. Reform through ‘Political Practices’: Democratic reforms are to be brought about principally through political practice. The most important concern should be to increase and improve the quality of political participation by ordinary citizens.

4. Strengthening Democratic Practice: Any proposal for political reforms should think not only about what is a good solution but also about who will implement it and how. Reform measures that rely on democratic movements, citizens’ organisations and the media are likely to succeed in reforming political system. The main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic practices.

For example, many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting Panchayat elections. This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor and women, which was not intended. The best laws are those, which empower people to carry out democratic reforms.’The Right to Information Act’ is a good example of a law that empowers the people to find out what is happening in government and act as watchdogs of democracy. Such a law helps to control corruption and supplements the existing laws that banned corruption and imposed strict penalties.

Challenges faced by countries which do not have a democratic form of government:

• Decisions made may not b according to the likes of the people
• People do not have right to express, right to speech etc.
• Doesn’t promote equality among citizens

Certain Measures to Deepen Democracy.

To provide education to the entire citizen: A literate society is the most important resource for a country. Education brings qualitative changes in the people and enables them to use better tools and knowledge. It would bring awareness of political rights of a person. Individuals are aware of their political rights and exercise them.

Fundamental Rights: provided by the constitution ensures that every citizen right are protected and secure. They cannot be taken away by any government. It would increase the faith of the people in constitution.

Freedom of press: has the freedom to form the public opinion by giving views and news on the issues facing the country. It would make awareness to the people what is happening in the society.

Next Lesson

 Voters’ Awareness and its Importance