OUR OWN ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL, SHARJAH

GRADE X POWER SHARING POLITICAL SCIENCE

Q.1 Describe the geographical & ethnic composition of Belgium.

 Geographical composition: Belgium is a small European country

 It has borders with Netherlands, France and Germany
 Its population is a little over one crore
 Ethnic composition: 59% of Belgians live in the Flemish region and
speak Dutch language
 40% of the population lives in the Wallonia region and speak French
 1% of the population speak German
 Brussels is the capital of Belgium. 80% of the population speak French
while 20% speak Dutch
 Belgium is a country of diversities based on languages. Dutch speaking
people were in majority in the country but in minority in the capital city of
Brussels

Q.2 What led to the ethnic tension in Belgium? Why was it more acute in
Brussels?

 The ethnic tensions in Belgium erupted because of the economic

development between the two linguistic communities
 The French speaking population was rich and powerful while those
speaking Dutch were not as influential
 The Dutch speaking people got the benefit of economic development
and education much later
 This was the reason for ethic tension between the two communities
 The tension was more in Brussels because the French speaking
population was in majority while those speaking Dutch was in minority

Q.3 Describe the geographical and ethnic composition of Sri Lanka

 Sri Lanka is an Island nation south of India in the Indian Ocean
 Ethnic composition: Its population is about 2 crores
 It has a diverse population. The major social groups are the Sinhala
speaking (74%) and Tamil speaking (18%)
 Tamil speakers are further divided into two sub groups – Sri Lankan
Tamils and Indian Tamils
 Sri Lankan Tamils are natives of Sri Lanka while the Indian Tamils’
forefathers migrated from India as plantation workers during colonial period
 Sri Lankan Tamils live in the north and east of the country
 There are different religions in Sri Lanka, namely, Buddhism, Hinduism,
Islam and Christianity.
 Most of the Sinhala speaking people are Buddhist
 Most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims
  Christians constitute 7% and are both Tamil and Sinhala

Q.4 What is majoritarianism? Describe the majoritarian measures taken by the

leaders of the Sinhala community to establish their supremacy. What were its
results?

 Majoritarianism is a belief that the majority community should be able to

rule the country in which ever way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and
needs of the minority
 In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official
language
 The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala
applicants for university positions or government jobs
 A new constitution stipulated that the state would protect and foster
Buddhism
 The measures increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan
Tamils.
 The relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities became
worse
 The Sri Lankan Tamils felt that none of the major political parties of the
Buddhist Sinhala leaders were sensitive to their language and culture
 They felt that they were being denied equal political rights and were
discriminated in government jobs and other opportunities
 The Sri Lankan Tamils started struggle for recognition of Tamil as
official language, regional autonomy, equality of opportunity in education
and jobs
 By 1980s, demand for an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern
and eastern parts of Sri Lanka was put forward by some political
organizations
 Civil War started and thousands of people were killed. Many people
were forced to leave the country. Many lost their livelihoods
 It caused a terrible setback to the social, cultural and economic life of
the country

Q.5 What is civil war?

 A violent conflict between opposing groups within a country that

becomes so intense that it appears like a war

Q.6 Describe the path of accommodation adopted in Belgium. What were its
consequences?

 Dutch and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central

Government
  Some special laws require the support of majority of members from the
Dutch speaking and French speaking groups. No single community, not
even the majority community (Dutch speaking) can make decisions
unilaterally
 The state governments are not subordinate to the Central government.
Many powers of the central government are given to the state governments
 There is a separate government in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.
Both the communities have equal representation in the Brussels
government
 A third government which is called the community government is
elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French
and German speaking – no matter where they live. The community
government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language
related issues.
 Consequences: The system is complicated but useful. It has avoided
conflicts between the two main communities and a possible division of the
country on linguistic lines. This is the reason why the European Union has
selected Brussels as its headquarters.

Q.7 Why did the Belgian leaders amend the constitution four times?

 In order to work out an arrangement that would enable people from all
communities to live together within the same country

Q.8 Explain the concept of 'community government in Belgium'.

 The community government is elected by people belonging to one

language community no matter where they live
 The government has the power regarding cultural, educational and
language related issues

Q.9 How is the composition of capital city of Brussels different from Belgium as a
country?

 Belgium: Dutch speaking 59%, French speaking 40%, German

speaking 1%
 Brussels: French speaking 80% and Dutch speaking 20%
 Dutch speaking people are in majority in the country but they are in
minority in Brussels
 French speaking people are in minority in the country but are in majority
in the capital city of Brussels

Q.10 What do we learn from the two stories of Belgium and Sri Lanka?
  In Belgium the leaders respected the feelings and interests of all
communities and were successful in maintaining the unity of the country.
 The leaders recognized the existence of regional differences and
cultural diversities
 They took various steps such as amendments to the constitution in
order to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live
together within the same country
 The arrangements such as equal number of ministers from Dutch and
French speaking people has worked successfully
 The majority community in Sri Lanka tries to force its dominance over
other communities
 It has brought the country nearer to a civil war and the unity of the
country is threatened
 This shows that the path of accommodation is better than that of
majoritarianism and power sharing must be followed

Q.11 What is power sharing?

 Power sharing is an intelligent step to the design of democracy. It is a

process of distribution of power among the organs of the government and
different levels of the government

Q.12 What is the relationship between Democracy and power sharing?

 Power sharing is a process of distribution of power among the different

organs and levels of government
 In Democracy political power is distributed among as many citizens as
possible

Q.13 Why is power sharing desirable?

 There are two types of reasons in favor of power sharing

 Prudential: Power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the
possibility of conflict between social groups
 Social conflict often leads to violence and instability but power sharing is
a good way to ensure political stability
 While majoritarianism leads to division or civil war as has happened in
Sri Lanka power sharing leads to unity as has happened in Belgium
 Tyranny of the majority is harmful for the minority as well as for the
majority because it brings widespread conflict or a civil war in which people
of both the communities suffer
 Moral : These emphasize that the power sharing is valuable because it
is good for democracies
 It is the basis of democracy
 It is the very spirit of democracy
  In a democracy people who are affected by the policies of the
government should have a right to be consulted in the governance of the
country

Q.14 Trace the existence of the term democracy

 It was believed that all power of a government must rest in one person
or a group of persons located at one place
 It was presumed that if the power to decide is dispersed, it would not be
possible to take quick decisions

Q.15 What are the different forms of power sharing in modern democracies?

 Among different organs of government

 Among governments at different levels
 Among different social groups
 Among different political parties, pressure groups and movements

Q.16 Explain the concept of checks and balances

 A system of checks and balances occurs when one organ of the

government checks the powers of the other organs

 Judges appointed by the executive can check the functioning of

executive or laws made by the legislatures

Q.17 Differentiate between horizontal and vertical power sharing

HORIZONTAL VERTICAL

Power is shared among different Power is shared among governments at

organs of the government
No one organ has unlimited power
There is a system of checks and
balances
Eg. India, Switzerland
different levels
The constitution outlines the powers of
different levels of government
There is general government for the country
and provincial or regional governments
Eg. Belgium, Germany, Spain

Q.18 What is a coalition government?

 When two or more parties form an alliance to contest elections and form
a government to share power in a democracy, this kind of government is
called a Coalition Government

Q.21 Describe the basic principles of democracy about power sharing

 In democracy, people are the source of political power
 They elect their representatives through direct or indirect election.
Those who win and secure majority in the legislature form government at
various levels i.e national, state or local
 In democracy due respect is given to all social groups including
minorities.
 In India, minorities enjoy educational and cultural rights
 Reservations have been made for SCs/STs in Parliament and State
assemblies. Democracy power is shared at various levels and among
various social groups