Civics Combined (All Chapters)

Democracy is based on the principle of POLITICAL EQUALITY.

Glorious revolution was between 1640 and 1688.
Rule of law meaning the government by a set of laws and not by the whims and fancies of those in power.
The British precedents also popularized the idea of Charter of Rights.
French Revolution started in 1789.
The revolutionaries of France adopted the declaration of rights of man.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE policy where by everybody knew his interest. Also known as individualism.
Right to vote is called suffrage or franchise.
One man one vote meaning political equality.
Till the fifth Lok Sabha, the party that was in prominence was Congress.
Party symbols: There are symbols for different Political Parties like
Hand for Congress (INC).
Sickle and sheaf of paddy for CPI.
Hammer, sickle and star for CPI (M).
In 1977, Janata Party came to power.
1980: Congress again took over.
In England Tories and Whigs represent two different kinds of social interests.
German Social Democratic Party is a state within the state.
Indian National Congress was founded in 1885.
First PM of free India was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru followed by Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Mrs. Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister in 1967.
The Congress split into two in 1969.
Emergency was imposed on India between 1975 and 1977.
Janata party won the elections in 1977.
Regional parties were Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(AIADMK).
Trade Unions are AITUC, CITU and INTUC.
India was called the THE BRIGHTEST JEWEL IN BRITISH CROWN.
Urdu developed in the Mughal court is a mixture of Hindi, Arabic and Persian.
Hindustani music is a creation of both Hindus and Muslims.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy came from Bengal.

Tilak came from Maharashtra.

Gandhiji came from Gujarat.
Nehru came from Kashmir.
Sare Jahan Se Acchha was written by Iqbal in Urdu and Jana Gana Mana was written by Rabindranath
Tagore in Bengali.
The Brahmins taught or did the rituals.
The Kshatriyas ruled and the Vaishyas carried on the business or were merchants.
The Shudras were to do all the menial jobs of the upper classes. They were also known as untouchables.
Gandhiji was assassinated by a Hindu Fanatic Nathuram Godse.
In 1954, the western powers formed a military alliance called the NATO followed by SEATO, CENTO and
ANZUS.
The socialists states formed their own alliances the following year called the WARSAW PACT.
The Security Council is a body of fifteen members with five permanent members i.e. USA, USSR, China, UK
and France.
ILO means International Labor Organization.
FAO means Food and Agricultural Organization.
WHO means World Health Organization.
UNESCO means United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization.
UNICEF means United Nations Childrens Emergency Fund.
Korea was divided into two in 1950.
First war with Pakistan started in 1965.
Second war with Pakistan started in 1971 over the formation of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Mujibur Rehmans government was overthrown in 1975 and subsequently he was killed.
In 1962, China declared war on India.
Third world can be defined as the countries into non alignment and they are also the newly independent
countries.
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Democracy
CIVICS CHAPTER 7 - DEMOCRACY

1) What did democracies mean in ancient societies? What does it mean now?

Though democracies did exist in ancient societies like India and Greece, but historians argue that they were
not the type of total democracies. For example in Greece, democracy did exist but only for the masters and
not for the slaves though much of the Athenian society ran on the labor of the slaves, but they did not have
any political equality. By the ancient Athenian form of government, they enjoyed total democracy but only
the masters but if we compare it with todays form of democracy, it can be labeled as the worst form of
tyranny. Ancient democracies thrived on class divide and modern democracy does not believe in class divide.
The rights are not limited to the privileged few but for the population at large. So the idea of democracy in
ancient times can be quiet misleading.

Todays democracy means political equality in the sense every person who is a citizen of that particular land
has certain rights and enjoys them without any class divide and has to perform certain duties for the country
and here also the duties are not unequally divided. Ancient societies may have had total democracies and
that may have existed before the society was divided on the basis of class. Modern democracies are not and
cannot be limited and are open to one and all and the rights are universal to all.

2) What is meant by the principle of political equality?

Modern democracies are not based on class divide and cannot have first class citizens or second class
citizens. They are available to all and the definition of democracy is based on political equality. Political
equality means every citizen of that land enjoys equal status and has the right and duty to take active part
in the democratic process. The persons economic status is not a scale to decide his right as a citizen of that
land. Constitutions of some countries are written and some are understood but in todays world they have
provided equal rights to all the citizens and these rights protect the citizens from the atrocities that may be
heaped on them.

For example our country India, the society is multi religious and does not contain people of one caste, race,
language or following a single type of tradition or culture. In such a situation, the government had the
responsibility of seeing to it that all the people of our country what ever may be their religion or caste or
economic status be, enjoy total rights or political equality and have the freedom of taking active part in the
government process of our land.

3) What is the importance of the dates 1688 and 1789 in the growth of modern democracy?

Modern democracies that we enjoy today have had a long history of changes and revolutions and additions
and deletions. Accountability on part of the government i.e. being accountable for every law or act that was
passed was not present as early as 1688. It was only after 1688 that the principle of rule of law was
established i.e. the government was guided by a rule of law meaning it had to frame laws according to set
standard rules and not according to the whims and fancies of who every may have been in power. All those
governments who ever came to power had to work within the frame work of the constitution. The
government can no longer make its own principles, which is as good as having none at all. The British
precedents also popularized the idea of a charter of rights for ordinary citizens.

The French revolution of 1789 contributed most to the idea of democracy. The revolutionaries in France
adopted the declaration of rights of man. It declared that all men were equal. The French revolution is
considered to be one of the most remarkable revolutions as it made few compromises and many
innovations. The idea of associating democracy with the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity goes to
the 1789 French revolution.

4) What is a laissez-faire economy?

This policy encourages the idea of private enterprise. It means that every person knows his interest and
should work for himself. Man need not care for others. This type of economy lays more emphasis on
individualism where man need not bother about others but work for his own benefits and when every person
works for his benefit, the country is benefited in the long run. This type of economy has certain merits i.e. it
requires tolerance or one individual for others lives, views and customs. Here democracy meant a way of life
where every one works for self. But this theory is true only in books because practically it is very difficult to
have this type of economy where every one works for self interest and not bother about others. This race for
self interest may sometimes lead to one person trying to take away the rights of another individual.

5) What are the differences between direct and indirect democracy?

Democracies are of two types i.e. direct and indirect democracy. Direct democracy means involving the
entire population in government. There are four procedures by which people can be directly involved. These
are referendum, recall, initiative and plebiscite. Direct democracies may have existed when the population
may have been less and manageable.

Indirect democracy can also be called as representative type of democracy. Here the population being large
does control the government but not directly. They do not make laws or take decisions but their
representatives do it for them. In this kind of democracy the choosing of right kind of representative is the
most important affair and is done through elections where the population of that country exercises it right to
vote once in five years. The elected representatives then take decisions in the government on behalf of the
electorate. But if the representative proves to be unconstitutional, then the electorate can throw the
representative out during the next elections. In the modern world today, this type of representative
democracy is the most effective type of democracy.

6) How is public opinion formed and expressed?

In a democratic form of government, public opinion is very important from the governments point of view.
Every party wants to stay in power and would not like to displease the public so feed back is necessary on
the policies that have been formed and so public opinion becomes the most important part in any democracy
of modern world.

Public opinion is formed in many ways. Several agencies have a hand in shaping it. For a healthy public
opinion, it is very important that the citizens of the country should know what is happening around them in
the country and in the world at large. In todays world public opinion is formed through mass media i.e.
through newspapers, radio, television, cinema etc. But public opinion heavily depends on the free press and
it is the responsibility of the press to project the correct news and not to manipulate it to suite their ends.

Public opinion is not just to be formed but also to be expressed. The general public should not only form the
public opinion but also express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction towards the government process. It is the
duty of the journalists and the mass media to help the public to express their opinion so that a healthy
democratic government is shaped and the country moves on the road to development. Public opinion which
is correctly formed and expressed plays a very important role in the government process not only in the
country but also in the other countries of the world as the public is aware of what is happening not only in
their country but also in the countries around the world.
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Elections
CIVICS CHAPTER 8 - ELECTIONS

1) Why are the modern democracies indirect?

Direct societies do not suit the modern age as the population of the country cannot be directly involved in
the Government process. It did exist in the ancient societies where the population was less and all the
members of the community could be involved in formation of laws and decisions making process for the
community. But this became defunct as the population increased and it was impossible for the whole
community to be involved in the law making and decision making process. Indirect democracies came to the
rescue where representatives are elected to represent the community and take decisions for the community
and impose laws for the benefit of the community at large.
Indirect democracies play a major role in modern democracies as the electorate does not control the
government directly but indirectly and the government is accountable for the decisions taken and if the
decisions taken are unconstitutional, then the representative is done away with in the next election. Though
the electorate does not get involved directly in the law making process but it is involved in the government
formation process where it has the choice to form the government which will work for the betterment of the
community at large.

2) What is the importance of representation in democracy?

In modern democracies representation forms the most important business in the government formation. The
population rise has given rise to indirect form of democracy whereby representatives are chosen from the
community by the community itself and this representative takes decisions and makes laws on behalf of the
community at large. Choosing the correct representative is precisely the most important form of the
government forming process.
The usual way of choosing a representative is through election and in todays election process all adults at
the age of 18 and above start having a say in the government process by exercising their right to vote. The
government is not independent but is accountable to the people of the land as the representatives are
controlled by the people and it is through the representatives that the community has a control over the
legislature. A government so formed does not rule but instead is ruled by the people of the country and thus
we can say that representation or choosing a representative is the most important act in the government
formation process or in a democracy.

3) What is the meaning of the terms: responsible government and accountability?

During the time of monarchy and feudalism the governments were not called responsible governments, as it
depended on the monarch to make the life of the subjects better. If the monarch was not interested, then
naturally the subjects suffered. There was nothing like responsibility on the part of the monarch. It was only
after the English and French revolutions that the governments that were set up were called responsible
governments. They were different from the earlier feudal governments. They could not do what they
pleased. They had to obey definite rules and that was more important the ordinary laws that were framed
for the ordinary people. These rules were laid down and were like laws above the ordinary laws and that was
called constitution of the land.
During feudalism the laws that were passed by the monarch were just passed and he was not answerable to
the general public for the laws he had framed. The general public had just to follow the laws whether they
were beneficial to them or not. But in modern democracies, if the party has to stay in power, then it is
accountable to the general public for the decisions taken and the laws passed because then the general
public can just throw them out in the next general elections. The governments today are accountable for the
decisions taken on behalf of the citizens of the country.

4) What is an election manifesto? What is its use?

When the election dates are made public, then the parties go in for campaigning. This forms the crucial part
in any election process. It is the process by which the candidate persuades the voters to vote for him/her
rather than some one else. Though some times speeches, posters processions do the part of campaigning,
the candidates do go across to the people with their manifesto where by they describe in what way they
would solve some of the internal and external issues once they are elected. It also explains to the voters as
to how the candidate and the party he/she is representing is different from the other party. Election
manifestos are very important documents and the parties are judged by them. It is in a way a commitment
by the government that once it is elected it will honor all the promises made in the manifesto. If by chance
the government does not honor the promises so made, then an electorate can demand the fulfillment of the
promises made in the manifesto.

The election manifesto is most useful for selecting the right kind of representative and seeing to it that the
representative so elected acts for the better life of the people who have elected him trusting his promises he
made in the manifesto. As it is also a written promise made by the candidate, he cannot, after he is elected
go back on the promises so made. This helps the electorate to keep the representative in control.

5) Can you explain the paradoxes of simple majority?

The election process in our country is not based on any cryptic formulae. It is based on the method of
simple majority. Any person who is elected or who gains even one vote more than his opponent is declared a
winner. This helps even the simple rural electorate understand the reason why a particular candidate has
been elected. If major formulae are involved, then the electorate will find it difficult to understand the
reason why a particular candidate has been elected or not. Simple majority makes the election process
simple and not complex. The whole idea is that the representative should be a delegate of the majority of
the voters.

But simple majority has its own disadvantages. It is advantageous when there are two candidates. But when
there are more than two candidates, then the problem arises. For example, there are three candidates A, B,
C. In the elections, A polls 40 votes and B and C together poll 30 votes each. According to the process of
simple majority A is clearly the winner as he has polled 10 more votes than either B or C. But the problem
here arises that though 40 people want him to be their representative, 60 people do not want him to be
their representative. Here the simple majority turns out to be disadvantageous. But where there are certain
advantages, disadvantages also do arise.

6) Describe the various steps in the election process?

Election forms the most important exercise in any democratic country. The whole election process undergoes
various steps which are important in their own way and the whole exercise has to undergo each one of them
before the entire exercise is complete.

Representation: Todays democracies are indirect democracies and representation forms an important step.
A representative is one who is elected by the community to represent them in the law making process.
Selecting of the right kind of representative who will effectively represent the community forms the most
important function. It is through the representative that the community can control the government.
The Franchise: The right to vote is called franchise or suffrage. The constitution in modern world gives this
right to each and every citizen of the land irrespective of his economic, educational or caste status. It is the
right of every citizen and every citizen can exercise only one vote. There can be no proxy voting when we
have to exercise our franchise.

Secret Ballot: During the election process every citizen above the age of 18 chooses his candidate through
his franchise but he can do so in secret i.e. he need not tell anyone whom he has voted for. This secret ballot
is important especially in a country like India where a voter can be harassed if the candidate comes to know
that he has not been voted for.
Candidates: A person who is willing to stand up for elections and get elected as a representative is called a
candidate. There are two types of candidates one is the party candidate and the other is an independent
candidate. A party candidate has the support of his party and the party campaigns for him. But an
independent candidate has to do all the campaigning himself but where coalition governments are to be
formed, then the support of the independent elected candidate becomes effective. But when compared to a
party candidate, an independent candidate even if elected has to work under a tremendous handicap.
Nominations: Once the candidates are selected by the parties to stand for the election, then they have to
formally announce their intention to participate in the elections. This is called nominations. A last date is
announced before which the nominations have to come before the election commission. Then follows the
period of scrutiny where the papers are scrutinized whether they are in order. Sometimes the nominations
are rejected if there is any doubt arising in the papers so submitted. After this the candidates are usually
given a date before which they can withdraw their candidature. This is to make the election process clearer
and to disallow wastage of the voter paper where only seriously contending names of the candidates are
printed.
Symbols: Symbols form another important process in the elections. In a country like India where the rural
poor are often illiterate and cannot read the names of their candidates whom they want to elect, the
symbols play a very important part so that the illiterate can cast his vote for his candidate. They also play a
very important part among the educated classes where a huge number of candidates are standing for
election and it is difficult to remember the names then the party symbol comes handy.
The Campaign: Campaigning is the process by which a candidate tries to persuade the voter to vote for
him/her rather than the others. A usual campaign involves public speeches, posters, processions and
manifesto. In the whole campaigning process the election manifesto plays a very important part where the
candidate proclaims that if at all he is elected then what are the problems of the nation he is going to solve
and in what way. Usually the party for which a candidate is representing brings out an election manifesto. It
also helps the general public to remind the candidate once he is elected about the promises that he had
made during the campaigning.
Simple Majority: The election of a candidate is through simple majority. The idea behind the election is that
the representative should be elected through a majority of voters. But ideally this does not happen. It is
effective where there are only two candidates but where there are more than two candidates then the

formula of simple majority may become a disadvantage. Some countries have adopted a system of
proportional representation to prevent the anomalies of simple majority though our country follows it.
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Political Parties
CIVICS CHAPTER 9 - POLITICAL PARTIES

1) What are political parties?

In a democracy it is important that the people participate either directly or indirectly. Direct democracy is
only present in countries with a small population. Most of the countries follow indirect democracy.
In the area of development of any country, political parties play a major role. They are a link between the
government and the common man. They convey the policies of the government to the masses, they form
the government, they form the opposition and they critize the government for its wrong policies. A political
party is an organized way of representing the public opinion. They have a lot of influence on colleges and
universities, pressure groups and the common man. There are 3 kinds of party system namely a single party
system, a bi party system and a multi party system.

Single party system: A country may have many small political parties but if only one party is prominent and
strong then that system is known as a single party system. Only one party comes to power again and again,
it cannot be dislodged or openly critized. The result being it behaves like a dictatorship under the grab of
democracy. For e.g., Hitlers Nazi party and Mussolinis Fascist party.

Bi party system: England and USA are two examples of a bi party system. The 2 parties in England are
labour party and the conservative party and the 2 parties in the USA are the democrats and the republicans.
This is very healthy for democracy because when one party forms the government, the other party forms
the opposition. The opposition keeps a check and balance on the policies of the ruling party. In England, the
opposition is known as the shadow cabinet. It means that it acts like a shadow of a ruling party, one serious
mistake made by the ruling party results in their overthrow and the shadow cabinet becomes the ruling
party. Other parties are also there but they are not prominent.

Multi party system: India is a living example of this system. Some of the prominent national parties are the
Congress, the BJP, the CPI, the CPI (M), Lok Dal etc. In this system, the party with the highest number of

seats in the legislature forms the government. The atmosphere is extremely competitive. Each party has to
prove its worth before it can dream of becoming a ruling party. The entire country is represented through
the various parties and no section of the society feels isolated.
It has 2 major drawbacks. First of all it suffers from the paradox of simple majority. Secondly in case of a
hung legislature a coalition is formed where nobody is ready to shoulder the responsibility. The NDA
government and the UPA government have exposed this draw backs.

Opposition party system: In a democracy, the party or parties that win the seat in the legislature but do not
have the right number of seats to form the government, automatically form the opposition. There are a
number of functions of the opposition. It acutely observes the policies of the government and crises then
wherever and whenever necessary. A bill is not allowed to become a law if the opposition gets together and
rejects it. The ruling party is always worried about the presence of the opposition became one never knows
when they might become a ruling party.
A money bill can only be introduced in the lower house of the legislature. This gives the opposition a lot of
power to control the finances of the government. The expenditure of the government has to be explained to
the opposition. The government cannot spend money on irrelevant issues. The opposition has the power to
ask question in the question hour, to present the call attention moment on an issue and to bring in the vote
of no confidence.
A healthy opposition is that which keeps a check on the activities of the government, praises it for its
commendable operation, criticizes it for its wrong policies, and gives its unflinching support for the issues of
national interest.

2) Why does coalition arise in the multi party system?

Governments where more than one party shares power are called coalition governments. This is usually
present in the multi party system and is generally weaker than one party government. Different parties
reflect different opinions and interests. A government by two or more parties usually leads to differences on
questions of policy sometime or the other.
A coalition is usually formed by parties when no single party can get majority and the only way out is
coalition. But these governments do not have any unity or purpose as the parties sometimes pull in different
directions and the government consequently does not become effective. The government is always on
tenterhooks as even a small party in the coalition may bring it down and so it always unsure of every party
in the coalition. Coalition governments also hamper the progress of the nation because when there is no

unity, naturally the government may fall any time and again elections may have to be held to again form the
government so the development of the nation takes a back stage.
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Our Nation and Society

CIVICS CHAPTER 10 OUR NATION AND SOCIETY

1) Explain the rise of Nationalism in India.

Before the British came to India, India was ruled by the Mughals. Their powers had declined and there were
more or less independent or some independent approximately 500 kingdoms. Though the British were an
imperialist power, they must be given the credit for making India a nation, uniting the Indians and sowing
the seeds of nationalism. For their own selfish needs the post and telegraph system was developed, many
roads and railways were constructed, railway lines were spread across the length and the breadth of the
country and a few facilities were developed for their convenience
Because of all these developments transport and communication developed resulting in linking the entire
nation. This led to the spread of education creating an atmosphere of awareness in this scenario. The seeds
of patriotism and nationalism were sown. The Indian National Congress, the Muslim League, the RSS etc laid
the foundations of nationalism. The country that the British lead united for their own selfish interests rose in
rebellion first in 1857 and then in 1947. We owe unity of our country to British imperialism.

2) What were the political effects of Britain colonialism?

A nation that becomes newly independent faces many problems. The first and foremost is the problem of
transition from the imperialist government to the native government. Since the country has freed itself from
the colonies, it wouldnt like to adopt the previous system and a totally new system would be chaotic thus
new form of government is preferred to the old. Next is the problem of converting an agrarian economy to
an industrialized one. For this a lot of infra structure is needed which that country simply doesnt have. Next,
comes the problem of unemployment, displaced farmers, ruined artisans and all categories of skilled and
unskilled labour. Last is the problem of education, development and giving the middle class its due.

3) In what ways did the national movement contribute to the feeling of unity in the Indian people?

Our country is defined by unity in diversity. We have various regions, languages etc. These are all unifying

factors if each group or region respects the others for their own art, culture. The rich literature of each area
binds the people together. They get a sense of belonging, having an identity and having firm roots in
traditions.
We all are united nation, but these very factors at times become the basis of religions, intolerance,
communalism, sectarian violence, regionalism etc. For a nation to be strong and healthy, it must preserve its
culture, get rid of the social evils to imbibe all that is the best form all over the world.

4) What are the main forces that divide the Indian Nation?

India is a nation that is bound by not one community, or language but a host of different religions,
communities, languages, cultures etc. Though we have been moving forward with the spirit of nationalism,
but still sometimes problems arise which can divide our country and cause problems for its development.
The main problems are:

Religion: India is a country of many religions. People have lived together amicably through generations. But
sometimes problems do arise when forces that want to act against the unity of our nation use religion to
meet their own selfish ends. The most glaring example was the divide of our country into two i.e. India and
Pakistan. Many families were uprooted and lost their lands land sometimes their own people and had to shift
and live as refugees.
Languages: The uniqueness of our country is that it is a land of many languages. Every person feels pride
for his own language. But it is wrong to try and impose ones language on another. These causes lead to the
divide in our country and these forces are those which are blinded by linguism and provincialism.
Castes: For long the Hindu religion is a religion that has predominantly been divided by castes. Though
during the fight for independence the caste divide was looked down upon by the national leaders, it still
persists even after so many years of independence in the rural areas. Though Muslims and Christians are
relatively untouched by the caste divide, but the economic inequality and oppression has led to make the
caste divide more glaring.
Cities and Villages: Industrialization has led to the rise of cities and those who live in cities have developed
a certain set of habits and these habits have created a wide gulf between the city dwellers and the villagers.
This is because the city dweller will not understand the villagers problems nor vice versa. This also leads to
misunderstandings between the both.

5) What are the reasons for the economic backwardness of our country?

Our nation is a mixture of languages, culture, religions etc. Prior to independence, caste was the primary
factor which divided the Indian society. A person who was by birth born into lived a life of economic success.
But a person born in the low caste family would naturally end up with poverty throughout his life. The
economic backwardness primarily was because of caste divide. But after independence, though caste divide
was forgotten to a certain extent, it does play a role.
Other factors are lack of education, industrialized society etc. The factors that tend to divide our country are
the ones that ultimately lead to the economic backwardness of our country. Where the governments have to
concentrate on developing the country, because of these problems the governments waste precious money
and time to solve them and they are the reason why even after nearly sixty years of independence, we are
still a developing nation.
Population too has had a heavy hand on the economic backwardness on our country. All the problems are
interrelated and it is not the governments which can solve these problems, but it is we who can find a
proper solution to these problems and move ahead on the road of development and thus lead to the
economic development of our country.

6) How have the old systems of inequality changed into the new inequalities of the industrial society?

Prior to industrialization, the society was divided by the caste system. A persons economic prosperity was
decided on the fact into which family he was born. If he was born in the so called high caste, then naturally
he would be economically progressive and if not he would lead a life of poverty. After industrialization it is no
longer so. A person if he has the right kind of education can become economically progressive and has no
longer to depend on the caste divide. He can also get privileges, power and eminence. It has created a
hierarchy which is decided by money and not by caste.
A single individual can move up the ladder due to sheer hard work and make money and become
economically progressive but that has also led to economic inequalities of the haves and the have-nots.
Previously caste divided the society now it is the economic inequality. The classes have remained but of a
different kind.
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Problems of Indian Democracy

CHAPTER 11- PROBLEMS OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY

1) In what ways the following factors obstruct the functioning of democracy in our country?

Communalism: When India became independent in 1947, she was divided into two countries i.e. Pakistan
and India. Pakistan had an advantage i.e. the religion of East Pakistan and the mainland were the same but
India had the problem of different religions and that could have turned to be the greatest disadvantage.
Though to a certain extent nationalism has played a major role in keeping our country united but the
separatist forces do not loose any opportunity to see to it that there is communal flare up. The victory of
independence was blackened by the most ghastly Hindu and Muslim riots when the refugees were moving
towards either India or Pakistan. Most recently we have had the 1993 Bombay blasts, the Godhra riots,
1983-84 the Hindu Sikh riots where we tend to become butchers and end up forgetting the oneness that had
united us in our fight for freedom. If we as Indians tend to rise above this communal divide, we can assure
ourselves a truly developed nation like in the west where the west has risen above the religious divides that
can hamper the developmental process.

Casteism: During the Vedic times the caste was divided as per the profession any person held. But down
the line the caste system became rigid and a person could not change his caste as he could do during the
Vedic times. The rigidity of caste system was such that it bound a person to his caste and there was no
freedom and alienated him from other castes. The castes like Shudras were looked down upon and were not
even allowed to enter the village except to do menial work etc. This rigidity did exist even till the preindependence days but after independence the national leaders worked for removing casteism and
untouchability and to a certain extent have been successful but casteism does exist where religion has many
sub castes and there is no intermarriage allowed between these sub castes and is allowed only in rarest of
the rare cases. Untouchability does exist among the rural poor and sometimes in the urban areas though the
urban areas are fast forgetting caste system and untouchability.
This is a hindrance to democracy because it bars a person from mixing freely with a person from other
castes. This caste system though is not followed in other religions but in India because other religions have
come into contact with Hindu religion caste system is followed to a certain extent.

Inequality of women: Women in olden times were not a suppressed lot and though education was a dream,
freedom of movement was allowed to a certain extent. But the various invasions including the Islamic
invasion in India has encouraged inequality of women where education was barred for women, they were
allowed to go out of the house and they were married off early to protect their honour and sati and
infanticide was performed on them. Though during the social and religious reformation of our country
upliftment was the agenda of all the reformists, the inequality of women does continue even today when

women though are education and can move on equal status with men, still some areas are forbidden to
women.
In rural areas compared to urban areas the position of the women is deplorable and she is not educated and
does not have any rights and only duties. Girls are still married off at a tender age and widows are treated
worst than animals. Female infanticide still exists and a girl child is killed as soon she is born. Dowry is
rampant every where be it urban or rural areas and it is one of the reasons for female infanticide. Sati is still
practiced in remote areas of Rajasthan and the law sometimes cannot do anything to stop these practices
and these have been a hindrance to democracy as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, our first prime minister said
Educate a woman you educate a family.

Economic inequality: Today in urban areas inequality does exist but in the area of economy. A poor man has
the opportunity to become rich and can do so by the dint of sheer hard work and does not need his family
name to fall back on. But in urban areas, the opportunities are less and it is always the rich become richer
and the poor poorer. Unemployment is more glaring today in urban areas and a person who is unemployed
has to struggle to gain any employment and has not family support because in urban areas usually the
families are nuclear.
In rural areas economic inequality is between the zamindar and the peasant. The zamindar has means to
get a good profit for his produce but the peasant has to depend mostly on the middle men (though the
government is taking steps to stop the monopoly of the middle men). In case of a bad season like failure of
monsoon or floods, he usually depends on the money lender and is for life in debt. But in the areas on
unemployment it is not as glaring as in urban areas. If in a family a person and his family are superfluous on
the land, then it is not as glaring as the family lives in a joint family and is looked after and the person does
not feel unemployed as on the land there is always room for more work and help. This is called disguised
unemployment.
Economic inequality sometimes leads to lawlessness and social injustice being meted out on the
economically backward. It sometimes even divides the family because an economically forward brother may
not want to have anything to do with his economically backward brother. Economic backwardness can also
be about the poverty our nation suffers. It is because of the problem of poverty, that the government finds it
difficult to handle democracy because poverty leads to illiteracy, child labour and abuse, lawlessness and
other related things which hamper the success of democracy.
Posted by Azraat 6:16 AM2 comments:

India and The World

CIVICS CHAPTER 12 - INDIA AND THE WORLD

1) What were the effects of the Second World War?

The world that came out after the Second World War was completely
different. Two countries emerged as most powerful and two types of
governments were most prominently formed one was capitalist type of
government and another was socialist type of government. The old
imperialist states like Europe and France found it difficult to maintain the
colonies and the colonies too seeing the imperialist states weakening after
the world war started their demand for independence in right earnest. Some
of the colonies gained their independence through non violent means and
some gained through violent means.
The two countries that emerged most powerful were USA and Soviet
Union. The emergence of these powers ultimately led to the cold war and
formation of blocs. The most important effect of the Second World War was
the emergence of United Nations and Non alignment movement where the
newly independent countries decided not to be aligned with any of the two
blocs and decided to move forward without either support. Though there
have been wars in the world after the Second World War, but thanks to
United Nations these wars have not been destructive to the world as the
Second World War had been.
2) What were the factors that led to the destruction of colonialism?
As a result of Second World War, the allies consisting of Russia, USA
and Britain emerged as victors but the economy of the European countries
like

Britain

and

France

were

in

shambles. The

imperialist

nations

of Europe did not have the power to cling to their colonies. Almost all the
nationalist movements sensed the weakness of the imperialist rulers and
thus intensified their movements but though they did not get their
independence immediately but the colonies through intense nationalist
movements gained their independence and some of them gained their
independence as in the case of Portugal. The changing political equation of
the world too led to the destruction of colonialism. The general public of the
imperialist nations too fought for the independence of the colonies and
sometimes other nations too supported the cause of independence of these
colonies. When India demanded her independence and her nationalist

struggle intensified, the people of Britain too supported the cause of Indian
independence and thus it ultimately led to India being the first to break the
chain in 1947 followed by China in 1949.
3) What is the meaning of non-alignment?
Indias policy in foreign relations is called non-alignment. It arose after
independence when the newly independent state of Indiawas trying to
develop independent foreign relations. After the II world war, the world was
divided between two sets of the countries the two blocs as they were
called. One

was

the

western

bloc;

the

other

was

of

communist

countries. India decided to stay out of the military blocs.Since it did not sign
itself

militarily

with

the

blocs,

its

policy

was

called

one

of

non

alignment. Today a majority of the states that have become independent

from the foreign rule have joined the non-alignment movement. Their
influence counts much in the United Nations too.
4) What is the third world?
After the II world war there arose two blocs one was the western bloc
and another was the socialist bloc and the emergence of these two blocs
gave rise to hostility in the world that is known as cold war. India after
independence decided not to join any of the blocs and thus started the non
alignment movement and those countries which joined the nonalignment
movement were called third world countries.They had the same set of
developmental problems like social, economic and political and the problems
were broadly similar and that is the reason they are referred to as third world
countries. India is one of the largest states in the third world.
5) Which are Indias neighbour states? How are Indias relations with other
states?
Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and
Pakistan are Indias neighbours. India has tried to maintain friendly relations
with

her

neighbours

even

in

some

of

the

most

tiring

of

the

circumstances. For instance with Pakistan, after the independence, there

have been at least three wars with Pakistan and still India has tried to build
amicable relations with the neighbour. Signing of peace treaties, trade
relation building etc. are some of the sops which India has used to build

better relations with this neighbour. Though China is much larger than India
in area and population and is a communist country and there have been
border differences, still India is trying to maintain relations which build up
friendship which this neighbour of ours and many business houses have
been encouraged to open shop in china and many Indian students study in
china. Bhutan is a small country and India has a big brother attitude not only
with Bhutan but also with Nepal and has had a hand in their developmental
activities. India has with the help of Bangladesh tried to work on stopping the
rise of terrorism and has helped Sri Lanka in trying to bring about peace and
tranquility in the island nation. With different nations India is trying to build
up better relations so that she and her neighbours live better and build up
better relations with each other.
6) Describe the functions of United Nations Organization and also describe
the main organs and agencies of the United Nations Organization.
After the end of II world war, a need was felt to prevent further war to
protect human kind. There was felt a need to keep peace and prevent further
aggression. Thus United Nations came into being. Its main function is to keep
peace throughout the world. For this it takes the collective help of all the
member nations and this arrangement is called collective security. Other
than this main function, the UN has functions like developing friendly
relations in-between nations, to work together to help people live better
lives, to eliminate poverty, disease, illiteracy in the world, to stop
environmental destruction, to encourage respect for each others rights and
freedom and to be a centre for helping nations achieve these aims. To
achieve these aims in the world, UN has a numbers organs and agencies to
help to achieve these aims. The main organs of UN are:
The General Assembly: It consists of all the members of United Nations
and every member state can sent a maximum of 5 representatives but at the
time of voting the vote is counted as one.Some of the functions of general
assembly are:
To recommend peaceful settlement of disputes.
To consider and approve the UN Budget.

 To elect non-permanent members of the Security Council, members of

the economic and social council and members of the trusteeship
council.
The Security Council: It is the most important organ of the United
Nations. It looks after the peace and security of the world. It examines the
disputes between countries and tries to settle them peacefully. Under the
charter the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance
of international peace and security.
The Economic and Social Council: It is concerned with the welfare of the
children and womens rights. It also promotes higher standard of living and
economic and social change. It aims at solving international economic and
social health problems and also aims promoting universal respect for and
observance of human; rights for all without any distinction of race, caste,
language or religion.
The Trusteeship council: The objective of the trusteeship council is to
help in the attainment of independence to those territories which are under
the

foreign

rule. It

has

helped

most

of

those

territories

to

attain

independence.
The International Court of Justice: It is headquartered at Hague.It
decides disputes between its member nations and also gives advice to the
different bodies of the United Nations.
The Secretariat: It carries out the days to day work of the United
Nations. Its administrative head is known as the secretary general and is
appointed by the general assembly on the recommendation of the Security
Council. The duties carried out by the secretariat are as varied as the
problems dealt with by the united nations such as:
Administering peacekeeping operations.
Mediating international disputes.
Surveying economic and social trends and problems.
Preparing studies on subjects such as human rights and sustainable
development.
Organizing international conferences on issues of worldwide concern.

 Monitoring the extent to which the decisions of the United Nations

bodies are being carried out, interpreting speeches and translating
documents into the official languages of UN.
Other specialized agencies of the UN are: UNESCO, WHO, UNICEF, ILO,
FAO, IMF, IAEA and the world bank. These agencies help provide higher
standard of living, full employment and proper conditions for socio-economic
development etc., all round the world especially in the third world countries
which need help to become developed nations.