Class 10 ncert Civics Chapter 1 Power Sharing

Define the term “Ethnic”

Define the term “Ethnic”

Definition:

The term "ethnic" refers to a group of people who share a common cultural or ancestral background, including language, religion, customs, and traditions. They need not always have the same religion or nationality. Sometimes, it is used to describe a group within a society that has distinct cultural characteristics.

Who are called Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka?

Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka are people of Tamil origin who were brought to Sri Lanka by the British during the 19th and 20th centuries to work on tea, rubber, and coffee plantations. They are also known as Hill Country Tamils or Up-Country Tamils.

Sri lanka emerged as an independent country in what year?

1948

When was the act to recognise Sinhala as the only official language passed?

1956

Define '‘Majoritarianism”.

Majoritarianism is a political philosophy or agenda that asserts that a majority (sometimes categorized by religion, language, social class, or some other identifying factor) of the population is entitled to a certain degree of primacy in society, and has the right to make decisions that affect the society.

What is a Civil War?

A civil war is a conflict between two or more groups within a country, where each group fights for control of the government or territory. It is usually characterized by violence, political instability, and social upheaval.

When did the civil war in Sri Lanka end?

2009

How was the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils increased in 1956?

In 1956, an act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language.

This affected the Sri Lankan Tamils in the following ways:

1] The act disregarded the Tamil, increasing the feeling of alienation among the Sinhalas.

2] The governments discriminated the Tamils and favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.

3] Due to such discriminative events faced by the Sri Lankan Tamils, they felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equality in the country.

What steps did the Sri Lankan Tamils take to fight against the discrimination faced by them by the Sri Lankan government?

1] The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an Official language, for regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs.

2] But their demand for more autonomy to provinces populated by the Tamils was repeatedly denied.

3] By 1980s, several political organisations were formed demanding an independent Tamil State in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

4] The distrust between the two communities turned into widespread conflict which soon turned into a civil war that caused thousands of deaths of people from both the communities.

5] Many families were forced to leave the country as refugees and many lost their livelihoods.

What were the reasons for the resulting of a civil war between the Sinhalas and Sri Lankan Tamils in the 1980s? When did it end?

The civil war between the Sinhalas and Sri Lankan Tamils in the 1980s was caused by ethnic tensions and political issues. The Tamils felt discriminated against by the Sinhalese-dominated government and sought greater autonomy. The war ended in 2009 with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers by the Sri Lankan military.

Why was Brussels chosen as the headquarters when the European Union was formed?

Brussels was chosen as the headquarters of the European Union because Belgium solved the problem between the two major ethnic communities in their country.

What were the elements of the amended Belgian constitution model between 1970 and 1993?

1] The constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the central government. Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group therefore no single community can make decisions unilaterally.

2] The state governments are not subordinate to the central government.

3] Brussels has a separate government which has equal representation from both the communities.

4] Apart from the central and state government, there is a “Community Government” which is elected by people belonging to one language community-Dutch, French and German.

This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and linguistic issues.

During what time period was the Belgian constitution amended and why?

The Belgian constitution was amended FOUR times between 1970 and 1993 so as to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone- The Dutch, French and German, to live together within the same country and avoid civic strife between them.

What do you mean by “Prudential”?

Based on careful calculation of gains and losses. Prudential decisions are usually contrasted with decisions based purely on moral considerations.

What do you know about the coalition government of Germany?

1] Germany’s grand coalition government includes the two major parties of the country, namely the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party.

2] The two parties are historically rivals to each other.

3] They had to form a coalition government because neither of them got clear majority of seats on their own in 2005 elections.

4] They take divergent positions on several political matters, but still jointly run the government.

Give reasons [Prudential] as to why Power-Sharing is desirable?

Prudential reasons:

1] It prevents the possibility of civic conflicts between social groups.

2] Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability of the country, Power-Sharing helps preserve the stability of political order.

3] It prevents the undermining of unity of the nation. Because tyranny of the majority is not just oppresive for the minority, it often brings ruin to the majority as well. Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka is one perfect example to prove the above statement true.

Give reasons [Moral] as to why Power-Sharing is desirable

Moral reasons:

1] Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy.

2] People have the right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.

3] A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.

What are the different forms of Power Sharing?

Horizontal Distribution of Power:

• Power is shared among different organs of the government such as the legislative, executive and judiciary.

• This system of arrangement is called a system of “Checks and Balances” because each organ keeps a check on each other.

• Example: India.

Vertical Distribution of Power:

• Power is shared among governments at different levels.

• A general central government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or state and regional level.

• Example: Indian Union Govt. that is the Central govt. of India. [ central govt. = federal govt.] and state governments., Belgium but not in Sri Lanka.

Power sharing among different social groups:

• This method is used to give minority communities a fair share in power who otherwise, would feel alienated from the government.

• The system of “Reserved Constituencies” in assemblies and the parliament of India is one such example.

• ‘Community Government’ in Belgium is another good example of this type of power sharing.

• In some countries there are constitutional and legal arrangements, whereby socially weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and administration.

Power sharing through competition between political parties, pressure groups and movements:

• Choosing the various contenders for power is a choice and freedom that should be given to citizens.

• This results in competition among different parties in contemporary democracies.

• This competition helps in ensuring that power does not remain in the hands of one political party.

• When an alliance is formed among two or more parties to contest elections, the power sharing is direct.

• By taking part in the decision-making process and by participating in the governmental committees, the different interest groups such as those of industrial workers, farmers, businessmen and traders will also have a share in the governmental power.

• Example: India.

State one example of prudential reason for Power-sharing from the Indian Context.

Reservation of seats for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. This allows the weaker sections to also participate in the running of government.

State one example of Moral reason for Power-sharing from the Indian Context.

In India, the citizens can come together to debate and criticise the policies and decisions of the government. This, in turn, puts pressure on the govt. to rethink it’s policies and decisions.