Chapter 1: Power Sharing

Flashcards covering key definitions, ethnic compositions, and forms of power sharing in Belgium and Sri Lanka as described in Civics Chapter 1.

Power Sharing

The sharing or division of power between various political parties and various sections of society.

Flemish region

A region in Belgium where $59\%$ of the total population lives and speaks Dutch.

Wallonia region

A region in Belgium where $40\%$ of the population lives and speaks French.

Brussels

The capital of Belgium where about $80\%$ of the people speak French and $20\%$ speak Dutch.

Community government

A third kind of government in Belgium elected by people belonging to one language community (Dutch, French, and German-speaking) having power regarding cultural, educational, and language-related issues.

Sinhala-speakers

The major social group in Sri Lanka that makes up $74\%$ of the population.

Tamil-speakers

A social group in Sri Lanka that makes up $18\%$ of the population, divided into Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils.

Sri Lankan Tamils

Tamil natives of Sri Lanka who represent $13\%$ of the population.

Indian Tamils

People whose forefathers came from India during the colonial period as plantation workers, making up $5\%$ of Sri Lanka's population.

Majoritarianism

A belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.

Act of 1956

An act passed in Sri Lanka that recognized Sinhala as the only official language of the country, disregarding Tamil.

Tamil Eelam

An independent state demanded by Sri Lankan Tamils in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

Prudential reason

A reason for power sharing that stresses reducing the possibility of conflict between social groups to ensure political stability and unity.

Moral reason

A reason for power sharing that emphasizes it as the very spirit of democracy, where every section has the right to be consulted on how they are governed.

Horizontal distribution of power

The sharing of power among different organs of government—legislature, executive, and judiciary—which allows organs at the same level to exercise different powers.

System of checks and balances

An arrangement where each organ of the government keeps a check on the others, resulting in a balance of power among various institutions.

Vertical division of power

The sharing of power among different levels of government, such as the Union or Central Government and the State Government.

Coalition government

A government formed by an alliance of two or more political parties that are voted to power.

Ethnic

A term signifying social division based on shared culture.

Reserved constituencies

Legal and constitutional arrangements, such as in India, where socially weaker sections and women are represented in legislatures and administration.