WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?

WHY DEMOCRACY?

CLASS : IX
POLITICAL SCIENCE
CHAPTER : I
OVERVIEW

• What is democracy?
• Features of democracy?
• Why democracy?
• Broder meaning of democracy?
 OBJECTIVES

Develop conceptual skills of defining democracy.

Understand how different historical processes and forces have promoted

democracy.

Develop a sophisticated defence of democracy against common

prejudices

Develop a historical sense of choice and nature of democracy in India.

 ACTIVITY: I
IDENTIFY DEMOCRATIC AND NON DEMOCRATIC FEATURES OF THE GOVERNMENT

 People elect their own leaders.

 People have no role in decision making.
People could not choose or change their leaders.
The rulers are accountable to the people and fulfil their needs.
There is no freedom of expression and people do not enjoy fundamental
rights.
One vote one value system.
Governments of India and USA
Governments of Saudi Arabia and North Korea
WHY DEFINE DEMOCRACY?
• We use words first when we think of its meaning then we go defining it.

It is only by using a word that we understand its meaning.

• We need a clear definition only because people use it for different purposes,

because very different kinds of governments call themselves democracy.

• We must not accept something just because it is famous, just because everyone
accepts it.

• Words remain the same but their meaning can change with time. In that case it is
not very useful to look at the origins of a word.

• There is no shortcut to our thinking about the matter ourselves. We have to think
about its meaning and evolve a definition.
A SIMPLE
DEFINITION
• The word democracy is derived from the Greek word “Democratia”
Demos :- People and Kratia :- Power or Rule
• Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.
• From this simple definition of democracy we can raise some questions related to:
1. The rulers… (which official is elected, power of non-official)
2. Election…. ( democratic election or not).
3. The people… (every citizen gets equal chance or not).
4. Form of government…. (elected rulers do whatever they want, function with limits or
respects rights of the citizens).
Abraham Lincoln defines “democracy is government of the people, by the people and for th
FEATURES OF DEMOCRACY
1. MAJOR DECISIONS BY ELECTED LEADERS

Here we analyse the military coup in Pakistan:

 This is led by General Parvez Musharraf in October 1999.
He overthrew the democratically elected government and declared
himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country.
Later he changed his designation to president and in 2002 held a
referendum in the country that granted him a five year extension.
Pakistani media, human rights organisations and democracy activists
said that the referendum was based on malpractices and fraud.
In august 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the
constitution of Pakistan.
• According to the ‘Legal Frame Work Order’ the President can dismiss
the national and provincial assemblies.
• The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security
Council which is dominated by Military officers.
• Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some
powers.
• The final power rested with military officers and General Musharraf
himself.
• Can we call this democracy?
• This happens in dictatorship and monarchies.

• In a democracy the final decision making power must rest

with those elected by the people.
2. FREE AND FAIR ELECTORAL COMPETITION

• In China , elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the
country’s parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui ( National People’s
Congress).
• Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese
Communist Party.
• The government is always formed by the Communist Party.
• Since its independence in 1930, Mexico holds election after every six years to elect
its president.
• But until 2000 every election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional
Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed
to win because of the dirty tricks played by the PRI.
• A democracy must be based on a free and fair election where those
currently in power have a fare chance of losing.
3. ONE PERSON ,ONE VOTE, ONE VALUE

• Until 2015, in Saudi Arabia women did not have the right to vote.
• Estonia has made it’s citizenship rules in such a that people belonging
to Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.
• In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji
has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.
• Fundamental principle of democracy is political equality.

• In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one

vote and each vote must have one value.
4. RULE OF LAW AND RESPECT FOR RIGHTS

• Zimbabwe attained independence from the white minority rule in 1980.

• Since then the country has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom
struggle. It’s leader Robert Mugabe, ruled the country since independence.
• President Mugabe was popular but also used unfair practices in elections.
• Over the years his government changed the constitution several times to increase
the powers of the President and make him less accountable.
• Public protests and demonstrations against the government were declared illegal.
• He was forced out of office in 2017.

• A democratic government rules within limits set by

constitutional law and citizen’s rights.
 SUMMARY DEFINITION

• “Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are

elected by the people.”
• In a democracy the final decision making power must rest
with those elected by the people.
• A democracy must be based on a free and fair election
where those currently in power have a fare chance of
losing.
• In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and
each vote must have one value.
• A democratic government rules within limits set by
constitutional law and citizen’s rights.
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST DEMOCRACY
 ARGUMENTS AGAINST DEMOCRACY

• Leaders keep changing in democracy. This leads to instability.

• Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope
for morality.
• So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads delays.
• Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It leads to bad
decisions.
• Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.
• Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them ; they should not decide
anything.
 ARGUMENTS FOR DEMOCRACY

 A democratic government is a better form of government

because it is a more accountable form of government. ( Famine
1958-1961 : India vs China)
Democracy improves the quality of decision making.
Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and
conflicts.
Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.
Democracy is better than other forms of government because it
allows us to correct its own mistakes.
BRODER MEANING
OF DEMOCRACY
• The most common form of that democracy takes in our times is that of a
representative democracy.
• The majority of people rule through their elected representatives.
• Modern democracies involve such a large number of people that it is
physically impossible for them to sit together and take a collective decision.
• Even if they could, the citizen does not have the time, the desire or the
skills to take part in all the decisions.
• This clarity helps us to distinguish democracies from non-democracies.
• But it does not allow us to distinguish between a democracy and a good
democracy.
 DEMOCRACY V/S GOOD DEMOCRACY

• Sometimes we use democracy for organisations other than the government.

• “We are a very democratic family. Whenever a decision has to be taken, we
all sit down and arrive at a consensus. My opinion matters as much as my
father’s.”
• “I don’t like teachers who do not allow students to speak and ask questions
in the class. I would like to have teachers with democratic temperament.”
• “One leader and his family members decide everything in this party. How can
they talk of democracy?”
• A democratic decision involves consultation with and consent of all those who
are affected by that decision. Those who are not powerful have the same say
in taking the decision as those who are powerful. This can apply to a
government or a family or any other organisation.

• Thus democracy is also a principle that can be applied to any sphere of life.

• Sometimes we use the word democracy not to describe any existing

government but to set up an ideal standard that all democracies must aim to
become:

• “True democracy will come to this country only when no one goes hungry to
bed.”

• “In a democracy every citizen must be able to play equal role in decision
making. For this you don’t need just an equal right to vote. Every citizen
needs to have equal information, basic education, equal resources and a lot of
commitment”.
• If we take these ideals seriously, then no country in the world is a democracy.

• Yet an understanding of democracy as an ideal reminds us of why we value

democracy.

• It enables us to judge an existing democracy and identify its weaknesses.

• It helps us to distinguish between a minimal democracy and a good

democracy.

• The most common form of democracy in today’s world is rule through

people’s elected representatives. But if the community is small, there can be
other ways of taking democratic decisions. All the people can sit together and
take decisions directly. This is how Gram Sabha should work in a village.

• Democracy depends on an active political participation by all the citizens.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

1. Give meaning to democracy and examine its features.

2. ‘Democracy faces the threat of dictatorship’. Explain the statement
with suitable examples.
3. What are the arguments for and against democracy?
4. What do you understand by broader meaning of democracy?
THANK YOU