POL.SC.CH-1 POWER SHARING

CLASS X

POLITICAL SCIENCE

CH-1 ‘POWER SHARING’

Q1.Why is power sharing necessary?

Ans. Power sharing is necessary because:

)     1)It ensures the stability of political order and prevents violence. (Prudential)

  2)   It prevents majoritarianism and thus protects the minorities of a country. Hence it is necessary for the unity of a country.(Prudential) It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. (Prudential)

  3)   Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects.(Moral)

   4)  People have the right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.(Moral)

Q2. Give an account of the ethnic composition of Belgium and Sri Lanka.

A. Ethnic composition of Belgium:
・Belgium has a population of a little over one crore. 
・Of the country's total population, 59% lives in the Flemish region and speaks the Dutch language.
・ Another 40% lives in the Wallonia region and speaks French. The remaining 1% Belgians speak German.
・In the capital city Brussels, 80% people speak French while 20% are Dutch speaking.

Ethnic composition of Sri Lanka:
・Sri Lanka has a diverse population of about 2 crores.
・The major social groups are the Sinhala speakers (74%) and the Tamil speakers (18%).
・Among Tamils are two subgroups- the Tamil natives of the country called 'Sri Lankan Tamils' (13%) and the rest whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during the colonial period, called the 'Indian Tamils'.
・Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the north and east of the country. 
・Most Sinhala speakers are Buddhist while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims. There are about 7% Christians who are both Tamil and Sinhala.

Q3. Why is the ethnic composition of Belgium very complex?

A. Belgium's ethnic composition is very complex because:
・ Of the country's total population, 59% lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch.
・Another 40% lives in the Wallonia region and speak French.
・Remaining 1% of the Belgians speak German. 
・In the capital city Brussels, 80% people speak French while 20% speak Dutch. 
・Throughout the country the Dutch speaking people are in majority but in the capital, the French speaking people are in majority.

Q4. What is majoritarianism? Explain with the example of Sri Lanka.

A. Majoritarianism is 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.
The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is a good example of majoritarianism:
・When Sri Lanka became an independent country in 1948, the leaders of the Sinhala community, which constituted the majority of the population in the country, sought to secure dominance over the government by virtue of their majority.
・As a result, the democratically elected government adopted a series of majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.
・In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.
・The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for government jobs and university positions.
・A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
・These government measures increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils and ultimately led to a civil war between the two communities.

Q5. What made the Sri Lankan Tamils feel alienated?

A. The majoritarian policies taken by the Sri Lankan governments post independence in 1948 made the Sri Lankan Tamils feel alienated. These policies in favour of the Sinhala community were:
In 1956, an Act was passed to:

1.    recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.

2.     The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for government jobs and university positions.

3.    A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism, the religion of the Sinhala people.

·        The Sri Lankan Tamils felt that none of the major political parties were sensitive to their language or culture.

·        They felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests.

·        These government measures increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils and ultimately led to a civil war between the two communities.

Q6. How does democracy accommodate different social groups?

A. ・Democracy can accommodate different social groups by sharing power among these social groups (such as religious and linguistic groups) e.g. 'Community government' in Belgium.

・In some countries there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially weaker sections and women are represented in the legislature and administration e.g. the system of 'reserved constituencies' in assemblies and parliament of our country.

・Such arrangements are meant to give space in the government and administration to diverse social groups who otherwise would feel alienated from the government. This gives minority communities a fair share in power.

Q7. How is power shared among different social groups and why?

1.    Ans. Power is shared among different social groups such as religious and linguistic groups (e.g. 'Community government' in Belgium).

2.    In some countries there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially weaker sections and women are represented in the legislature and administration e.g. the system of 'reserved constituencies' in assemblies and parliament of our country.

3.    Power is shared among different social groups through such arrangements to give space in the government and administration to diverse social groups who otherwise would feel alienated from the government. 

4.    Thus this prevents majoritarianism and social conflicts in a country and strengthens the unity of the country.

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ATTEMPT THIS WORKSHEET AND PASTE IT IN YOUR NOTEBOOK WITH DATE 16.04.18

POLITICAL SCIENCE

CH-1 POWER SHARING

ASSIGNMENT WORKSHEET

Tick  the correct answer:

1.        What percentage of people speaks French in Belgium?

a.	59%	c.	1%
b.	74%	d.	40%

2.        What percentage of people in Brussels speaks Dutch?

a.	20%	c.	4%
b.	59%	d.	8%

3.        Who among the following ethnic groups is NOT a part of Sri Lanka?

a.	Malayalam speakes	c.	Sinhalaspeakers
b.	Tamil speakers	d.	SrilankanTamil

4.        Where did the Tamils demand the formation of Tamil Eelam?

a. In the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka

b. In the southern and western part of Sri Lanka

c. In the southern and northern part of Sri Lanka

d. In the western and eastern part of Sri Lanka

5.        A social division based on shared culture is called

a.	Majoritarianism	c.	Prudential
b.	Ethnic	d.	Civilization

6.        A belief, that the majority community should be able to rule a country by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority is called

a.	Minoritarianism	c.	Prudential
b.	Accommodation	d.	Ethnic rivalary

7.        A violent and intense conflict between opposing groups within a country is called

a.	Criminal war	c.	Communalism
b.	Civil war	d.	Ethnic rivalry

8.        Majoritarianism established the supremacy of

a.	Buddhist Tamils		c.Sinhala Community
b.	Sri Lankans	d.	Sinhala Muslims

9.        How did Belgium solve its problem successfully?

a.   By developing a proper power sharing mechanism

b.  By following the policy of Majoritarianism

c.   By rejecting the claim of minorities

d.  None of the above

10. In which of the following ways is power sharing NOT possible?

a.   Federal government

b.  Coalition government

c.   Separation of powers

d.  Accommodating majority

11.    The government formed by alliance of two or more political parties is

a.   Mixed government

b.  Federal government

c.   Coalition government

d.  Community government

12.    The advantage of power sharing is

a.   It accommodates diversities

b.  It promotes factionalism

c.   It promotes disunity

d.  It promotes greed for power

State whether the following statements are true or false:

13.    In Britain, the Dutch-speaking people constituted a majority in the country, but a minority in the capital.

14.    Sri Lanka is an island nation towards the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, having a diverse population.

15.    In Belgium, the leaders have realized that the unity of the country is possible only by respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions.

16.    The leaders of the Sinhala community adopted a series of majoritarianism measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.

17.    In Brussels, there was a third kind of government called ‘community government’ that was elected by all community people.

Give reasons:

18.    Power sharing is good.____________________________

______________________________________________

19.    Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy.__________

______________________________________________

20.    In modern democracies power is shared between different organs.________________________________________