Democracy In The Contemporary World
Class 9th Political Science Democratic Politics I CBSE Solution
- Which of the following does not lead to the spread of democracy?A. Struggle by the…
- Which of the following statements is true about todays world?A. Monarchy as a form of…
- Use one of the following statements to complete the sentence: Democracy in the…
- Based on the information given in this chapter, match the following countries and the path…
- What are the difficulties people face in a non-democratic country? Give answers drawing…
- Which freedoms are usually taken away when a democracy is overthrown by the military?…
- Which of the following positions can contribute to democracy at the global level? Give…
- Here are three opinions heard in a television debate on the struggle for democracy in…
- In an imaginary country called Happyland, the people overthrew the foreign ruler and…
Exercise
Question 1.Which of the following does not lead to the spread of democracy?
A. Struggle by the people
B. Invasion by foreign countries
C. End of colonialism
D. People's desire for freedom
Answer:
Democracy is a form of government which is for the people, by the people and to the people. Hence, invasion of foreign countries nowhere leads to the spread of democracy.
Therefore, option (B) is correct.
Question 2.
Which of the following statements is true about today's world?
A. Monarchy as a form of government has vanished.
B. The relationship between different countries has become more democratic than ever before.
C. In more and more countries rulers are being elected by the people.
D. There are no more military dictators in the world.
Answer:
In more and more countries rulers are being elected by the people because it is a form of democracy which is being adopted by almost every nation.
Hence, option (C) is correct.
Question 3.
Use one of the following statements to complete the sentence:
Democracy in the international organisations requires that…………
A. The rich countries should have a greater say.
B. Countries should have a say according to their military power.
C. Countries should be treated with respect in proportion to their population.
D. All countries in the world should be treated equally.
Answer:
Democracy in the international organisations require that all the countries in the world should be treated equally because democracy doesn’t supports the special treatment of any individual or any organisation or any nation.
Hence, option (D) is correct.
Question 4.
Based on the information given in this chapter, match the following countries and the path democracy has taken in that country.
Answer:
The correct match for different countries with their path to democracy is as follows:
Question 5.
What are the difficulties people face in a non-democratic country? Give answers drawing from the examples given in this chapter.
Answer:
There are many difficulties faced by people living in a non-democratic country. Some of them are as follows:
(i) People living in a non-democratic country have no freedom to their choice of the leader as there are no elections.
(ii) In a non-democratic country, there are no fundamental rights for the citizens as they do not have freedom of speech and expression.
(iii) In a non-democratic country people can’t form organisations and also they do not have any right to protest against the rulers.
(iv) In a non-democratic country, people cannot raise their voice. They do not put up a question on the policies that are being carried out by the government.
Question 6.
Which freedoms are usually taken away when a democracy is overthrown by the military?
Answer:
Whenever power in a democratic country is taken over by the military, a number of rights and freedom are taken away. Some of these are:
(i) People do not have any right to elect their rulers as all they are being governed by military.
(ii) Due to the military rule, people are not allowed to form any organisation or party and moreover any organization is not allowed to function properly either.
(iii) Various fundamental rights such as Freedom of expression, protesting against government policies are also taken away under military rule.
Question 7.
Which of the following positions can contribute to democracy at the global level? Give reasons for your answer in each case.
(a) My country gives more money to international institutions. Therefore, I want to be treated with more respect and exercise more power.
(b) My country may be small or poor. But my voice must be heard with equal respect, because these decisions will affect my country.
(c) Wealthy nations will have a greater say in international affairs. They cannot let their interests suffer just because they are outnumbered by poor nations.
(d) Big countries like India must have a greater say in international organizations.
Answer:
(a) The first and most important principle of democracy is ‘Equality’; citizens of every country whether small or large, whether rich or poor enjoy equal status and rights. So, if any country gives more money to any international institution and its citizens want more respect and exercise more power then it will not contribute to democracy at the global level.
(b) This statement totally talks in the favor of democracy as democracy always works for the betterment of citizens and aims to make sure that people have equal rights and powers. Economic or demographic size of the country does not matter when it comes of the right to equality in a democratic setup.
(c) This statement does not talk about democracy at a global level as in a global democracy there is no distinction between the rich and poor nations. All the nations are treated equally in a Democracy.
(d) The size or geographical area of any country cannot determine status of any nation in a global democracy. Hence, this statement cannot contribute to democracy.
Question 8.
Here are three opinions heard in a television debate on the struggle for democracy in Nepal. Which of these do you agree with and why?
Guest 1: India is a democracy. Therefore, the Indian government must support the people of Nepal who are struggling against monarchy and for democracy.
Guest 2: That is a dangerous argument. We would be in the same position as the US was in Iraq. Remember, no outside force can promote democracy.
Guest 3: But why should we bother about the internal affairs of another country? We should be worried about our business interests there, not about democracy.
Answer:
Helping neighbour country is a good way to maintain good relationship and in my point of view Guest 1 is right in some way. Being as neighbour country one can’t totally neglect the other country. Having said that the argument of the Guest 2 also needs to be considered on its merit. This means that if India decides to intervene in the internal matters of Nepal excessively, then the situation would turn ugly for both the nations. External support and that too till the extent of upholding the sovereignty of Nepal would be the best course to take.
Question 9.
In an imaginary country called Happyland, the people overthrew the foreign ruler and brought back the old royal family. They said: "After all their ancestors were our kings before foreigners started ruling us. It is good that we have one strong ruler, who can help us become rich and powerful. When someone talked about democracy the wise men said it is a foreign idea. Their struggle was to throw the foreigners and their ideas out of the country. When someone demanded freedom for the media, the elders thought that too much criticism of the ruler would not help them improve their living standards. "After all, the king is so kind and interested in the welfare of all the subjects. Why create problems for him. Don't we all want to be happy?"
After reading the above passage, Chaman, Champa and Chandru made the following observations:
Chaman: Happyland is a democratic country because people were able to throw out the foreign rulers and bring back the king.
Champa: Happyland is not a democratic country because people cannot criticise the ruler. The king may be nice and may provide economic prosperity, but a king cannot give a democratic rule.
Chandru: What people need is happiness. So, they are willing to allow their new ruler to take decisions for them. If people are happy it must be a democracy.
What is your opinion about each of these statements? What do you think about the form of government in this country?
Answer:
The first statement seems incorrect because overthrowing of foreign powers only leads to gaining sovereignty, which is a different idea than democracy in many ways. So, Chaman’s statement is incorrect.
Champa’s statement seems correct as in a democratic country there is rule of people and people have right to question their ruler.
Happiness of the people is the main factor and point of any democratic country. People in Happyland might be happy with the work and functioning of king but the king can’t be a ruler that is being elected by people. Therefore, Chandru’s statement is incorrect.