Politics 3rd Chapter

DEMOCRATIC POLITICS NOTES CHAPTER-3.

Q1. What was apartheid? How were the blacks of South Africa segregated under this system?

The official policy of racial separation and ill treatment of the blacks followed by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1989 was called apartheid.

• They were forbidden from living in white areas.
• Trains, buses, taxis, hotels, hospitals, schools, colleges, libraries, cinema halls, theatres, beaches, swimming pools, public toilets were all separate for the whites and the blacks which was called segregation.
• They could not even visit the churches where the whites worshipped.  
• Blacks could not form associations or protest against this terrible treatment.

Q2. Mention any 5 steps taken since 1950 to fight against apartheid in South Africa?

• Since 1950, the blacks, colored and Indians fought against the apartheid system and launched protest marches and strikes.
• The African National Congress (ANC) was the organization that led the struggle against the policies of segregation.
• This included many workers’ unions and the communist party.
• Many sensitive whites also joined the ANC to play a leading role in this struggle.
• Several countries denounced apartheid as unjust and racist.

Q3. What were the basic rules that the South Africans decided to abide by?

• The rules laid down how are the rulers are to be chosen in the future.
• The rules also determine what the elected governments can do and what they can’t do.
• The rules also decide the rights of the citizens.
• They also agreed on some basic rules. They also agreed that these rules will be supreme, that no government will be able to ignore these
• This set of basic rules is called the constitution.

Q4. What is a constitution? Why do we need one? Describe its function.

Ans. The constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all people living together in a country. It is the supreme law that determines the relationship among people living in a territory (called citizens) and also the relationship between the people and the government.

A constitution does many things-

• It generates a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for different kind of people to live together;
• It specifies how the government will be constituted, who will have the power to take which decisions ;
• It lays down the limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the right of the citizens are; and
• It expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society.

Q5. “India’s constitution was drawn up under very difficult circumstances.” Elaborate.

• The making of the constitution for a huge and diverse country like India was not an easy affair.
• At that time the people of India were emerging from the status of subjects to that of citizens.
• The country was born through a partition based on religious differences which was a traumatic experience for the people of India and Pakistan.
• At least ten lakh people were killed on both sides of the border in partition related violence.
• The merger of these princely states was a difficult and uncertain task.
• The makers of the constitution had anxieties about the present and the future of the country.

Q6. “Our leaders gained confidence to learn from other countries, but on our own terms.” Explain.

• Many of our leaders were inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution.
• The practice of parliamentary democracy in Britain and the Bill Rights in the US also inspired them.
• The socialist revolution in Russia had inspired many Indians to think of shaping a system based on social and economic equality.
• They were not simply imitating what others had done. At each step they were questioning whether these things suited our country.

Q7. Explain the characteristics of the constituent assembly of India.

• The drafting of a document called the constitution was done by an assembly of elected representatives called the Constituent Assembly.
• Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. Its first meeting was held in December 1946. After the country was divided into India and Pakistan, the Constituent Assembly was also divided into that of India and that of Pakistan
• The Constituent assembly that wrote the Indian Constitution had 299 members.
• The assembly adopted the constitution on 26 November 1949 but came into effect on 26 January 1950.
• To mark this day we celebrate January 26 as republic day every year.

Q8.How has the Indian Constitution remained unchallenged even though it was framed 64 years ago?

• Over the last 64 years, no large social group or political party has ever questioned the legitimacy of the constitution which is an unusual achievement for any constitution.
• The second reason for this is that the Constituent Assembly represented the people of India. There was no universal adult franchise at that time. It was elected mainly by the members of the existing provincial legislatures which ensured a fair geographical share of members from all the regions of the country.
• Even though the assembly was dominated by the Indian National Congress, the congress itself included a variety of political groups and opinions.
• In social terms too, the assembly represented members from different language groups, castes, classes, religions, and occupations and even if the Constituent Assembly was elected by universal adult franchise, its composition would not have been very different.

Q9. What was Gandhiji’s vision explained in his magazine “Young India”?

Gandhiji’s vision for India was-

• “An India in which there shall be no  high class or low class of people;
• An India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony;
• There can be no room in such an India for the curse of Untouchability or the curse of intoxicating drinks and drugs
• Women will enjoy the same rights as men…”

Q10. State any five features in the preamble of the Indian Constitution.

The constitution begins with the short statement of its basic values which is called the preamble to the constitution

• REPUBLIC- the head of the state is an elected person and not a hereditary position.
• JUSTICE-citizens cannot be discriminated on the grounds of caste, religion and gender. Social inequalities have to be reduced. Government should work for the welfare of all, especially the disadvantaged groups.
• LIBERTY-there are no unreasonable restrictions on the citizens in what way they think, how they wish to express their thoughts and the way they wish to follow up their thoughts in action.
• EQUALITY- all are equal before the law the traditional social inequalities have to be ended. The government should ensure equal opportunity for all.
• FRATERNITY-all of us should behave as if we are members of the same family. No one should treat a fellow citizen as inferior.

Q11. Why did the constitution makers make provisions for amendments in the Indian Constitution? Give reasons.

The constitution makers kept scope for an amendment of a particular procedure in which the constitution can be changed as and when a need arises for the following reasons:  

• The constitution is a very long and detailed document. Therefore it needs to be amended regularly to keep it updated.
• Those who crafted the Indian Constitution felt that it has to be in accordance with the people’s aspirations and changes in society.
• They did not see it as a sacred, static and unalterable law.
• They made provisions to incorporate changes from time to time. These changes are called constitutional amendments.

Q12. State some procedures laid down in our Constitution?

• The Indian constitution lays down a procedure for chosing persons to govern the country.
• It defines who will have how much power to take which decisions.
• It puts limits to what the government can do by providing some rights to the citizens that cannot be violated.