Outcomes of Democracy Class 10 Social Science Notes and Questions

It is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

(b) Keeping military away from controlling government.

Economic development

Democratic government is better.

To examine the process of decision-making in a democracy is known as transparency.

In an accountable government, people have the right to elect the leaders to form government and if possible they participate in decision making process.

(d) Democracy.

(d) Open to rulers elected by the government

(d) all of the above

A  democratic  government  must  safeguard the fundamental rights of every citizen. This is the basis of a harmonious social life. The values that must be followed are :

(i)   The rulers elected by the people must take all  the  major  decisions  and  be  responsible  to them.

(ii) Elections must offer a choice and fair opportunity  to the people to change the current government.

(iii) This  choice  and  opportunity   should  be available to all the people equally.

(iv) The government  must  be limited  by basic rules of the constitution and citizen’s rights.

(a) Freedom of expression is granted in a democratic nation. For example, the role of media. It allows people to form groups, and indulge in peaceful protests to vent their grievances.

(b)  It  ensures  transparency  in  its  functioning, such as the recent introduction of the Right to Information Act.

(c) It enhances dignity of the individual. Democracies ensure rights to the individuals which allow them to develop to the fullest potential. Example: Fundamental Rights.

Democracy means  rule  of  people. That  is of the people, for the people and by the people. Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives.

Values it represent are :

(a)   Freedom to citizens.

(b)  Democracy represents the views and opinions of all the citizens of the country, whether in majority or minority.

(c)   Solving conflicts and quarrels by discussion and negotiation.

(d)  Dignity to the people of every section of the society.

Merits of Democracy are :

(i)   Democracy assures equality in every sphere of life like political, social and economic.

(ii) It upholds basic individual liberties like freedom of speech, etc.

(iii) In a democracy transparency in governance is achieved.

A  democratic  government  has  to  be responsive to the needs of its citizens.

(i)   Through discussions and public opinions the democratic government can check the popularity of its decisions and mechanism of administering justice.

(ii)  A government which is able to respond to grievances faster is able to avoid confrontation and provide good governance. Such governments are said to be responsive.

(i) A  democratic  government  is  called legitimate government because it is people’s own government.

(ii)  It may be slow, less efficient and may have other flaws but it is people’s government.

(iii) There is an  overwhelming support  for the idea of democracy all over the world. People of South Asia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Nepal have no doubt about the suitability of democracy for their country.

(iv) People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them. Democracy’s ability to generate its own support makes it more legitimate.

Transparency is the most important feature of democracy :

(i)   Democracy  ensures  that   decision-making will be based on certain norms and procedures.

(ii)  So, a citizen who wants to know if a decision was taken through correct procedures can find this out by filing R.T.I.

(iii) The citizens have the right and the means to examine the process of decision-making. This is known as transparency.

Advantages of Democracy :

(i)   Chief merit of democracy lies in the fact that it safeguards the interests of the people. Real power lies in the hands of the people who exercise it by the representatives elected by them and who are responsible to them. The social, economic and political interests of the individuals are served better under this system.

(ii) Democracy is based on the principle of equality. All members of the state are equal in the eyes of law. All enjoy equal social, political and economic rights and state cannot discriminate among citizens on the basis of caste, religion, sex, or property. All have equal right to choose their government.

(iii) Democracy   is   known   for   its   stability, firmness and efficiency. The tenure of the elected representatives is fixed. They form a stable government because it is based on public support. The administration  is conducted with a sense of responsibility.

Demerits of Dictatorship :

(a)   In dictatorship a very select few rule over the country and they are nor answerable to the public. There is no chance of correcting a wrong policy or a decision.

(b)  Since people have no say in the government functioning  there  is  large  scale dissatisfaction. The rulers generally use suppressive and coercive measures to keep the population from revolting.

(i)  Democracies take more time in decision- making.

(ii) Democracies fall short in elections that provide a fair chance to everyone and do not subject every decision to public debate.

(iii) The tales of corruption are enough to convince that democracies are not free of evil at all.

Democratic government can be said to be accountable and legitimate government. The following reasons can be ascribed to it:

Accountable government :

(i)   When  people  choose  their  representatives, they are expected to be accountable, this is the basic outcome of democracy.

(ii)  The citizens have the right and also the means to examine the process of decision making, that is high level of accountability is expected.

(iii) The  government  is  expected  to  practice regular, free and fair elections and open discussions on important issues.

(iv) Democratic government can apparently be less efficient than a non-democratic government. This happens because a non-democratic government does not need to arrive at consensus among a diverse set of people. Democracy functions on the basis of deliberation and negotiation and hence decisions are often delayed. But this does not mean that a democratic government is less efficient.

Legitimate government :

(i)  A democratic government is people’s own government. That is why there is an overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the world and there is the element of legitimacy attached to it.

(ii)  People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them. They also believe that democracy is suitable for their country. Democracy’s ability to generate support for itself is an outcome that cannot be ignored.

(iii) Though there are many reports of democracies ignoring the demands of people and there are routine tales of corruption but yet chances of governments improving only exists in democratic setup.

Dignity and Freedom of the Citizens : Democracy has emerged as the most popular form of government in promoting dignity and freedom of the individual. It does so –

(a)   By extending legal and political equality to every citizen including   women, to  the weaker sections of society and to the marginalized.

(b)  By guaranteeing fundamental rights to all.

(c) Giving adequate representation  to the minorities and protection through various safeguards.

(d)  This gives political voice to the marginalized and increases their democratic consciousness.

(e) It enables women, lower casts and other disadvantaged groups to wage their struggle for justice, fairness with a legal backing.

The characteristics of democracy are:

1.    Elected representatives rule the country.

2.    Elections that are free and fair   are held at regular periodicity.

3.    Rights of the individual citizen are protected and rule of law prevails that is equal for every one.

4.    Independent judiciary functions with out the intervention of the rulers.

5.    Opposition parties question the actions of the rulers and thus ensure good governance.

6.    Freedom of religion and culture is ensured.

It refers to disparities in the distribution  of economic assets and income.

Democracy and the economic outcomes :

(i)   Slow economic development and economic growth can be due to large population.

(ii)  Basic needs of life, such as food, clothing, shelter are difficult to achieve in certain democracies.

(iii) Prevalence of economic inequalities are often seen.

(iv) Poverty is still a big issue.

(v)  Allocation of resources in few hands.

(vi) Unjust distribution of goods and opportunities. However despite mediocre economic outcomes democracy is preferred for the dignity it provides to every citizen.

(i)  If we consider   all democracies and all dictatorships  for  the  fifty years  between  1950 and 2000, dictatorship has slightly higher rate of economic growth.

(ii)  Economic development depends on several factors : country’s population size, global situation, cooperation from other countries, etc.

(iii) However,  the  difference in  the  rates  of economic development between less developed countries with dictatorships and democracies is negligible.

(iv) Overall, it cannot be said that democracy is a guarantee of economic development. But we can expect democracy not to lag behind dictatorships in this respect.

(v)  With small difference in the rates of economic growth between countries under dictatorship and democracy, it is better to prefer democracy as it has several other positive outcomes. Such as- the decisions are taken after a consensus is formed. The economic development is more likely to be broad based and benefit larger section of the society. In a democracy the people are citizens and not subjects.

The democratic governments are better than other forms of governments:

(i)   They hold regular elections, while it is not the case in other form of governments.

(ii)  They guarantee rights to citizens, while it is not the case in the other form of governments.

(iii) Such   government   accommodates   social diversities, while this does not  happen  in other forms of government.

In general there is a healthy relationship between democracy and development. However,

(a)  Experience from poor countries show that economic growth under dictatorship regime has been slightly faster. However such societies lack positive social aspects of   personal dignity and freedom.

(b) It can be said that in democracies, opportunities for economic growth   are available to a large section of the population. This indicates that the chances of economic inequality is reduced.

(c)   A  democratic  government  is  more  likely to spend resources on public projects such as education, health, public transport, etc. which has a positive effect on the population. Thus holistically democracy scores much more than dictatorship.

(d)  Democracy provides better conflict resolution by discussion and negotiation; rather than through violent means which destroys public resources, property and morale of the people.

A democratic government can be made accountable by :

(i)   Conducting discussions and negotiations.

(ii)  Ensuring transparency.

(iii) Holding regular, free and fair elections.

(iv) Having an independent media.

The expected outcomes of democracy are as follows  :

(i)   The government is accountable to the people.

(ii)  The government is responsive to the needs of the people.

(iii) Economic growth and development reducing all forms of inequality and end of poverty is expected.

(iv) Accommodating all social diversities happen.

(v)  It   ensures   dignity   and   freedom   of   the individuals.

It is true that some people think that democracy produces  a less effective government because :

(i)   Non-democratic rulers do not have to bother about deliberation in assemblies or worry about public opinion.

(ii) They can be very quick and efficient in decision making and implementation.

(iii) But democracy is based on  the  ideal of deliberation and negotiation. So some delay is bound to take place.

(iv) Some democracies fall short in providing a fair chance to everyone in selecting their leaders.

(v)  Democratic governments do not have a very good record when it comes to sharing information with citizens.

(vi) Democracies often frustrate the needs of the people and often ignore the demands of a section of its population.

(i) Imagine a government that may take decisions very fast. But it may take decisions that are not accepted by the people and may, therefore, face problems.

(ii)  In contrast, the democratic governments take more time to follow procedure before arriving at a decision.

(iii) However, because it has followed procedure, its decisions may be more acceptable to the people and  more  effective. So, the  cost  of  time  that democracy pays is worth it.

(i)  Democracies  are   not   very  successful in reducing economic inequalities. Even when majority of voters constitute the poor, yet democratically elected government do not appear to be as keen to address the issue of poverty as one would expect them to.

(ii) Situation is much worse in some of the countries  where  people  depend  upon  rich countries for food supplies.

(iii) But even then democracy is favoured because it provides the opportunity  to change the rulers and the people have dignity.

Favorable conditions generally provided to people under a democratic rule are :

(i)   It promotes dignity to citizens irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

(ii)  It ensures freedom of the individual to express himself or herself.

(iii) It provides reservation for women and other advantages for discriminated groups so that they come up fast.

Ways in which democracy can be redefined to make democracy more effective are:

(i)   Ensure that views of minority are respected.

(ii)  Eliminate caste, religion and  gender  based

discrimination.

(iii) People must enjoy extensive rights from right to vote to participate in elections.

(iv) People must enjoy social and economic rights.

The ways by which democratic government ensures transparency are :

(i)   In democracies the decision-making process is based on proper norms and procedures.

(ii)  Citizens have the right to examine the process of decision making.

(iii) A     democratic     government     develops mechanisms for the citizens to hold the government accountable and to take part in decision making.

The government plays an important  role in reducing economic disparities by adopting the following measures:

(i) Government ensures equal distribution of wealth, so that there is no large gap between the rich and the poor.

(ii) Government  undertakes  extensive social welfare schemes and strives to achieve universal literacy rate.

(iii) Government  takes care  to  provide  equal opportunities to all. The income should be eventually distributed among the people.

Democracy is more effective than  its other alternatives :

(i)  Democracy   promotes   equality   among citizens, and the economic benefits are broad based.

(ii)  It enhances the dignity of the individual.

(iii) It  also improves the  quality of decision- making.

(iv) It provides a method to resolve conflicts.

(v)  It gives room to correct mistakes.

(vi) Democratic  government   is  a  legitimate government.

(vii) Democracy’s   ability  to   generate  its  own support is itself an outcome that cannot be ignored.

Sectional interest  groups  seek to  represent the common interests of a particular section of society. As a result, members of sectional pressure groups are directly and personally concerned with the outcome of the campaign fought by the group because they usually stand to gain from it.

Labors’ Union, Farmer Associations are two sectional interest groups.

Democracies have an advantage in resolving social differences, diversion and conflicts because they have evolved a mechanism to negotiate the differences.

(i)  It promotes equality among citizens.

(ii)  It enhances the dignity of the individual.

(i)  Democracy provides right to the citizens to choose their leaders and keep a check on them.

(ii)  If required people can participate in decision making either directly or through representatives.

(iii) It  produces  accountable,  responsible  and legitimate government.

“Democracy accommodates social diversities”  :

(i)   Democracies  develop a  procedure  to  deal with conflicts. This reduces the possibility of the tensions becoming explosive or violent.

(ii)  No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups. But we can certainly learn to respect these differences and can evolve a mechanism to negotiate these differences.

(iii) Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflict is thus a definite advantage of democratic regimes.

(iv) Example : Belgium has successfully negotiated differences among its ethnic population.

Democracy is considered to be successful if :

(i) The government elected by the people must take all major decisions and not be influenced by the rich and powerful.

(ii) The election must offer a free choice and opportunity to the people to select its leaders.

(iii) The choice should be available to all the people based on political equality and without any coercion.

44. There is overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the world because :

(i) A democratic government is people’s own government.

(ii) The evidence from South Asia shows that support for democracies exists in most countries.

(iii) People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them.

(iv) Most people believe that democracy is suitable for their country.

(v) Democracy has the ability to generate its own support which in itself is an outcome that cannot be ignored.

(i) It  is  necessary  to  understand   that democracy is not simply rule by majority. The majority always needs to work with the minority so that governments function to represent the general view.

(ii)  It is also necessary that rule by majority does not become rule by majority community in terms of religion or race or linguistic group.

The exception is in the government of Sri Lanka where majoritarianism is followed leading to many problems.

46. Democracy is accountable and responsive to the needs and expectations of the citizens because :

(i) In a democracy, people have the right to choose their representatives and the people have control over them.

(ii) Citizens have the right to participate in decision making that affects them. This ensures that the working of the government is transparent.

(iii) Everybody expects the government to be attentive to the needs and expectations of itself.

(iv) It is expected that the democratic government develops mechanisms for citizens to hold itself accountable.

(v) The opposition parties can also question and criticize the government policies. They keep a check on the ruling party and make sure that it does not misuse the power.

47. Democracy are based on political equality :

(i) All citizens have equal role in electing representatives.

(ii) Parallel to the process of bringing individuals into the political arena, we find growing economic inequalities.

(iii) Democracy does not appear to be very successful in reducing economic inequalities.

(iv) The ultra-rich enjoy a highly disproportionate share of wealth and opportunities.

(v) It is often difficult to meet the basic needs of life, such as food, clothing, house, education for the poor thus, democracies cannot be said to be based on economic equality.

Factor for the success of democracy is India:

(i) Transparency of functioning with implementation of RTI Act.

(ii) It provides legitimacy as regular elections are held in India.

(iii) Government accommodates social diversity.

(iv) It provides dignity and freedom to the citizens with many fundamental rights.

Democracies lead to peaceful and harmonious life among citizens:

Democracy provides the opportunity to negotiate the  differences and  decide  on  what  is  better for  everyone.  Non-democratic  regimes  usually just  ignore  the  internal  problems  or  suppress it. Democracy ensures inclusion of every group including minorities and its interests in the decision making.

Democracy is considered better because :

(a)   It promotes equality among citizens.

(b)  It recognizes and enhances the dignity of the individual.

(c)   It improves the quality of decision making.

(d)  It provides a method to resolve conflicts.

(e)   It allows room to correct mistakes.

The above statement is proved with the help of following arguments :

(a)   Democracy provides fundamental  rights to all its citizens.

(b)  Democratic govt. is answerable to the people.

(c)   It provides people the   right to change the govt after a fixed period if its function is not up to the expectation.

(d)  It provides the right for peaceful demonstration.

(e)   It reduces the possibility of conflict and thus maintains social harmony.

The role of citizens in a democracy are as follows  :

(i)   Citizens   must   exercise  their   rights   and freedom to get benefited from democratic set-up.

(ii)  They must be aware of their rights and duties.

(iii) They should be aware of the local issues and greater problems the country is facing.

(iv) They must cooperate in maintaining law and order.

(v)  People must  be sensitive to the needs and interest of others.

“A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of democracy.

(i)   It shows that people have developed awareness and the courage to ask questions.

(ii)  When people look critically at the government, democracy becomes better.

(iii) When people complain, government begins to perform better.

(iv) They value their democratic rights and make use of it.

“Democracy  stands  much  superior  in promoting dignity and freedom to the citizens”:

(i)   Every individual wants to receive respect from fellow beings. Democracy provides fundamental rights to every citizen.

(ii) Freedom from coercion is basis of any democracy, where everyone can have faith of choice.

(iii) In a democracy   people   have   equal opportunities so they can come up in life. They are not discriminated on the basis of caste or gender.

(iv) Long struggles by women have got them respect and equal treatment. In many democracies, women were deprived of their right to vote for a long time which they have achieved now. In India 1/3rd  of seats have been reserved for women in local bodies.

(v)  Democracy has strengthened  the claims of the disadvantaged and discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity.

Democracy is seen to be good in principles but not so good in practice because of the following reasons :

(i)   The decision making process in democracy is time-taking.

(ii)  The tyranny of the majority sometimes over rides the minority.

(iii) Corruption  and  red-tapism  often tarnishes the functioning of democracies.

(iv) An   illiterate   and    uniformed    electorate fails to give itself a legitimate and accountable government.

(v) The role of dynastic politics dominates political cultures which goes against the very concept of democracy