DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, DAULATPUR

CH-1, WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY?

Q1. What is Democracy? Mention four features of democracy.

Ans. Democracy is a form of government which is chosen by the people to work for
their welfare and can be changed by them.

1. Democracy is the best form of government as the rulers are accountable to the
people and have to fulfil their needs.

2. Democracy is based on consultation and discussion. This reduces the chance of

hasty and irresponsible decisions from being taken and improves the quality of
decision making.

3. In a democracy each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have
one value.

4. In a democracy, government rules within limits set by constitutional law and

citizens’ rights.

Q2. Why are China, Estonia and Saudi Arabia not truly democratic countries? State
one reason for each one of them.

Ans. One major demand of democracy is ‘Universal Adult Franchise’ i.e. the right to
vote for every adult citizen. But in world politics, there are many instances of denial
of equal right to vote. These are:

1. In Saudi Arabia, women did not have the right to vote until 2011.

2. Estonia made its citizenship rules in such a manner that people belonging to
Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.

3. In China, before contesting the election, the candidate needs the approval of the
Chinese Communist Party.

Q3. How did Robert Mugabe’s Party ZANU PF violate the features of democratically
elected government?

Ans. Robert Mugabe’s Party ZANU PF violates the features of democratically elected
government by adopting the following methods:
1. The constitution was changed several times to increase the powers of the President
and make him less accountable.

2. Opposition party workers are harassed and their meetings are disrupted.

3. Public protests and demonstrations against the government are declared illegal.

4. Television and radio are controlled by the government and give only the ruling
party’s version.

5. The government harasses those journalists who go against it and also ignored some
court judgments.

Q4. Is Mexico a democratic country or not? Give five reasons to support your answer.

Ans. Until the elections held in the year 200, every election was won by a party called
PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but
never managed to win because:

1. Government employees were forced to attend party meetings.

2. Teachers in government schools forced students’ parents to vote for the PRI.

3. Media mostly ignored the activities of opposition political parties.

4. Sometimes polling booths were shifted from one place to another at the last minute,
making it difficult for people to cast their votes.

5. The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates.