Revision Notes

Class 9 Political Science (Civics)

Chapter 2 - Constitutional Design

Racial discrimination in South Africa is set by white Europeans. During the

seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, trading companies from Europe settled in
and became local administrators. The apartheid system divided people and marked
them by the color of their skin. White rulers treated all white people as superior.
Non-whites had no voting rights and were barred from living in white areas.
Blacks, colored and Indians have been fighting apartheid since 1950. The African
National Congress (ANC) was an umbrella organization that were against the
apartheid policies. Nelson Mandela was one of eight leaders accused of sedition by
the white South African government. They were sentenced to life in prison in 1964
on charges of opposing the country's apartheid regime.

Formation of the New Constitution

As anti-apartheid protests intensified, blacks could no longer be held hostage under
dictatorship. The white government changed its policies. Discriminatory laws were
repealed. The ban on political parties and media restrictions has been lifted. Nelson
Mandela was released after 28 years in Robben Island prison. The apartheid
government ended at midnight on April 26, 1994, paving the way for the formation
of a multi-racial government.

After the emergence of a new democratic South Africa, the ruling dictatorship and
the genocide and the party that led the liberation struggle came together to form a
common constitution. This constitution gives its citizens the greatest rights
available in any country. Together, they decided that in the pursuit of a solution, no
one should be excluded.

Why a Constitution?
Take the example of South Africa to see why we need a constitution and what
constitutions do. The oppressor and the oppressed planned to live together as

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equals in the new democracy. Each section wanted to protect their interests and
demanded greater social and economic rights. Through negotiations, both sides
agreed. Whites agree with the principle of democracy and that one person has one
vote. They also agreed to accept certain basic rights for the poor and the working
class. Blacks have agreed that much of the law will not be complete and that the
majority will not dispossess the white minority. How should this relaxation be
made? The only way to build and maintain confidence in such a situation would be
to write down some rules of the game for everyone to follow. These supreme laws
that no government can ignore are called the constitution.

 Each country has its own distinct groups of people. People all over the world
have different opinions and interests. The constitution is the supreme law
that determines the relationship between the people living in an area (called
citizens) and the relationship between the people and the government. Find
out what the following principles are:
 First, it creates the level of trust and communication needed for different
types of people to live together
 Second, it sets out how the government will be formed, who will have the
power to make decisions.
 Third, it puts limits on the powers of government and tells us what citizens'
rights are.
 Fourth, it reflects people's desires for a better society
 All countries with constitutions are not democratic but on the other side all
democratic countries will have constitutions.

Guidelines for the Constitution of India

First, we need to understand what our Constitution is all about. Read the views of
our great leaders on our Constitution and read what the Constitution says about its
philosophy. This is done in the preamble of the Constitution.

 Dream And Promise: There were many members who followed the view of
Mahatma Gandhi. India's dream of eradicating inequality was shared by Dr.
Ambedkar, who played a key role in drafting the Constitution, but his vision
for eliminating inequality in India was different from Gandhiji's.
 We, the People of India: The Constitution was drafted and made by the
people through representatives, and was not given by the king any foreign
power.

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  Governor: People have the right to make decisions on internal and external
matters. No foreign power can control and suppress the Indian Government.
 Socialist: Wealth is created in society and should be shared equally by
society. Government must regulate land and industry ownership to reduce
social and economic inequalities.
 Country: Citizens have complete freedom to practice any religion. But there
is no official religion. The government will treat all the religious beliefs and
practices with same equal respect.
 Democratic: A form of government where people enjoy equal political
rights, elect their own rulers and hold them accountable. The government is
governed by certain basic rules.
 Republic: The head of state is the elected person.
 Justice: Citizens cannot be discriminated on the basis of race, religion, or
sexual orientation. Social inequality should be reduced. The government
should work for the well-being of all, especially the poor.
 Freedom: There are no unreasonable restrictions on citizens' thinking, how
they wish to express their thoughts and how they wish to follow their ideas
in action.
 Equality: All are equal before the law. Traditional social inequality must
end. The government needs to ensure that all people must have equal
opportunities.
 Brotherhood: We should all act as members of one family. No one should
treat his fellow citizen as inferior.

Modeling Council
The drafting of the constitution was done in a meeting of elected representatives
referred to as the Constituent Assembly. Election Council elections were held in
July 1946 and its first meeting was held in December 1946. Shortly thereafter, the
country was divided into India and Pakistan and the Constituent Assembly was
also divided into the Constituent Assembly of India and Pakistan. The Constituent
Assembly which drafted the Indian constitution had a total of 299 members. The
Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949 but came into operation
on 26 January 1950. To mark this day we celebrate January 26 as the Republic Day
every year.

Institutional design

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This is about integrating these principles into institutional arrangements. Very long
and detailed text. Therefore, it needs to be updated regularly to keep it updated. It
is provided for the introduction of changes, known as periodic amendments to the
constitution. Like any other Constitution, the Constitution of India also provides
for the election of a new president. It describes who will have the power to make
decisions. It also limits what the government can do by granting certain
unrestricted citizens' rights.

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