Chapter - 4

Key Elements of a
Democratic Government
 Key Elements that influence the working of a Democratic
Government.

• In this chapter we will study about

• 1 People’s Participation
• 2 Resolution of conflicts
• 3 Equality and Justice
 What Is Democracy?

• Democracy is a form of governance of people , by people and for the

people.
People have power to choose their ruler. They participate in their democratic
process by electing their representatives, who then form government . These
representatives take decisions on behalf of the people. This type of
Democracy is called representative Democracy.
• South Africa is a country that has people of several races.
• This country was earlier governed by Apartheid laws.
• What Is Apartheid?
• Apartheid means separation on the basis of race. South African people
were divided into white ,black, Indian and coloured races.
• According to apartheid law ,these races were not allowed to mingle with
each other, live near each other or even to use common facilities.
Formation of African National Congress
• The African National Congress is a group of people who led the struggle
against apartheid , and the most well known leader Nelson Mandela.
• Nelson Mandela fought the apartheid system for several years.
• South Africa finally became a Democratic country in 1994,in which
people all races were considered equal.
 People’s Participation
• People participate in the formation of government through voting.
• All Governments are elected for fixed five years.(in India)
• The power of government gets limited by regular elections.
• Because if they want to continue to be in power then they have
be re-elected by the people .
• For doing so they have to keep in mind the voices and interests
of the people.
 Universal Adult Franchise

• All adult citizens, of a

country irrespective of
their age, religion, gender
have the right to vote and
elect their representative
through the method of
secret ballot.
 Other Ways Of Participation
• Besides Voting there are other ways of participating in the process of government .
• Like they criticize the working of the government when required
• They can show their disapproval in the following ways
• by taking out rallies/ protest marches(peace ful )
• by organizing signature campaigns
• by dharnas
• by strikes
• through interviews on T.V , social media by discussing government issues and responsibilities
• through articles in Newspaper, magazines
• The members of the minority community ,Dalits ,adivasis women and
others organize themselves into social movements.
• They challenge the government and its functioning.
• The government tried to defend its decision first but finally listened to the
people’s opinion and withdrew the decision because it is responsible for
the people.
 Need To Resolve the Conflicts
• Conflicts occur when people of different cultures, religions ,regions or economic
backgrounds do not get along with each other or when some among them feel they
are being discriminated against .
• People may use violent method means to settle their differences this leads to fear and
tension among others living in an area.
• The government is responsible for helping to resolve conflicts.
• The Indian Constitution lays down the basic rules or laws that have to be followed
by everyone. These laws are for both the government and the people.
• Conflicts and differences can be resolved through these laws .
 Other conflicts among the states
• The government, particularly the police ,play an important role in getting
representatives of concerned communities to meet and try and arrive at a
solution .
• Rivers can become a source of conflict between states .Conflict among
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on river kaveri
• At times a conflict arises because of both dams are on the same river so it
is the responsibility of the representatives to solve it with the help
ofCentral Government.
 Equality and justice
• one of the key elements of a democratic government is its commitment to
equality and justice equality and justice are inseparable the government
also recognises this and make special provisions for groups within the
society that are unequal Uplift the social and economic status of the tribes
and castes certain percentage of seeds have been reserved in Lok Sabha
and Rajya Sabha to promote gender equality state governments have
waived or lower the girls students fees in government schools and
colleges