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CH 1 Power-Sharing
CH 1 Power-Sharing
People belonging to a
culture of a country.
3) Community Government: -
Community government is an
elected body by people
belonging to one language,
one culture or any common
property no matter where they
live. This government has the
power regarding cultural,
educational and language-
related issues. This
government is expected to
work for the benefit of the
common people without any
discrimination.
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4) Federal Government: - It is a
5) Reserved Constituency: - It is
a constituency which is
Q. 2. What led to the ethnic tension in Belgium? Why it was more acute in Brussels? Or
Describe the tension that existed between the Dutch and the French speaking people in Belgium. Or
What were the main causes of resentment in Belgium in 1960? (NCERT Page No. 2 & 3) (3)
Answer Key Points: -
1) The economic inequality
between the Dutch- speaking
and French-speaking was the
basic cause of tension during
1950s and 1960s.
2) The French-speaking
community who was in
minority was rich and
powerful but the Dutch-
speaking community who
was in majority was poor.
3) The economic inequality was
opposed by the Dutch-
speaking community and got
the benefit of economic
development and education much later.
4) The tension between the two communities was more acute in the capital city Brussels.
5) The Dutch- speaking people constituted a majority in the country, but a minority in the capital city
Brussels.
6) Between 1970 and 1993, the Belgium government amended their constitution four times to make an
arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country.
Q. 3. What is the ethnic composition of Sri Lanka? (NCERT Page No. 2) (3)
Answer Key Points: -
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1) Sri Lanka has a diverse population. The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 %) and the
Tamil-speakers (18 %).
2) Among Tamils there are two subgroups i.e.
a) Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ (13 %). And
b) The ‘Indian Tamils’ (5%) (whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial
period)
3) Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the North and Eastern part of the Country.
4) Most of the Sinhala speaking people are Buddhists, while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims.
5) Muslim population constitutes 1%.
6) There are about 7 % Christians, who are both Tamil -and Sinhala speakers.
2) Limiting Government-
Employment Rights to
jobs.
3) Promotion of Buddhism: - A
foster Buddhism.
Non-Sinhala.
Q. 5. Define the term Majoritarianism. How has it increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan
Tamils? Explain. Or
Why do the Sri Lankan Tamils feel alienated in spite of their long stay in Sri Lanka? Or
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What were the reasons for the alienation of Sri Lankan Tamils? What was the effect of this on the
country? (NCERT Page No. 3 & 4) (3)
minority.
and culture.
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Q. 6. What were the demands of Sri Lankan Tamils? How did they fight for independence?
(NCERT Page No. 4) (3)
Answer Key Points: - The demands of Sri Lankan Tamils were: -
1) Recognition Language: - The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of
Tamil as an official language.
2) Equal Share in Education
and Jobs: - Sri Lankan Tamil
leaders demanded regional
freedom and equality of
opportunity in securing
education and jobs.
3) Religious Protection: - They
demanded religious
protection from the
government.
4) Separate State: - By 1980s
several political organizations
were formed demanding an
independent Tamil Eelam
(state) in North and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
But their demand for more autonomy to provinces populated by the Tamils was repeatedly denied.
Q. 7. How were the problems solved in Belgium? Explain the steps taken by government. Or
How is the political system in Belgium innovate and different from the other countries of the world?
Explain. Or
Highlight the important measures adopted by the Belgium government to communicate regional and
cultural diversities. Or
What are some of the basic elements of Belgium model of power sharing? Or
What is community Government? Explain the concept of community government with reference to
Belgium. (NCERT Page No. 4 & 5) (5)
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Answer Key Points: -
1) Equal number of Ministers: -
Constitution prescribes that
the number of Dutch and
French-speaking ministers
shall be equal in the central
government. Some special
laws require the support of
majority of members from
each linguistic group. Thus, no
single community can make
decisions individually.
3) Equal Representation: -
Brussels has a separate
government in which both the
communities have equal
representation. The French
speaking people accepted
equal representation in
Brussels because the Dutch-
speaking community has
accepted equal representation
in the Central Government.
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4) Formation of the Community Government: - Apart from the Central and the State Government,
there is a third kind of
government in Belgium. This
‘community government’ is
elected by people belonging to
one language community –
Dutch, French and German-
speaking – no matter where
they live. They are expected to
work together for the benefit
of the common people without
any discrimination. This
government has the power
regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.
Q. 8. How did Sri Lankan and the Belgium government try to solve the Ethnic problem? Or
Explain the major differences between the power sharing model accepted by Belgium and Sri Lanka. Or
Both Belgium and Sri Lanka are democracies but they follow different systems of power sharing. Support
the statement by giving examples. Or
Give the difference between community government in Belgium and Majoritarianism government in the
Sri Lanka. (NCERT Page No. 2, 3, 4 & 5) (5)
Answer Key Points: -
war.
Q. 9. What do we learn from these two stories of Belgium and Sri Lanka? (NCERT Page No. 5) (3)
Answer Key Points: -
Both are democracies. Yet, they dealt with the question of power sharing differently.
1) In Belgium, the leaders have
realized that the unity of the
country is possible only by
respecting the feelings and
interests of different
communities and regions.
Such a realization resulted in
mutually acceptable
arrangements for sharing
power.
2) Sri Lanka shows us that if a
majority community wants to
force its dominance over
others and refuses to share
power, it can undermine the
unity of the country.
1) Meaning: - Prudential reasons are based on careful calculations of gains and losses.
2) Conflicts Resolution: - Prudential reasons help to reduce the possibility of conflict between social
groups.
3) Political Stability: - Prudential reasons are good way to ensure political stability.
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4) Effect on Unity: - Imposing the will of majority community over the minority may look like an
attractive option in the short run, but in the long run, it undermines the unity of the nation. Tyranny of
the majority is not just
oppressive for the minority; it
often brings ruin to the
majority as well.
5) Example: - Reservation of
constituencies for minorities
and women in India is an
example of prudential reason.
Vertical Power
Sharing: -
1) Power can be shared among
governments at different
levels – a general government
for the entire country and
governments at the provincial
or regional level.
2) This is called vertical
distribution of power because
under this division of power
the lower level of
government works higher
level.
3) Under this people are free to
choose separate
governments at different
levels; such type of arrangement is called federal government. In India, we refer to it as the Central or
Union Government.
Power Sharing
Among Different
Social Groups: -
1) In multi-ethnic democratic
society power is also shared
among different social groups
such as the religious and
linguistic groups.
2) ‘Community government’ in
Belgium is a good example of
this arrangement.
3) In some countries there are
constitutional and legal
arrangements for socially
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weaker sections and women representations in the legislatures and administration.
4) This type of arrangement is meant to give opportunity in the government and administration to
different social groups especially the minority communities.
5) This would also prevent them to feel alienated from the government.
Q. 1. I have a simple equation in mind. Sharing power = dividing power = weakening the country. Why do
we start by talking of this?
Answer: -
Sharing of power does not always mean weakening the country. Sometimes, it may create the problem
by delaying decisions which are for the welfare of the people but many times it creates the possibilities
of better decision making.
1) It ensures that people coming from different spheres have 'share' in the government.
2) It also ensures that maximum people can participate in the government making decision more
democratic.
3) It also helps in reducing conflict between different social groups hence, make country more powerful.
Q. 2. Look at the maps of Belgium and Sri Lanka. In which region do you find concentration of different
communities?
Answer: -
In Belgium, there are two major linguistic groups – French speaking people and Dutch speaking
people. Most of the French speaking people live in the Wallonia (Northern) region while Dutch
speaking people live in the Flemish (Southern) region. The capital city has a ratio 4:1 of the French and
Dutch speaking people. The German speaking people live in the eastern Belgium.
In Sri Lanka, Sinhalese cover a wider region except the northern and eastern central region and a small
region in the southern Sri Lanka. Sinhalese lives throughout the country. Sri Lankan Tamils are
concentrated in the northern and eastern coastal region. Indian Tamils are concentrated in the
northern, central and southern regions. Muslims have sporadic distribution throughout the country.
Q. 3. What’s a wrong if the majority community rule? If Sinhalas don’t rule in Sri Lanka, where else will
they rule?
Answer: -
Ruling by the majority does not mean oppression of the minority. Sinhalas, which are in majority and in
government in Sri Lanka disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority. In modern era,
oppression is not morally correct to be in power. Democracy works on the majority of opinion, not by
major community. A democratically elected government must be sensible to the people's demands and
protect citizen's basic rights.
Q. 4. What kind of a solution is this? I am glad our Constitution does not say which minister will come
from which community.
Answer: -
This is because of the democratic and republic India. Our constitution has given the ideas of equality,
fraternity, secularism and brotherhood.
Q. 5. Read any newspaper for one week and make clippings of news related to ongoing conflicts or wars.
A group of five students could pool their clippings together and do the following:
a) Classify these conflicts by their location (Your state, India outside India).
Answer: -
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[Hints: Students can observe such events in the newspapers for example, when people from two villages
fight for basic facilities at the local level, such a conflict should be classified as ‘Our state’. When there is
any dispute between two states, e.g., water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it should be
categorized as ‘Our country’. Similarly, when there is a conflict between two or more nations, e.g.,
America’s attack on Iraq, it should be categorized as ‘outside the country’]
b) Find out the cause of each of these conflicts. How many of these are related to power sharing
disputes?
Answer: -
[Hints: From the details of the news, you can find the causes of the conflicts. Only those causes are
concerned with the sharing of power which is meant for representation in the government or self-
government. Identify those and write your answers]
c) Which of these conflicts could be resolved by working out power sharing arrangements?
Answer: -
[Hints: While answering this question, first try to identify the conflict which relates to the sharing of
power. For answering, you must know the issues related to power sharing.]
Annette studies in a Dutch medium school in the northern region of Belgium. Many French-speaking
students in her school want the medium of instruction to be French. Selvi studies in a school in the
northern region of Sri Lanka. All the students in her school are Tamil speaking and they want the
medium of instruction to be Tamil.
Q. 6. If the parents of Annette and Selvi were to approach respective governments to realize the desire of
the child who is more likely to succeed? And why?
Answer: -
The parents of Annette are more likely to succeed. Because, in Belgium, the community government is
elected by the people belonging to one language community- Dutch French or German speaking. This
government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language related issues. On the other
hand, in Sri Lanka, education is taken care of, by the central government. And for common people, it is
almost impossible to consults the central government and make it solve such a problem.
Q. 8. Would you adopt the ‘regular’ rules followed everywhere, as Khalil suggests? Or stick to the old
rules? Or do something else?
Answer: -
If the rules of the Lebanon is providing all the people to caste vote and contest elections as per
agreement of power sharing among different communities, I would not adopt the ‘regular’ rules
followed everywhere, as Khalil suggests. I would stick to the rules made after agreement among
different communities. I don’t need to do something else.
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Q. 9. In 2005, some new laws were made in Russia giving more powers to its president. During the same
time the US president visited Russia. What according to this cartoon is the relationship between
democracy and concentration of power? Can you think of some other examples to illustrate the point
being made here?
Answer: -
(i) Democracy, in general represents the will of the common people. But when the power is
concentrated in a particular hand, in a democratic government, this individual outlasts the will of the
common people. The same thing has been shown in the cartoon where democracy is run by selected
people, at their will, without taking care of the will of the general people.
(ii) We can illustrate a few more such examples. For example, in Pakistan, there is an elected democratic
government but this is not the true representation of the will of the people. Once elected, the power-
carrying men run the government as per their wishes. Iraq was another example where democracy was
being run in an autocratic manner.
Q. 10. In my school, the class monitors changes every month. Is that what you call a power sharing
arrangement?
Answer: -
This is not power sharing arrangement as the class monitor has all the power at a time and this power is
shifted to another in next month. There is no check on his/her power. The power must be shared among
others, which is an important feature of power sharing.
Q. 11. Here are some examples of power sharing. Which of the four types of power sharing do these
represent? Who is sharing power with whom?
The Bombay High Court ordered the Maharashtra state government to immediately take action and
improve living conditions for the 2,000-odd children at seven children’s homes in Mumbai.
Answer: -
(i) This is an example of power sharing among different organs of the government.
(ii) Here the power is shared between the judiciary and the executive.
The government of Ontario State in Canada has agreed to a land claim settlement with the aboriginal
community. The minister responsible for Native Affairs announced that the government will work with
aboriginal people in a spirit of mutual respect and cooperation.
Answer: -
(i) This is an example of sharing of power among different social groups.
(ii) Here, the power is shared between the aboriginals and other social groups.
Russia’s two influential political parties, the Union of Right Forces (SPS) and the liberal Yabloko
movement agreed to unite their organizations into a strong right- wing coalition. They propose to have
a common list of candidates in the next parliamentary elections.
Answer: -
(i) This is an example of power sharing arrangements in the way political parties, pressure groups and
movements control or influence power.
(ii) Here, the power is being shared between SPS and the liberal Yabloko movement.
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The finance ministers of various states in Nigeria got together and demanded that the federal
government should declare its sources of income. They also wanted to know the formula by which the
revenue is distributed to various state governments.
Answer: -
(i) This is an example of power sharing among governments at different levels.
(ii) Here, the power is being shared between federal and state governments and also among the state
governments
1. What are the different forms of power sharing in modern democracies? Give an example of each of
these.
Answer: -
2. State one prudential reason and one moral reason for power sharing with an example from the Indian
context.
Answer: -
3. After reading this chapter, three students drew different conclusions. Which of these do you agree
with and why? Give your reasons in about 50 words.
a) Thomman - Power sharing is necessary only in societies which have religious, linguistic or ethnic
divisions.
b) Mathayi - Power sharing is suitable only for big countries that have regional divisions.
c) Ouseph - Every society needs some form of power sharing even if it is small or does not have social
divisions.
Answer: -
Ouseph's statement is the most logical, and thus, should be agreed on. Every society needs some form
of power sharing even if it is small or does not have social divisions. A democratic society is one where
its members or citizens through participation acquire a stake in the system. Power sharing not only
prevents conflict between various groups in the society but it also generates a sense of belongingness
among them to the society. Power sharing helps to maintain a balance of power among various
institutions and also keep a check on how it is exercised. Irrespective of the size of a country or the type
of a society, people will be more satisfied where they have a say in the functioning and decision making
processes of the system.
4. The Mayor of Mrchtem, a town near Brussels in Belgium, has defended a ban on speaking French in the
town’s schools. He said that a ban would help all non-Dutch speakers integrate in this Flemish town.
Do you think that this measure is in keeping with the spirit of Belgium’s power sharing arrangements?
Give your reasons in about 50 words.
Answer: -
No, this measure is not in keeping with Belgium's power sharing arrangements. The arrangements seek
to maintain peace between the French and Dutch-speaking communities. By banning French, the mayor
will cause civil unrest. Both the languages should be made acceptable in the town's schools. This
bilingual education system will be a better way to integrate the people of the town.
5. Read the following passage and pick out any one of the prudential reasons for power sharing offered in
this.
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"We need to give more power to the panchayats to realize the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the
hopes of the makers of our Constitution. Panchayati Raj establishes true democracy. It restores power
to the only place where power belongs in a democracy - in the hands of the people. Given power to
panchayats is also a way to reduce corruption and increase administrative efficiency. When people
participate in the planning and implementation of developmental schemes, they would naturally
exercise greater control over these schemes. This would eliminate the corrupt middlemen. Thus,
Panchayati Raj will strengthen the foundations of our democracy."
Answer: -
The prudential reason for power sharing offered in this passage is giving power to panchayats is also a
way to reduce corruption and increase administrative efficiency.
6. Different arguments are usually put forth in favour of and against power sharing. Identify those which
are in favour of power sharing and select the answer using the codes given below? Power sharing:
A. reduces conflict among different communities
B. decreases the possibility of arbitrariness
C. delays decision making process
D. accommodates diversities
E. increases instability and divisiveness
F. promotes people's participation in government
G. undermines the unity of a country
(a) A B D F
(b) A C E F
(c) A B D G
(d) B C D G
Answer: -
(a) A B D F
7. Consider the following statements about power sharing arrangements in Belgium and Sri Lanka.
a) In Belgium, the Dutch-speaking majority people tried to impose their domination on the minority
French-speaking community.
b) In Sri Lanka, the policies of the government sought to ensure the dominance of the Sinhala-speaking
majority.
c) The Tamils in Sri Lanka demanded a federal arrangement of power sharing to protect their culture,
language and equality of opportunity in education and jobs.
d) The transformation of Belgium from unitary government to a federal one prevented a possible
division of the country on linguistic lines.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) A, B, C and D (b) A, B and D (c) C and D (d) B, C and D
Answer: -
8. Match list I (forms of power sharing) with List II (forms of government) and select the correct answer
using the codes given below in the lists:
List I List II
1 Power shared among different organs of government Α Community government
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2 Power shared among governments at different levels Β Separation of powers
3 Power shared by different social groups C Coalition government
4 Power shared by two or more political parties D Federal government
1 2 3 4
(a) D A B C
(b) B C D A
(c) B D A C
(d) C D A B
Answer: -
1 2 3 4
(c) B D A C
9. Consider the following two statements on power sharing and select the answer using the codes given
below: -
A. Power sharing is good for democracy.
B. It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
Which of these statements are true and false?
(a) A is true but B is false
(b) Both A and B are true
(c) Both A and B are false
(d) A is false but B is true
Answer: -