Democracy

Class 6 | Social Science — Civics | Unit 1

Class 6 Unit 1 Civics

குடிதழീஇக் கோலோச்சும் மாநில மன்னன் அடிதழீஇ நிற்கும் உலகு'

The world will constantly embrace the feet of the great king who rules over his subjects with love.

The teachers of Nallur Government High School were doing the final preparations for the programme 'Let's know the society' a monthly event. The Singaravelar Hall was filled with students. The Headmaster Mr. Jeeva welcomed the Chief Guest of the day, Advocate Mr. Rajasekaran. When he brought the chief guest to the hall, the students observed silence. Mr. Britto, the history teacher, welcomed the gathering. The chief guest, Mr. Rajasekaran stood up to address the students.

"Beloved brothers and sisters! I thank you for inviting me to this programme. I'm not going to speak on this occasion." When he said this and paused, everyone looked at him in wonder. "Democracy should be found everywhere, shouldn't it? So I am going to converse with all of you," he said. He requested to give a microphone to the students.

Mr. Rajasekar said, "First let me ask you a question. Do you know what kind of society the early man lived in?"

"In the beginning, they were hunters and gathered food. Later, they settled near rivers and practised agriculture," said Deepika, a sixth standard student.

"Yes, when man started to live in groups, tribes were formed. Every tribe had its own chief. These groups fought among themselves for land, water and other resources. Those who emerged victorious, formed kingdoms by uniting the other tribal groups. These kingdoms later integrated to form empires."

Arun questioned, "So the chief would have become the king, wouldn't he?"

"Yes, that was how monarchies ruled by kings were formed."

Suganya asked, "Was this how monarchy emerged in our country too?"

"Yes, this was how the system of monarchy formed throughout the world. Also, our country was ruled by kings and emperors and then came under the British rule."

The students answered together, "After centuries of struggle and many sacrifices, we got freedom from British colonialism."

"We adopted democracy as our ruling system when our country got freedom," said Rajasekaran.

Devarajan asked him, "What is democracy?"

"When you start a Sports Club, you'll share the responsibilities. Then you would enjoy its benefits, but share the income and expenditure, wouldn't you?"

"Yes sir"

"Similarly, the citizens of a country select their representatives through elections. Thus, they take part in the direct governance of a country. This is termed Democracy. In a democratic form of government, a considerable amount of power lies with the people of that nation. People can participate in the politics of the country and decision-making processes. There are different types of democracy."

Do You Know?

Democracy is ' Government of the people and by the people and for the people' – Abraham Lincoln.

"Types of democracy!"

"Yes, there are various types of democracy in practice around the world. Among those, direct democracy and representative democracy are the most popular forms of government."

Do You Know?

The birthplace of democracy is Greece. Democracy is a term derived from two the Greek words "Demos" and cratia". 'Demos' means the people and 'Cratia' means the power or rule.

"What is Direct Democracy?" asked Sirajudeen.

"In a Direct Democracy, people have the power to frame laws. If we consider your Sports Club as an example, you all can discussand amend laws and rules. The perspective of each member is considered and each one expresses his view. But how will you take a final decision?"

Do You Know?

In a Direct Democracy, only the citizens can make laws. All changes have to be approved by the citizens. The politicians only rule over parliamentary procedure. Switzerland has had a long history of a successful direct democracy

Higher Order Thinking:

Is it possible to practise Direct Democracy in India?

"The choice of the majority will be accepted. The others will also give their consent," said Selva.

"Yes, this system is actually known as Direct Democracy," said Rajasekaran.

What do you mean by representative democracy?

"Imagine that your Sports Club has more members now. Is it possible for hundreds of them to gather and discuss various decisions?"

"No sir"

"In that case, all the members should be represented by a group of representatives, shouldn't they?"

"Yes," agreed the students in union.

Democracy is divided in to two 1. Direct Democracy, example Switzerland2. Representative Democracy, example India, United States of America, England In the first 1, The People gives Votes it leads to Laws and rules it leads to Direct Democracy. In the second .The People gives Votes it leads to Elected Representatives it leads to Laws and rules it leads to Representative Democracy

"Those group members will administrate the sports club on behalf of all the other members. To select these representatives, elections are held. For example, many contest for the post of the Head, Secretary, Treasurer and members of the administration group. In the end, those who gain the maximum number of votes will be given the posts. On behalf of the other members, they obtain the power to take decisions in a democratic manner. This is termed as Representative Democracy."

Representative Democracy Parliamentary Democracy India England Presidential DemocracyUnited States of America Canada

"What is meant by democratic decision making?" questioned Judith.

"In the system of democracy, the power to take decisions does not lie with the Head. On the contrary, a group holds the power, but adheres to the rules and regulations. All the members of the group hold open discussions and take final decisions only when everyoneis convinced. This is called democratic way of decision making."

"Are there rules and regulations to govern our country like the rules and regulations of this group?"

"Yes. In a highly populated country like India, if people want to live peacefully, they have to follow certain rules and regulations, rights and duties properly. Hence, the constitution of India guides us in all these aspects and plays an important role in maintaining law and order."

Do You Know?

In 2007, the Uninted Nations Orgaization General Assembly resolved to observe 15th September as the International Day of Democracy.

"What are the rights given in our Constitution?"

"Our Constitution ensures freedom, equality and justice to everyone."

"What other features are found in our constitution?"

"It defines the political principles, the structure of the government institutions and methods to follow these rules and regulations, the powers and responsibilities. And also, it fixes the Rights and Duties and the Directive Principles of the citizens. Thus our constitution provides a structure to us."

"Is the constitution of India such a detailed one?" asked Tamizhselvi in amazement.

"Indian Constitution is the longest written constitution in the world. It is drafted by the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly headed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. That is why we call him the 'Chief Architect of our Constitution' Rajasekaran concluded.

The students clapped with joy and thanked him for the simple explanation of democracy.

Aims of Democracy

Democracy is defined as "Government of the people,and by the peopleand for the people." In a democracy, the power is vested in the hands of the people. For that, the people should have the right to take decisions. Everyone cannot participate in decision making. So, the representative government elected by the people to form a democratic system, all those who attain the age of 18 are given the voting rights to elect the representatives. At the same time, the representatives have the responsibility to protect the welfare of the people.

World Democracy

New Zealand is the first country to allow women to vote (1893). Voting rights to women were given in 1918 and 1920 in the United Kingdom and United States of America respectively. At the same time, the wealthy alone were given the voting rights in India. Many leaders like Mahatma Gandhi kept insisting on giving voting rights to all. Now in India, all the people above 18 years of age enjoy Universal Adult Franchise.

Do You Know?

The world statistical data on democracy declares that 79 percent of the Indian citizens have faith in the democratic system. Hence, India ranks first among the democratic countries of the world.

Oldest Democracies in the World

Serial Number	Democracy	Period	Location	Significance
1	Greek Democracy	5th century BC (BCE)	Greece	Foundation of political philosophy
2	Roman Empires Democracy	300 BC to 50BC (BCE)	Italian Peninsula, Rome	Loads of expansions of the growth of civilization
3	San Merinos Democracy	Anno Domini (Common Era) 301	Italy	Earliest written constitution still in effect
4	The Iceland Democracy	Anno Domini (Common Era) 930	Thingvellir	The oldest and longest functioning parliament in the world.
5	The Isle of Man's Democracy	Anno Domini (Common Era) 927	Between Great Britain and Ireland	Self Governing possessions of the crown
6	British Democracy	13th Century Anno Domini (Common Era)	England	Magna Carta of 1215
7	US Democracy	Anno Domini (Common Era) 1789	United States of America	The oldest standing democracy

Glossary

Democracy a government formed by the people Election a process by which a representative is chosen Decision to make up one's mind Government a group of people with a authority to govern a country.

Recap

"Government of the people, by the people for the people" is defined as democracy. Direct democracy and Representative democracy are the types of democracy. Our constitution ensures freedom, equality and justice to everyone. Indian constitution is the longest written constitution in the world. In India, all the people above 18 years of age enjoy Universal Adult Franchise.

Exercise

Exercise 1. Choose the correct ANSWER:

1. Early man settled near ___ and practiced agriculture.

a) plains b) bank of rivers c) mountains d) hills

ANSWER: b). bank of rivers.

2. The birthplace of democracy is ___

a) China b) America c) Greece d) Rome

ANSWER: c) Greece

3. ___ is celebrated as the International Democracy Day.

a) September 15 b) October 15 c) November 15 d) December 15

ANSWER: a) September 15

4. Who has the right to work in a direct Democracy?

a) Men b) Women c) Representatives d) All eligible voters

ANSWER: d) All eligible voters

Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks

1. Direct Democracy is practised in

ANSWER: Switzerland

2. The definition of democracy is defined by

ANSWER: Abraham Lincoln

3. People choose their representatives by giving their

ANSWER: votes

4. In our country democracy is in practice.

ANSWER: parliamentary

Exercise 3. Answer the following

1. What is Democracy?

2. What are the types of democracy?

3. Define: Direct Democracy.

4. Define: Representative Democracy.

5. What are the salient features of our constitution that you have understood?

Exercise 4. Higher Order Thinking

1. Compare and contrast direct democracy and representative democracy.

Exercise 5. Activities

1. Find out your area's representative's names and write down

a) Member of Parliament

b) Member of Legislative Assembly

c) Local body member

2. Discuss about the merits and demerits of democracy.

ICT CORNER

Democracy

Through this activity you will know about structure of government of India and political systems

Steps:

Step 1 Use the URL or scan the QR code to open the activity page.

Step 2 Click the "political system" to know government of India.

Step 3 Click the "english" button the map will appear.

Step 4 choose and click tamilnadu to know about the state government

Browse in the link Web: http://www.elections.in/ (or scan the Quick Response Code)

Book-back Exercises — Questions & Answers

Answers generated strictly from the Samacheer Kalvi textbook content. Attempt each question first, then click "Show Answer" to check.

1. Choose the correct ANSWER

1. Early man settled near _____ and practiced agriculture.

a) plains b) bank of rivers c) mountains d) hills

Answer: b) bank of rivers

Explanation: According to the chapter, when man started living in groups, they settled near rivers and practised agriculture.

2. The birthplace of democracy is _____

a) China b) America c) Greece d) Rome

Answer: c) Greece

Explanation: The chapter clearly states that the birthplace of democracy is Greece.

3. _____ is celebrated as the International Democracy Day.

a) September 15 b) October 15 c) November 15 d) December 15

Answer: a) September 15

Explanation: The chapter mentions that in 2007, the United Nations Organization General Assembly resolved to observe 15th September as the International Day of Democracy.

4. Who has the right to work in a direct Democracy?

a) Men b) Women c) Representatives d) All eligible voters

Answer: d) All eligible voters

Explanation: In a Direct Democracy, only the citizens can make laws and all changes have to be approved by the citizens.

2. Fill in the blanks

1. Direct Democracy is practised in _____

Answer: Switzerland

2. The definition of democracy is defined by _____.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

3. People choose their representatives by giving their _____.

Answer: votes

4. In our country _____ democracy is in practice.

Answer: parliamentary

3. Answer the following

1. What is Democracy?

Answer: Democracy is a system where citizens of a country select their representatives through elections and take part in the direct governance of a country. In a democratic form of government, considerable amount of power lies with the people of that nation. Democracy is defined as "Government of the people, by the people and for the people" by Abraham Lincoln.

2. What are the types of democracy?

Answer: There are two main types of democracy: Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy. Among these, direct democracy and representative democracy are the most popular forms of government practiced around the world.

3. Define: Direct Democracy.

Answer: In a Direct Democracy, people have the power to frame laws. Only the citizens can make laws and all changes have to be approved by the citizens. The politicians only rule over parliamentary procedure. Switzerland has had a long history of successful direct democracy.

4. Define: Representative Democracy.

Answer: In Representative Democracy, when there are many members, all members are represented by a group of representatives. Elections are held to select these representatives who administrate on behalf of all other members. Those who gain maximum votes obtain the power to take decisions in a democratic manner.

5. What are the salient features of our constitution that you have understood?

Answer: Our Constitution ensures freedom, equality and justice to everyone. It defines the political principles, structure of government institutions and methods to follow rules and regulations. It fixes the Rights and Duties and Directive Principles of citizens. Indian Constitution is the longest written constitution in the world, drafted by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar who is called the 'Chief Architect of our Constitution'.

4. Higher Order Thinking

1. Compare and contrast direct democracy and representative democracy.

Answer: In Direct Democracy, people have direct power to frame laws and only citizens can make laws with all changes approved by citizens, as practiced in Switzerland. In Representative Democracy, people elect representatives through voting who then make decisions on behalf of all members, as practiced in India, USA, and England. Direct democracy works for smaller groups while representative democracy is suitable for highly populated countries like India where hundreds cannot gather to discuss various decisions.

📝 Summary

1. Democracy evolved from early tribal societies where groups fought for resources and formed kingdoms, eventually leading to monarchies that ruled until countries gained independence and adopted democratic systems.
2. Democracy is defined as "Government of the people and by the people and for the people" where citizens select their representatives through elections and participate in the governance of their country.
3. The term democracy originates from Greece, derived from two Greek words "Demos" (meaning people) and "Cratia" (meaning power or rule), making Greece the birthplace of democracy.
4. There are different types of democracy practiced around the world, with direct democracy and representative democracy being the most popular forms of government.
5. In Direct Democracy, people have the power to frame laws and all citizens can make laws, with all changes requiring approval by the citizens while politicians only rule over parliamentary procedure.