Meaning of democracy and the conditions it needs
Democracy means rule of the people. A full democracy needs both political conditions and social and economic conditions, not just elections.
What democracy means
The word democracy comes from the Greek word demokratia. It joins demos (people) and kratos (power), so it means rule of the people. The idea grew from the Greek city-states, especially Athens. Abraham Lincoln, a former President of the USA, called it government of the people, for the people and by the people. Today democracy means a form of government in which supreme power rests with the people. They use it directly, or through representatives chosen in regular, free elections. The writer James Bryce saw it as the whole people ruling through their votes. R. M. MacIver saw it as a way of deciding who shall govern, and for what ends.
Democracy is more than a form of government
- A form of government: power rests with the people and their elected representatives.
- A type of state: the Constitution and laws place supreme power in the people.
- A pattern of social system: equal social status and fair treatment for every group.
- A design of economic order: the gains of development reach everyone, especially the poor.
- A way of life and culture: each citizen practises equality, liberty, fraternity, secularism and justice at home and outside.
Conditions a democracy needs
| Political conditions (political democracy) | Social and economic conditions (social democracy) |
|---|---|
| A Constitution and laws that place supreme power in the people and protect fundamental rights such as equality and freedom of expression | Social development that gives equal social status and equal chances to grow |
| Universal adult franchise: every adult citizen can vote | Social security and social welfare for those in need |
| Regular elections, and other chances for every citizen to take part in politics | Universal and compulsory education for all citizens |
| Responsible government: the executive answers to the legislature, the legislature to the people, and the judiciary stays independent | Citizens able to use the means of economic development |
| Active political parties, pressure groups and NGOs, and a free press for informed public opinion | The fruits of development reach all, especially the poor and deprived |
Activity: is there democracy in this family? (SLM case study)
- 1Read the case: a grandfather fixes the marriage of his 13-year-old granddaughter. He asks neither the girl nor her parents. Her parents and elder brother disagree, but nobody speaks up.
- 2Ask whether the decision is right. A child marriage is against the law and harms the girl's health, schooling and future.
- 3Ask how the decision was made. One person decided alone, by old custom, without asking the person most affected. This is an undemocratic social condition.
- 4Ask how the others behaved. They disagreed but stayed silent. Not voicing a view is undemocratic individual behaviour, because silence lets a wrong decision stand.
- 5Record your conclusion: democracy must live in the family, in society and in each person's behaviour, not only in government.
Activity: list democratic conditions present and absent in India
- 1Draw a table with three columns: Condition, Category (political or socio-economic) and Present or absent.
- 2Fill one row as a model, for example: universal adult franchise, political, present.
- 3Add at least two more political conditions, such as free elections or an independent judiciary, and judge each one.
- 4Add at least two socio-economic conditions, such as education for all or equal pay for equal work, and judge each one.
- 5Mark the conditions that are only partly met. These gaps are the challenges you study in this lesson.
Indians vote every few years for their panchayat or ward, their state assembly and the Lok Sabha. Power changes hands peacefully through the ballot. Democracy also shows at home, when a family asks a daughter before deciding about her studies or marriage.
2 marks: “What is democracy? Why is it more than a form of government?” Democracy is a form of government in which supreme power rests with the people, used directly or through elected representatives. It is also a social system, an economic order and a way of life, so equality and justice must show in society and in each citizen's behaviour.
3 marks: “Write any three political conditions essential for democracy.” (1) A Constitution that places supreme power in the people and guards their fundamental rights. (2) Universal adult franchise with regular, free elections. (3) Responsible government: the executive answers to the legislature and the legislature to the people, with an independent judiciary. (Also: free press, active parties and pressure groups.)
1 marks: “The word democracy comes from which language?” Greek (demokratia: demos, people, and kratos, power).
Democracy walks on two legs: a political leg (vote, rights, responsible government) and a social and economic leg (equal status, education, a fair share of development).