NCERT Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 1 Chapter 09 From the Rulers to the Ruled Types of Governments PDF Download

Chapter 9: From the Rulers to the Ruled: Types of Governments

A ruler's duties in the internal administration of the country are three-fold: raksha (protection of the state from external aggression), palana (maintenance of law and order within the state), and yogakshema (safeguarding the welfare of the people).

Kautilya in Arthashastra
(translation by L.N. Rangarajan)

[Figure 9.1: Inside the Indian Parliament, See in your textbook]

The Big Questions

1. What are the different types of government?
2. Where do governments get their power from?
3. How does a country's government interact with the people?
4. Why does democracy matter?

What is Government? What are its Functions?

In Grade 6, we learned what government is and explored some of its roles.

The government plays an important role in our lives. This role includes:

• maintaining law and order in society;
• ensuring peace, stability, and security for the people;
• managing relationships with other countries;
• taking care of national defence;
• delivering essential goods and services (education, healthcare, infrastructure);
• managing the economy and economic activities;
• working for the welfare and improving people's lives.

Let's Explore

• Do you remember this picture from your Grade 6 textbook?
• The government also has many other roles. Try to list them.

[Figure 9.2: Images showing various government services and functions, See in your textbook]

In Grade 6, we learned that India has a democratic form of government. Like India, many countries have a democratic government; but some countries have other forms of governments. Even all democratic governments are not exactly the same. In this chapter, we will learn about various forms of government, how they differ from each other, and how they function.

Teacher's Note

When you think about government functions, remember that they all connect back to protecting people and making life better for them. The seven functions listed here are not separate - they work together. For example, maintaining law and order helps ensure security, and delivering healthcare is part of improving people's lives.

What is Democracy?

As we studied in Grade 6, 'democracy' is best understood as 'rule of the people.' This means that the source of power and authority in a democracy are the people of the country. Let's understand this with the example of a school.

A school example

A school is full of activities and things that must be done. Many day-to-day tasks need to be managed, and things need to be organised. For example, there are timetables to be made and followed, sports activities to be organised, food to be served during lunch time (also called the mid-day-meal), utensils to be cleaned, speakers to be decided for the morning assembly, and activities to be arranged for 'No Bag Days'. The list is very long in terms of all that needs to be done in the school.

With so many things to be done, the Head Teacher realised that a Student Committee should be appointed so that students can be part of making the relevant rules to get all this done, then help in implementation of the rules, and ensure that the rules are being followed. The question before the Head Teacher was - who will be part of the committee?

The Head Teacher discussed this in the assembly. She proposed that it would be good if some students can take responsibility for these tasks. A student committee should be formed. Hearing this, the students got excited and started arguing.

Naghma: Students in Grade 12 are the most senior; we will take care of everything.

Shobha: But you will finish school in a few months. The students in Grade 11 should take care of everything.

Gurpreet: If the students of only one grade will take care of everything, then how will they know about the problems that other grades face?

[Figure 9.3: Students discussing in a school assembly, See in your textbook]

Think About It

The school example helps us to understand the concept of representation and how it works. However, the students' committee is different from Parliamentary and Legislative committees, as class representatives in a school are quite different from Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). What are these differences? Discuss with your teacher in the classroom and make a list.

Teacher's Note

In the school example, notice how Gurpreet points out that one grade alone cannot understand all the problems in the school - different grades have different needs. This is exactly why in a democracy, we need representation - people from different areas and backgrounds make decisions together so that everyone's voice is heard. Think about your own class: would one person fairly represent everyone's needs?

Key Points

• Government has many important duties, including maintaining law and order, protecting the country, delivering services like education and healthcare, and working for people's welfare.
• Democracy means 'rule of the people' - the source of power and authority comes from the people of the country.
• In a democracy, people cannot do everything themselves, so they choose representatives to make decisions on their behalf, just like a school's Student Committee represents different grades.

This is a preview of the first 3 pages. To get the complete chapter, click below.