CLASS: X DEMOCRATIC POLITICS
CHAPTER: 3- DEMOCRACY & DIVERSITY
SUMMARY:
This chapter makes the students to understand the greatest benefit of democratic form of government i.e., accommodation of social diversity. The case studies on Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland convince that failure to accommodate social differences will lead to social divisions and conflicts. But these case studies on Belgium and Netherlands inform us that democracy can be a peaceful society when it accommodates social differences. Belgium and Netherlands can be the best examples for society which stood for crosscutting social differences and thus avoided conflict. We have referred Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland for overlapping differences that finally led to social divisions. It’s very important to note that all differences, ie cross cutting or overlapping, are mainly due to the three factors. These factors are:
1. How do people perceive their identities?
2. How do political leaders raise their demands of any community?
3. How does the government react to the demands of different groups?
The relevance of Case study on Mexico Olympics of 1968 is that helps to understand how sometimes social differences do bring people together in their effort to fight against injustice. The case reminds us cross cutting social differences as White Australian athlete Peter Norman stood with black Smith and Carlos in their fight against racial discrimination.( How people perceive their identities?)
Q.No 1: What are the origins of social differences?
Ans:
1. The social differences are mostly based on accident of birth. Normally we don’t choose to belong to our community. We belong to it simply because we were born into it. We all experience social differences based on accident of birth in our everyday lives. People around us are male or female, they are tall
and short, have different kinds of complexions, or have different physical abilities or disabilities.
2. But all kinds of social differences are not based on accident of birth. Some of the differences are based on our choices. For example, some people are atheists. They don’t believe in God or any religion. Some people choose to follow a religion other than the one in which they were born.
Q.No 2: When does a social difference become a social division?
Or
“Every social difference does not lead to social division”. Explain with suitable example.
Ans:
1. Social division takes place when some social difference overlaps with other differences. Situations of racial discrimination and economic inequality produce social divisions. When one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other, people start feeling that they belong to different communities.
a) Example: The differences between Blacks and Whites in USA led to social division because the blacks tend to be poor, homeless and discriminated.
b).Example: In Northern Ireland class and religion overlap between Catholics (poor and suffered discrimination) and Protestants( rich) led to deep social divisions and tensions between.
If social differences cross cut one another, it is difficult to pit one group of people against the other. Cross-cutting social differences are easier to accommodate.
a)Example: In Netherlands Catholics and Protestants are equally likely to be poor or rich and so no they did not have conflicts and tensions.
Q.No 3: How does social division affect politics? Give examples.
Ans: The combination of politics and social divisions is very dangerous and explosive. Democracy involves competition among various political parties. Their competition tends to divide any society.
If they start competing in terms of some existing social divisions, it can make social divisions into political divisions and lead to conflict, violence or even disintegration of a country. This has happened in many countries.
a)Example: Unionist which represented Protestants and Nationalist which represented Catholics in Ireland involved in conflict till 1998 peace accord between them .Unionist wanted to remain with UK whereas Nationalists demanded Northern Ireland to be unified with the Republic of Ireland.
b) Yugoslavia was divided into six independent states due to the political competition along religious ending ethnic lines.
Q.No 4: Discuss three factors that determine the outcomes of politics of social differences.
Ans:
First of all the outcome depends on how people perceive their identities: If people see their identities in singular and exclusive terms, it becomes very difficult to accommodate. It is much easier if the people see that their identities are multiple and are complementary with the national identity. A majority of Belgians now feel that they are as much Belgian as they are Dutch or German-speaking.
Second, it depends on how political leaders raise the demands of any community: It is easier to accommodate demands that are within the constitutional framework and are not at the cost of another community. In Yugoslavia, the leaders of different ethnic communities presented their demands in such a way that these could not be accommodated within a single country.
Third, it depends on the how the government reacts to demands of different groups: Examples of Belgium and Sri Lanka, if the rulers are willing to share power and accommodate the reasonable demands of minority community, social divisions become less threatening for the country. But if they try to suppress such a demand in the name of national unity, the end result is often quite the opposite. Such attempts at forced integration often sow the seeds of disintegration.
Q.No 5: Define the term ‘Homogeneous Society’.
Ans: A society that has similar kinds of people especially where there are no significant ethnic differences.
Q.No 6: “The assertion of social diversities in a country need not be seen as a source of danger”
Ans:
1. In a democracy political expression of social divisions is very normal and can be healthy.
2. In a democracy it is natural that political parties would talk about these divisions , make different promises to different communities ,look after due representation of various communities and make policies to redress the grievances of the disadvantaged communities.
3. Social differences affect voting in most countries .People from one community tend to prefer some party than others.
4. Political expression allows various disadvantaged and marginal social groups to express their grievances and get the government to attend to these.
5. Sometimes people who feel marginalized have to fight against injustice. Such fight often takes the democratic path, voicing their demands in a peaceful manner. The struggle against social inequality and injustice sometimes takes the path of violence and defiance of state power.
Q.No 7: What was Civil Rights Movement in USA?
Q.No 8: How do we have different identities in different contexts? Explain with suitable examples.
Ans:
♦It is common for people belonging to the same religion to feel that they do not belong to the same community, because their caste or sect is very different.
♦It is also possible for people from different religions to have the same caste and feel close to each other.
♦Rich and poor persons from the same family often do not keep close relations with each other for they feel they are very different. Thus, we all have more than one identity and can belong to more than one social group. We have different identities in different contexts.
Q.No 9: “Politics and social divisions must not be allowed to mix”. Support your answer with three arguments.
Q.No 10: Social Divisions do affect politics. Give example of two such countries where social divisions led to disintegration of a nation.
Q.No 11: What did the African-American athletes in Mexico Olympic do in order to draw international attention to racial discrimination in the United State?
Q.No 12: Despite being a nation with numerous social divisions, Netherlands has not faced a crisis or a conflict. Analyse the reason.
Q.No 13: Why is it so that religious differences created social division in Northern Ireland and failed to do the same in Netherlands? Explain.
Q.No 14: Explain overlapping and cross cutting social differences with three examples.
Q.No 15: “Social differences divide similar people from one another, but they also unite very.
Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 10 Democratic Politics Democracy And Diversity Worksheet Set A
