How is democracy different from monarchy?
Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. In this type of government people are supreme because it is they who give the government power. The government has to explain its actions and defend its decisions to the people.
In a monarchy, it is the King or queen who has the power to make decisions and run the government. The monarch may have a small group of people to discuss matters with, but the final decision-making power remains with the monarch. Unlike in a democracy, kings and queens do not have to explain their actions or defend the decisions they take.
What do you understand by the word government'? List five ways in which you think the government effects your daily life.
What was the voting system in India before Independence? What ideas did Gandhiji express in the journal Young India about voting system?
Gandhiji strongly believed that every adult in India should be given the right to vote. However, a few people don't share his views. They feel that illiterate people, who are mainly poor, should not be given the right to vote. What do you think? Do you think this would be a form of discrimination? Give five points to support your view and share these with the class.
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words to complete each sentence.
(i) The government works at different levels at the local level, at the level of the state and at the ………… level.
(ii) In a………. the government has to explain its actions and defend its decisions
to the people.
(iii) Women in the UK got the right to vote in the year…………………..
(iv) In India, before Independence, only a small minority was allowed to ………………………
(v)……… are also part of the government.