Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 5 Popular Struggles and Movements Notes
Haryana Board 10th Class Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 5 Popular Struggles and Movements
- In this chapter, we will discuss how struggles around conflicting demands and pressures shape democracy.
Popular Struggles And Movements Class 10 Notes HBSE
→ Popular Struggles in Nepal and Bolivia
- Through the examples o! Nepal and Bolivia, we will discuss the role played by the people in the making of democracy or how power is exercised in democracy.
→ (a) Movement for Democracy in Nepal
- Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia.
- In April 2006, Nepal witnessed an extraordinarily popular movement. Its aim was to restore democracy.
- Nepal was one of the ‘third wave countries.
- In Nepal, democracy was established in 1990. The king formally remained the head of the state while real power was exercised by popularly elected representatives.
- King Birendra was killed in a mysterious massacre of the royal family in the year 2001.
- New king, Gyanendra was not prepared to accept democracy.
- In February 2005, be dismissed the Prime Minister and dissolved the elected Parliament.
- Seven popular parties in the Parliament formed a ‘Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and soon a four-day strike started.
- This strike soon turned into an indefinite strike.
- The number of protesters reached between three and five lakhs.
- The security forces found themselves unable to control such a huge crowd.
- The protesters put three demands:
(i) Restoration of the Parliament
(ii) Power to an all party government
(iii) A new constituent assembly. - On 24th April, 2006, on the last day of ultimatum, the king was forced to accept these three demands.
- The Seven Party Alliance (SPA) chose Cirija Prasad Koirala as the new Prime Minister of the interim government.
- The restored parliament met mul passed laws taking away most of the powers of the king.
- The SPA and the Maoists came to an understanding about how the new Constituent Assembly was to be formed.
- Monarchy was abolished in Nepal and it became a federal democratic Republic.
- In 2015, Nepal adopted a new constitution.
- The struggle in Nepal became a source of inspiration to democrats all over the world.
HBSE 10th Class Civics Chapter 5 Popular Struggles and Movements
→ (b) Bolivia’s Water War
- In Bolivia, people started a struggle against privatisation of water.
- Bolivia is a poor country in Latin America. The World Bank pressurised the government to give up its control of municipal water supply.
- The government sold these rights for the city of Cochahamha to a Multi-National Company (MNC).
- After privatization, the Multi National Company (MNC) increased the water prices by four times.
- The people whose monthly income was ? 5000 per month, received a monthly water bill of ? 1000.
- In January 2000, a general strike started in the city of Cochabamba.
- The government agreed for negotiation, but nothing was done. Repressive measures were adopted by the police when another agitation took place in February.
- Another strike followed in April and government imposed the ‘Martial Law’.
- But the power of people forced the government to accept, the demands of protesters and the contract with the MNC was cancelled.
- As a result, water supply was restored to the municipality at old rates. This is known as ‘Bolivia’s Water War’.
→ (c) Democracy and Popular Struggles
- The movement in Nepal was to establish democracy, while the struggle in Bolivia was about one specific policy.
- We can draw a few conclusions from these examples:
(i) Democracy evolves through popular struggles.
(ii) Democratic conflict is resolved through mass mobilization.
(iii) These conflicts and mobilization are based on new political organizations. Mobilisation and Organisations - The organizations that made the struggles of the Nepalese people successful were: The seven Party Alliance (SPA), Nepalese Communist Party (Maoist), Major Labour Unions, Organisations of Teachers and Lawyers, and Human Rights Groups.
- In Bolivia, the protest against water privatization was led by an organization called ‘FEDECOR’. This organization comprised of local professionals, engineers, environmentalists, farmers, factory workers’ unions, middle-class students, and homeless street children.
- The movement was supported by the ‘Socialist Party.
- In 2006, this party came to power in Bolivia.
- Thus, we can see that in a democracy, several different kinds of organizations work behind any big struggle.
- The organizations play their role in two ways: through direct participation or through indirect ways.
- Direct participation is done by forming parties, contesting elections, and forming governments.
- The people who do not participate directly could do so by forming an organization and undertaking activities to promote their interests. These are called ‘interest groups’ or ‘pressure groups.
→ Pressure Groups and Movements
- Pressure groups are formed with people of common interests, occupations, opinions, etc. They attempt to influence government policies.
- Just like an interest group, a movement also attempts to influence politics. But unlike interest groups, movements have a loose organization.
→ (a) Sectional Interest Groups and Public Interest Groups
- Usually, interest groups seek to promote the interests of a particular section of society. These are ‘Sectional Interest Groups.
- The second type of group, i.e. Public Interest Groups, promote collective rather than selective interests. For example, BAMCEF (Backward And Minority Communities Employees Federation).
→ (b) Movement Groups
- Most of the movements are issue-specific movements, that seek to achieve a single objective within a limited time frame.
- For Examples, the Nepalese Movement and India’s Narmada Bachao Andolan.
- There are general movements that seek to achieve a broad goal in the very long term. For example, the ‘National Alliance For Peoples’ Movements’ (NAPM), is an organization of organizations that coordinates activities of numerous movements.
- Pressure Groups and Movements influence politics in the following ways:
(i) They try to gain public support and sympathy for their goals.
(ii) They often organize and protest activities such as strikes, etc. to force the government to take note of their demands.
(iii) Business groups often employ professional lobbyists or sponsor expensive advertisements.
(iv) Sometimes, the pressure groups are either formed or led by the leaders of political parties. For example, most of the trade unions and students organizations in India.
(v) Sometimes, political parties grow out of movements. For example, ‘Asom Gana Parishad’ in Assam, and DMK, and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. ‘ - → (c) Is their influence healthy?
- It is not healthy for groups that promote the interest of one section to have influence in democracy. A democracy must look after the interests of all.
- Unlike political parties, these pressure groups are not accountable to the people.
- The Green Belt Movement has planted thirty million trees across Kenya, in the leadership of Wangari Maathai.
→ Important Terms
1. Movement: The struggle in order to achieve certain aims like democracy, is called a movement.
2. Third Wave Countries: Countries that changed into democratic government form, either from monarchy, dictatorship, or freedom from colonial rule.
3. Absolute Monarchy: A form of government in which the head of the state (King, Queen or Emperor) has absolute power.
4. Constitutional Monarchy: In this type of government, the king or queen remains the head of the state which is accepted by the constitution
and works side by side with the elected Parliament, e.g. Spain. The United Kingdom, etc.
5. SPA: SPA is a ‘Seven Party Alliance’ formed by all the major political parties of Nepal to struggle for the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of democracy. It has already been successful in its aim.
6. Maoists: The communists, who believe in the ideology of Mao, the leader of the Chinese Revolution. They seek to overthrow the government through an armed revolution, so as to establish the rule of the peasants and workers.
7. Interim Government: The government that lasts only a short time until some permanent government doesn’t come to power.
8. Constituent Assembly: An Assembly, that has the power to make or alter a political constitution, and acknowledges an elected representative as the head of the state.
9. Multi-National Company (MNC): A firm, conducting business in more than one country through branches or subsidiary companies.
10. Martial Law: Law imposed by a Military government that suspends ordinary law.
11. Political Party: An organized group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government.
12. Pressure Groups: An organized or unorganized body of people who seek to promote their interests.
13. Activist: A person mobilizing people for political action.
14. Human Rights: Any basic right to which all human beings are entitled, and in whose exercise, a government may not interfere.
15. FEDECOR: The organization of Bolivia which protested against water privatization.
16. Right to Information: In October 2005, the government of India enacted a law popularly known as the RTI (Right to Information) Act, which ensures its citizens all the information about the functioning of government departments.
17. Interest Groups: Organisations seeking to advance a particular interest or cause while not seeking to form a government or a part of government.
18. Sectional Interest Groups: The interest groups, which seek to promote the interest of a particular section or group of society.
19. Public Interest Groups: A group of people that promotes the interests of the general people of society.
20. Bonded Labour: The people who serve their masters like slaves without any payment for their service.
21. BAMCEF: Backward And Minority Communities Employees Federation. It is an organization, largely made up of government employees that campaigns against caste discrimination.
22. Issue Specific Movement: A movement that seeks to achieve a single objective within a limited time period.
23. General or Generic Movements: The movements that seek to achieve a broad goal in the very long term.
24. NAPM: National Alliance for Peoples’ Movements. This organization coordinates the activities of a large number of people’s movements in India.
25. DMK: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. It is a political party in Tamil Nadu.
26. AIADMK: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. It is also a political party in Tamil Nadu.
27. Green Belt Movement: It is a tree plantation movement, which was organized in Kenya, in the leadership of Wangari Maathai.