Haryana State Board HBSE 10th Class Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 7 Outcomes of Democracy Notes
Haryana Board 10th Class Social Science Notes Civics Chapter 7 Outcomes of Democracy
- In this chapter, we proceed to look at the expected and actual outcomes of democracy in various respects: quality of government, economic well-being, inequality, social
- differences and conflict and finally freedom and dignity.
- Democracy has come to be accepted as the most preferred form of political system all over the world. However, the success of a democratic structure is to be judged by the successes that can be singly attributed to this system. However, there have also been disappointments associated with thîs system.
Class 10 Chapter 7 Political Science Notes HBSE
→ How do We Assess Democracy’s Outcomes ?
- Democracy is a better form of government when compared with dictatorship or any other alternative.
- Democracy has been considered a better form of government than other alternatives because it –
(1) Promotes equality among citizens.
(2) Enhances the dignity of an individual.
(3) Improves the quality of decision-making.
(4) Provides a method to resolve conflicts.
(5) Allows room to correct mistakes. - Democracy is seen to be good in principle but felt to be not so good in its practice.
- Over a hundred countries of the world claim to practise some kind of democratic politics.
→ Accountable, Responsive and Legitimate Government
- The most basic outcome of democracy should be that it produces a government that is accountable to the citizens and responsive to the needs and expectations of the citizens.
- Democracy may be slow, less efficient, not always very responsive or clean. But, a democratic government is people’s own government, i.e. it is a legitimate government.
→ Economic Growth and Development
- The difference in the rates of economic development between less developed countries with dictatorships and democracies is negligible.
→ Reduction of Inequality and Poverty
- Democracies are based on political equality. All individuals have equal weight in electing representatives.
- In actual life, democracies do not appear to be very successful in reducing economic inequalities.
- People in several poor countries are now dependent on the rich countries, even for food supplies.
Class 10th Outcomes Of Democracy Notes HBSE
→ Accommodation of Social Diversity
- Non-democratic regimes often turn a blind eye to, or suppress, internal social differences.
- Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflicts, is thus, a definite plus point of democratic regimes.
→ Dignity and Freedom of the Citizens
- Democracy stands much superior to any other form of government in promoting dignity and freedom of the individual.
- A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of the democratic project: it transforms people from the status of a subject into that of a citizen.
→ Important Terms
1. Outcomes of Democracy: It means results of the working of democracy—its successes or failures.
2. Democracy: Democracy is formed by two Greek words, ‘demos’ and ‘kratia’. Demos means ‘people’ arid Kratia means ‘the government’. Thus, Democracy means ‘rule by the people.’ Former President of USA, Abraham Lincoln, defined democracy as- “Government of the people, by the people and for the people” It means that citizens of the country choose their representatives who would form the government. The government would work for the collective interests of the society.
Outcomes Of Democracy Class 10 Notes HBSE
3. Dignity: A sense of one’s own importance and value.
4. Dictatorship: It is a form of government in which the power is in the hands of one person or party and no opposition to the dictator is tolerated.
5. Monarchy: An autocracy governed by a monarch who usually inherits the authority.
6. Accountable Government: A government that is accountable to the people.
7. Responsive Government: A government in which people have the right to know about the decisions taken by the government, and also have the right and means to examine the process of decision-making.
8. Legitimate Government: It is a government which is chosen legally by its citizens.
Class 10th Civics Chapter 7 Notes HBSE
9. Transparency: It means that a citizen can know about the process of decision¬making and can examine it also.
10. Economic Development: It refers to the growth of the country, in the way of providing better facilities and services to the individual.
11. Poverty: A situation in which a person fails to earn sufficient income to buy the means of minimum subsistence.
12. Caste Discrimination: Superiority or inferiority complex among citizens on the basis of their ethnicity or caste.
13. Right to Information Act: It is an act that empowers the people to find out what is happening in the government and to act as watchdogs of democracy.