CBSE Class 9 Political Science Chapter 1: What is Democracy?

What is the key characteristic of a democratic government?

What is the main difference between a democratic and non-democratic government?

Which of the following is an example of a non-democratic government?

What is a key feature of democracy that helps to distinguish it from non-democratic governments?

What is the main advantage of democracy over other forms of government?

What happened in Pakistan in October 1999?

What is a characteristic of a democratic country?

What is a fundamental principle of democracy?

Which of the following elections can be considered as an example of free and fair electoral competition?

What is a necessary condition for democracy to exist?

What is Democracy?

A form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.
The government is chosen by the people, which is a common feature of all democracies.

Difference between Democratic and Non-Democratic Governments

Non-democratic governments: rulers are not elected by the people, e.g. Myanmar, where the army took over and people had no say.
Examples of non-democratic governments: dictatorships (e.g. Pinochet in Chile), monarchies.

Features of Democracy

Major decisions are made by elected leaders, not by military officers or dictators.
Free and fair electoral competition, where those currently in power have a fair chance of losing.

Examples of Non-Democratic Elections

Pakistan: General Pervez Musharraf overthrew the democratically elected government and granted himself a five-year extension.
China: elections are held, but candidates need the approval of the Chinese Communist Party, and the government is always formed by the Communist Party.
Mexico: elections were held, but until 2000, every election was won by the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party).

Principle of Political Equality

Democracy is based on the principle of one person, one vote, one value.
Examples of denial of equal right to vote:
- Until 2015, women in Saudi Arabia did not have the right to vote.
- Estonia's citizenship rules made it difficult for the Russian minority to get the right to vote.
- Fiji's electoral system is biased towards the indigenous population.

Learn about the basics of democracy, its features, and how it differs from non-democratic forms of government based on CBSE Class 9 Political Science textbook, 'Democratic Politics- I'.