Chapter 3: What is Government?

10 Questions

What is universal adult franchise?

All adults in the country are allowed to vote

What was required to vote in the earliest forms of government?

Ownership of property and education

What did Gandhiji advocate for in the journal Young India in 1931?

All adults should have the right to vote

Why were several people shocked before the universal adult franchise was implemented?

Because only a small minority was allowed to vote

What practice did Gandhiji and others find unfair regarding voting before independence?

Only a small minority was allowed to vote

In Gandhiji's view, who should NOT be excluded from voting?

A man of character but no wealth

Which group was specifically mentioned as historically excluded from voting?

Women

What was Gandhiji's view on the relationship between wealth and voting rights?

Wealth should not determine voting rights

Who governed the country in the earliest forms of government?

Educated men who owned property

What method is used in rural areas to ensure a person casts only one vote?

A mark is put on the finger

Study Notes

What is Government?

A government is an essential part of every country, making decisions and getting things done for the benefit of its citizens.
Governments perform a wide range of activities, such as:
- Protecting rights of unorganized workers
- Tackling floods
- Controlling prices of essential commodities like onions
- Fixing the number of judges in the Supreme Court
- Revamping coal and power sectors
- Declaring villages as scarcity-hit areas

Roles and Responsibilities

Governments make decisions about:
- Building roads and schools
- Reducing prices of essential commodities
- Increasing supply of electricity
- Helping the poor through various programs
- Running postal and railway services
- Protecting the country's boundaries and maintaining peaceful relations with other countries
- Ensuring citizens have enough to eat and good health facilities
- Organizing aid and assistance during natural disasters

Levels of Government

Governments work at different levels:
- Local level (in your locality, village, or town)
- State level (entire state)
- National level (entire country)

Institutions that are Part of the Government

Examples include:
- The Supreme Court
- Indian Railways
- Bharat Petroleum

Laws and the Government

Governments make laws that everyone in the country must follow.
The government has the power to enforce its decisions.
Examples of laws include:
- Requiring a license to drive a motor vehicle
- Citizens can take action if they feel a law is not being followed.

Types of Government

Democracies: power to make decisions and enforce laws comes from the people, who elect representatives through elections.
Monarchies: power to make decisions and run the government rests with the monarch (king or queen).

Democracy

A system where people are involved in the process of government.
Recognized for the right of people to have a say in how they are governed.
Democratic governments:
- Result of a long achievement in the world.
- People have struggled for the right to participate in decisions about how they live, work, and interact with each other.
- Closely related to the rule of law.
- Power of the government is limited, and representatives are selected by people through an election process.
- Examples of democratic milestones include:
  - Women's right to vote:
    - New Zealand (1893)
    - UK (1918)
    - US (1920)
  - Universal adult franchise: all adults in the country are allowed to vote.
  - Gandhiji's advocacy for universal adult franchise in India before Independence.