CHAPTER 1 - POWER SHARING (CIVICS SOCIAL SCIENCE CLASS 10)

1. What are the different forms of power sharing in modern democracies? Give an example of each of these. 

The politics of Belgium take place in the framework of a federal, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy. The King of the Belgians is the head of state, and the prime minister of Belgium is the head of government, in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.

Decision-making powers are not centralised, but divided between 3 levels of government: the federal government, 3 language-based communities (Flemish, French and German-speaking) and 3 regions (Flanders, Brussels Capital and Wallonia). Legally they all are equal, but have powers and responsibilities for different fields. Brussels is, together with Luxembourg City and Strasbourg, one of the three official seats of the European institutions.

2. State one prudential reason and one moral reason for power sharing with an example from the Indian context. 

Power sharing helps in reducing the conflict between various social groups. Hence, power sharing is necessary for maintaining social harmony and peace. In India, seats are reserved for the weaker sections of society. Example: reservation of seats for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. This allows the weaker sections also to participate in the running of the Government.

Moral Reason: It upholds the spirit of democracy. In a truly democratic setup, the citizens too have a stake in governance. In India, the citizens can come together to debate and criticise the policies and decisions of the government. This, in turn, puts pressure on the government to rethink its policies and reconsider its decisions.

3. What is the state Religion in Srilanka?

Buddhism

4. Which method was adopted to establish Sinhala supremacy?

Majoritarian measure was adopted by the democratically elected Sinhala government to establish their supremacy.

5. .Power sharing is the true spirit of democracy?

Firstly, power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability, power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order. Imposing the will of majority community over others may look like an attractive option in the short run, but in the long run it undermines the unity of the nation. 

Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system. 

6. What is Federalism?

Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country. Usually, a federation has two levels of government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest. The others are governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day-to-day administering of their state. Both these levels of governments enjoy their power independent of the other.