Democracy in the Contemporary World Class 9 Political Science Chapter 1 Notes.
Democracy
Introduction
In the modern day world Democracy is the most popular form of Government. It has been adopted by most of the countries and even in authoritarian or dictatorial states, democratic norms are being observed in one form or the other. In democracy, people elect their representatives for a period who run the administration of the country during that period. If those representatives do not work for the welfare of the people and try to become authoritarian they can be thrown out at the time of the next election and new representatives are elected in their place. In democracy, people enjoy rights and freedom to express their views and put pressure on the government to work according to their wishes.
Two Tales of Democracy
(i) Salvador Allende (pronounced Ayen-they) was the President of Chile, a country in South America.
(ii) Allende was the founder leader of the Socialist Party of Chile and led the Popular Unity coalition to victory in the presidential election in 1970. After being elected the President, Allende had taken several policy decisions to help the poor and the workers. These included reform of the educational system, free milk for children and redistribution of land to the landless farmers. He was opposed to foreign companies taking away natural resources like copper from the country. The landlords, the rich and the Church opposed his policies. Some other political parties in Chile also opposed his government.
Location of Chile (South America)
Military Coup of 1973
(i) On the morning of 11 September 1973, the military took over the seaport. The Defence Minister was arrested by the military when he arrived at his office. The military commanders asked the President to resign. Allende refused to resign or leave the country. But realising the danger to the country and to his life, he addressed the people on the radio. Then the military surrounded the President’s house and started bombing it. President Allende died in the military attack.
(ii) General Augusto Pinochet (pronounced Pinoshe), an Army general, led the coup. The government of the United States of America was unhappy with Allende’s rule and is known to have supported and funded activities that led to the coup.
(iii) Pinochet’s government tortured and killed several of those who supported Allende and those who wanted democracy to be restored.
Restoration of Democracy
(i) Pinochet’s military dictatorship came to an end after he decided to hold a referendum in 1988. He felt confident that in this referendum, the people would say ‘yes’ to his continuing in power. But the people of Chile had not forgotten their democratic traditions. Their vote was a decisive ‘no’ to Pinochet. This led to Pinochet losing first his political and then his military powers.
(ii) Since then Chile has held four presidential elections in which different political parties have participated. Slowly, the army’s role in the country’s government has been eliminated.
Democracy in Poland
(i) In 1980, Poland was ruled by the Polish United Workers’ Party. This was one of the many communist parties that ruled in several countries of East Europe at that time. In these countries no other political party was allowed to function. The people could not freely choose the leaders of the communist party or the government. Those who spoke against the leaders or the party or the government were put in prison. The government in Poland was supported and controlled by the government of the Soviet Union (USSR), a vast and powerful communist state.
(ii) On 14 August 1980, the workers of Lenin Shipyard in the city of Gdansk went on a strike. The shipyard was owned by the government. In fact all the factories and big property in Poland were owned by the government. The strike began with a demand to take back a crane operator, a woman worker, who was unjustly dismissed from service. This strike was illegal, because trade unions independent of the ruling party were not allowed in Poland. As the strike continued, a former electrician of the shipyard. Lech Walesa (pronounced Lek Walesha), joined the strikers. He was dismissed from service in 1976 for demanding higher pay. Walesa soon emerged as the leader of the striking workers. The strike began to spread across the whole city. Now the workers started raising larger demands. They wanted the right to form independent trade unions. They also demanded the release of political prisoners and an end to censorship on press.
(iii) The movement became so popular that the government had to give in. The workers led by Walesa signed a 21-point agreement with the government that ended their strike. The government agreed to recognise the workers’ right to form independent trade unions and their right to strike. After the Gdansk agreement, a new trade union called Solidarity (Solidarnosc in Polish) was formed.
(iv) Another wave of strikes, again organised by Solidarity, began in 1988. This time the Polish government was weaker, the support from Soviet Union uncertain and the economy was in decline. Another round of negotiations with Walesa resulted in an agreement in April 1989 for free elections. Solidarity contested all the 100 seats of the Senate and won 99 of them. In October 1990, Poland had its first presidential election in which more than one party could contest. Walesa was elected President of Poland.
Two features of Democracy
From these two stories let us draw a rough way to identify a democracy. Democracy is a form of government that allows people to choose their rulers. In a democracy:
• only leaders elected by people should rule the country, and
• people have the fredom to express their views, freedom to organise and freedom to protest.
Development and expansion of democracy
Democracy, as a form of government, is as old as Monarchy. Eminent Political Scientists of Greece–Plato and Aristotle have also written about democracy. This form of government existed in the city-states of Greece and Rome. It was found in many other countries also. In India we learn that in the age of Mahabharata and Buddhist period, rulers were elected by the people or their representatives. It existed at some places in China also.
In fact, the development of democracy began from the Greek city states and spread to many countries of Europe. In Europe, it started in the beginning of the 17th century when there were many political struggles aimed at putting certain limitations or restrictions over the absolute powers of the monarchs and feudal lords. The signing of Magna Carta, in 1215 in England, the Glorious Revolution, 1688 were great landmarks in the expansion of democracy in England. The French Revolution of 1789 was another landmark.
By the beginning of the 20th century, democracy had been firmly established in some countries like England, France and United States of America. However, these countries did not allow all the citizens to vote. Often women were denied the right to vote. In some countries only people owning property had the right to vote. In U.S.A., the blacks did not have the right to vote all over the country until the second half of the 20th century. So we can say that even those countries were not full democracies in the sense in which we understand it today.
The period between the two world wars saw the rise of non-democratic governments (Dictatorships) in many countries, which was a great set-back to the expansion of democracy.
In Germany and Italy also, dictatorships were established. In Germany, Hitler as the leader of the Nazi Party, established his dictatorship and crushed all opposition. Similarly, in Italy, Mussolini with the help of his Fascist Party became the dictator and took all the powers in his own hands. No opposition to him was allowed. The Second World War in fact was fought to save democracy in the world. It was called a ‘War between Democracy and Dictatorship’.
End of Colonialism
(1) For a very long time most countries in Asia and Africa were colonies under the control of European nations. People of the colonised countries had to wage struggles to achieve independence. They not only wanted to get rid of their colonial masters, but also wished to choose their future leaders. Our country was one of the many colonies where people carried a nationalist struggle to liberate the country from the colonial rule. Many of these countries became democracies immediately after the end of the Second World War in 1945. India achieved independence in 1947 and embarked on its journey to transform itself from a subject country to a democracy. It continues to be a democracy. Most former colonies did not have such a good experience.
(2) The case of Ghana, a country in western Africa, illustrates the more common experience of former colonies. Ghana used to be a British colony named Gold Coast. It became independent in 1957. It was among the first countries in Africa to gain independence. It inspired other African countries to struggle for freedom. Kwame Nkrumah (pronounced Enkruma), son of a goldsmith and himself a teacher, was active in the independence struggle of his country.
(3) After independence, Nkrumah became the first prime minister and then the president of Ghana. He was a friend of Jawaharlal Nehru and an inspiration for democrats in Africa. But unlike Nehru, he got himself elected president for life. Soon after, in 1966, he was overthrown by the military. Like Ghana, most countries that became democracies after gaining independence had a mixed record. They could not remain democracies for long.
Location of Ghana (Africa)
Recent Phase
(1) The next big push towards democracy came after 1980, as democracy was revived in several countries of Latin America. The disintegration of the Soviet Union accelerated this process. From the story of Poland we know that the then Soviet Union controlled many of its neighbouring communist countries in Eastern Europe. Poland and several other countries became free from the control of the Soviet Union during 1989-90. They chose to become democracies. Finally the Soviet Union itself broke down in 1991. The Soviet Union comprised 15 Republics. All the constituent Republics emerged as independent countries. Most of them became democracies. Thus the end of Soviet control on East Europe and the break up of the Soviet Union led to a big change in the political map of the world.
(2) In this period major changes also took place in India’s neighbourhood. Pakistan and Bangladesh made a transition from army rule to democracy in 1990s. In Nepal, the king gave up many of his powers to become a constitutional monarch to be guided by elected leaders. However, these changes were not permanent. In 1999 General Musharraf brought back army rule in Pakistan. In 2005 the new king of Nepal dismissed the elected government and took back political freedoms that people had won in the previous decade.
(3) Yet the overall trend in this period points to more and more countries turning to democracy. This phase still continues. By 2005, about 140 countries were holding multi-party elections. This number was higher than ever before. More than 80 previously non-democratic countries have made significant advances towards democracy since 1980. But, even today, there are many countries where people cannot express their opinion freely. They still cannot elect their leaders. They cannot take big decisions about their present and future life.
(4) One such country is Myanmar, previously known as Burma. It gained freedom from colonial rule in 1948 and became ademocracy. But the democratic rule ended in 1962 with a military coup. In 1990 elections were held for the first time after almost 30 years. The National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Soo-chi), won the election. But the military leaders of Myanmar refused to step down and did not recognise the election results. Instead, the military put the elected pro-democracy leaders, including Suu Kyi, under house arrest. Political activists accused of even the most trivial offences have been jailed. Anyone caught publicly airing views or issuing statements critical of the regime can be sentenced up to twenty years in prison. Due to the coercive policies of the military-ruled government in Myanmar, about 6 to 10 lakh people in the country have been uprooted from their homes and have taken shelter elsewhere.
(5) Despite being under house arrest Suu Kyi continued to campaign for democracy. According to her “the quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of the people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community.” Her struggle has won international recognition. She has also been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet the people in Myanmar are still struggling to establish a democratic government in their country.
Why Has Democracy Spread
We have seen how democracy expanded during the 20th century, especially after the Second World War. It is generally said that democracy has spread because people consider it to be the best form of government. Although it is true that democracy could not have spread if people did not prefer it and started struggles in their countries for its establishment, this is not the only factor responsible for it. There are many other factors also which helped the spread of democracy in many parts of the world. Most of these factors are related to the social, economic and political conditions internal to that country. It is often the outcome of struggles against socio economic inequalities in the country. Those people who suffer from social and economic inequalities and not having any share in power see a hope in democracy. They also want to enjoy rights, freedoms and privileges and participation in the government. That is why popular struggles in many countries have played a decisive role in the establishment of democracy in these countries.
Besides external conditions, changes have also played an important role in the spread of democracy in the world. Notable among these are the Second World War, decolonisation and collapse of the Soviet Union. However, external factors help in the spread of democracy only when there are internal forces and conditions ready for democracy.
Democracy at the global level
We have seen that democracy has expanded in many parts of the world and more and more people in Asia and Africa are able to take part in the formation of governments in their countries. However, this trend is yet not visible at the global level. Many international institutions are still not working on democratic principles. This is clear from the following facts.
(1) U.N.O. is the largest and well-known international organisation in the world. Although every member state has one vote in the General Assembly decisions on all the crucial issues about taking any action in any conflict are taken in the Security Council. The Security Council consists of 15 members– 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members, elected every two years. The five permanent members are U.S.A., Russia, France, China and U.K. The permanent members enjoy Veto Power and by the use of this power can stall any decision of the Security Council.
(2) International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) is one of the biggest money lenders for any country in the world. It has 187 members who do not enjoy equal voting power. The vote of each country is weighed by how much money it has given to IMF.
(3) The World Bank has a similar system of voting. The President of the World Bank is always a citizen of U.S.A., nominated by the Treasury Secretary (Finance Minister) of U.S.A.
(4) The World Trade Organisation (W.T.O.) is the main international institution that frames rules of trade among different countries. According to the rule, its decisions are to be taken by the consensus of all the members, yet in actual practice, its decisions are taken in informal meetings which are secretive and to which only powerful countries are invited.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we can say that while more and more nations are becoming democratic, international institutions are becoming less democratic. After the dissolution of U.S.S.R., U.S.A. is the only super power in the world which has enabled and encouraged that country to act unilaterally without seeking the consent of other countries. In fact, U.N.O. should be more democratised with the equal participation of all its members. Only then can the world be made more democratic.
NEW TERMS :
Censorship : A condition under which the freedom of expression is taken away. Citizens have to take prior permission from the censor authorities of the government for making a speech or publishing news and views. Anything that the government finds objectionable cannot be published.
Coalition : An alliance of people, associations, parties or nations. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience.
Colony : Territory under the immediate political control of another state.
Communist state : A state governed by a communist party without allowing other parties to compete for power. The state controls all the big property and industry.
Coup : A coup d’etat (pronounced ku de’ta), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government illegally. It may or may not be violent in nature. The term is French for ‘a sudden blow or strike to a state’.
Martial law : A system of rules that takes effect when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice.
Political prisoners : Persons held in prison or otherwise detained, perhaps under house arrest, because a government considers their ideas, image or activities as a threat to the authority of the state. Often exaggerated or false cases are foisted on them and they are kept in detention without following normal law.
Referendum : A direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may be adoption of a new constitution, a law or a specific government policy.
Strike : Mass refusal by workers or employees to perform work due to certain grievances or because of demands not met. In most democratic countries the right to strike is legal.
Trade Union : An association of workers for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment.
Veto : The right of a person, party or nation to stop a certain decision or law. The word comes from Latin, which means ‘I forbid’ A veto gives unlimited power to stop a decision, but not to adopt one.
Add to your Knowledge
- The UNO came into being on 24th October, 1945. The name United Nations was suggested by President Roosevelt. The headquarters of UNO are at New York, USA.
- The headquarters of International Monetary Fund (IMF) are at Washington D.C. It has a total membership of 187.
- The head of IMF at present is Dominique Strauss Kahn.
- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is the predecessor of World Trade Organisation (WTO). WTO came into existence on 1 January, 1995. Its headquarters are at Geneva, Switzerland. The Director-General of WTO is Pascal Lamy.
- The total member countries of WTO are 153, including India which became its member on 1 January, 1995.
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