Class 9 Democratic Politics Democracy in the Contemporary World
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS [1 MARK]
Q.1.“Workers of my homeland! I have faith in Chile and its future...... It will be a moral lesson to castigate felony, cowardice, and treason.” Who said this?
(a) General Augusto Pinochet (b) General Alberto Bachelet
(c) Salvador Allende (d) Michelle Bachelet
Q.2. When did the military coup take place in Chile?
(a) 12 Sept. 1973 (b) 11 Sept. 1973 (c) 11 Sept. 1974 (d) None of the above
Q.3. Who led the military coup in Chile in 1973?
(a) General Alberto Bachelet (b) Michelle Bachelet (c) General Augusto Pinochet (d) Salvador Allende
Q.4.What is a referendum?
(a) A vote of all the people on an important national issue (b) A vote of educated population
(c) A vote of men only (d) None of the above
Q.5. Who was elected as President of Chile in Jan. 2006?
(a) Michelle Bachelet (b) General Bachelet (c) General Pinochet (d) None of the above
Q.6.Which party ruled in Poland in 1980?
(a) Polish Workers Party (b) Polish Party
(c) Polish United Workers’ Party (d) None of the above
Q.7.The workers of Lenin Shipyard in the city of Gdansk went on a strike on
(a) 14 Aug 1980 (b) 15 Aug 1980 (c) 14 Sept 1980 (d) None of the above
Q.8. Who was the leader of the Solidarity Movement in Poland?
(a) Pinochet (b) Lech Walesa (c) Jaruzelski (d) None of the above
Q.9.The three governments of Allende’s Chile, Walesa’s Poland and Michelle’s Chile had a
(a) Democratic form of government (b) Martial law
(c) Communist form of government (d) All the above
Q.10. Which Revolution inspired many struggles for democracy all over Europe?
(a) Russian Revolution (b) American Revolution
(c) French Revolution (d) Both (a) and (b)
Q.11.What is meant by Universal Adult Franchise?
(a) Right to vote to property owners (b) Right to vote to women
(c) Right to vote to all adults (d) Right to vote to blacks
Q.12. When did Ghana become independent and from whom?
(a) 1956, Dutch (b) 1957, France (c) 1957, Britain (d) 1958, Germany
Q.13.After Independence, who became the first Prime Minister and then the President ofGhana?
(a) Patrice Lumamba (b) Jomo Kenyatta (c) Sam Nujoma (d) Kwame Nkrumah
Q.14. When did Myanmar attain independence and what type of government did it adopt?
(a) 1946, communist (b) 1948, democracy (c) 1947, democracy (d) 1948, dictatorship
Q.15.Which award has been won by Suu Kyi?
(a) Literary Award (b) Oscar Award (c) Nobel Peace Prize (d) None of the above
Q.16.Which organ of the U.N. is responsible for maintaining peace and security among the countries?
(a) General Assembly (b) Security Council (c) International Court of Justice (d) All the above
Q.17. Name the body of the U.N. which acts like a Parliament.
(a) General Assembly (b) Security Council (c) International Court of Justice (d) Social and Economic Council
Q.18. How many members does the Security Council consist of?
(a) 5 (b) 10 (c) 15 (d) 20
Q.19. Name the five permanent members of the Security Council.
(a) US, Germany, France, China, Italy (b) US, Britain, Germany, Italy, France
(c) US, France, Switzerland, China, Russia (d) US, France, Britain, Russia, China
Q.20.Which country contributes most of the money to U.N.?
(a) U.K. (b) France (c) U.S.A. (d) China
Q.21.The President of the World Bank has always been from
(a) U.K. ( b) U.S.A. (c) France (d) Russia
Q.22.Which party ruled Iraq since 1968?
(a) Baa’th Party (b) Socialist Baa’th Party (c) Arab Socialist Baa’th Party (d) None of the above
Q.23.What is the territory under the immediate political control of another state called?
(a) Communist state (b) Colony (c) Democratic state (d) none of the above
Q.24.Which one of the following does not lead to the spread of democracy?
(a) Struggle by the people (b) End of colonialism
(c) People’s desire for freedom (d) Invasion by foreign countries
25. Which one of the following situations is democratic?
(a) General Pinochet, an Army General of Chile, led a coup and became the President of the country.
(b) In China, always the Communist Party only wins in elections and forms the government.
(c) The government led by Jaruzelski in Poland, imposed martial law and imprisoned thousands of Solidarity members who took part in strike.
(d) The African National Congress of South Africa drew up a constitution which gave most extensive rights to its citizns.
26. Which one of the following countries is not a permanent member of UN Security Council?
(a) China (b) France (c) Japan (d) Russia
27. How many member states are there in the International Monetary Fund?
(a) 173 (b) 192 (c) 200 (d) 190
28. Which country among the following was the only country by 1900, where every citizen had voting right?
(a) Australia (b) New Zealand (c) Poland (d) USA
29. Which country supported and controlled the autocratic government in Poland?
(a) USA (b) China (c) Russia (d) UK
30. What is the total number of members in the UN General Assembly?
(a) 200 (b) 190 (c) 193 (d) 205
31. Who among the following in UN has always been a citizen of the US?
(a) Treasury Secretary (b) President of the World Bank
(c) Finance Secretary (d) Secretary General
32. Which of the following countries was the first to give universal adult suffrage?
(a) New Zealand (b) Britain (c) India (d) USA
33. Which of the following does not lead to the spread of democracy?
(a) Struggle by people (b) Invasion by foreign country
(c) End of colonialism (d) People’s desire for freedom
34. Who was the leader of Solidarity Movement in Poland?
(a) Michelle Bachelete (b) Salvador Allende (c) Lech Walesa (d) Pinochet
35. Why was International Monetary Fund established?
(a) To maintain peace and security among the countries
(b) Lends money to governments of member nations when in need
(c) To implement and formulate trade agreements
(d) To take decision regarding misery and poverty of western countries
36. In Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi led
(a) National Congress (b) United Workers Party
(c) Communist Party ( d)TheNational League for Democracy
37. First Prime Minister of Ghanawas :
(a) Augusto Pinochet (b) Nkrumah (c) General Bachelet (d) Allende
38. Strike the odd one out:
(a) General Assembly (b) International Court of Justice (c) Security Council (d) Veto
39. How many members’ countries are there in Security Council of UN?
(a) 25 (b) 20 (c) 15 (d) 10
40. Name of the leader in Myanmar put under house arrest is:
(a) Ban Kimoon (b) Uthan (c) Aung San Suu Kyi (d) Khalida Zia
ANSWERS.M.C.Qs. [1 MARK]
1 (c) 2 (b) 3 (c) 4 (a)5 (a) 6 (c) 7 (a) 8 (b) 9 (a) 10 (c) 11 (c) 12 (c) 13 (b) 14 (b) 15 (c) 16(b) (17 (a) 18 (c) 19 (d) 20 (c) 21 (b) 22 (c) 23 (b) 24 (d) 25 (d) 26 (c)
27 (a) 28 (b) 29 (c) 30 (c) 31 (b) 32 (a) 33(b) 34 (c) 35 (b) 36 (d) 37 (b) 38 (d) 39 (c) 40 (c)
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [3 MARKS]
Q.1. Who was Allende?
Ans. 1. Allende was the founder leader of the Socialist Party of Chile, a country in South America.
2. He led the Popular Unity Coalition to victory in 1970 and became the President of Chile.
Q.2. Why did the workers of Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk go on strike in 1980?
Ans.The workers the Lenin Shipyard in the city of Gdansk went on a strike on 14 Aug 1980. The factory was owned by the government. The workers went on a strike demanding the factory to take back a crane operator, a woman worker, who was unjustly dismissed from the service..
Q3What role does General Assembly play in the UN?
Ans. General Assembly is like the Parliament of UN where all the discussions take place. In that sense, the UN would appear to be a very democratic organisation. But the General Assembly cannot take any decision about what action should be taken in a conflict between countries.
Q.4. State how Security Council helps in making the UN a democratic body.
Ans.The Security Council has 15 members – 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members. This
15 member Security Council of the the UN takes crucial decisions. However, the real power is with the five permanent members; and they possess the veto power. So, Security Council doesn’t help much in making the UN a democratic body.
Q.5. Should a democratic country wage a war and invade other countries for establishing democracy there? Give your opinion stating at least one example.
Ans.In my opinion, the democratic countries do not have any right to wage a war in order to establish democracy in non-democratic countries. The attack of US on Iraq, blaming it for possessing the weapons of mass destruction, was more because of its own ambition than establishment of democracy there. Moreover, unless people of a nation are themselves actively engaged in a struggle to make their society democratic, external help will be hardly of any help.
Q.6. The functioning of UN Security Council is undemocratic. Justify the statement by giving three suitable examples?
Ans. (i) The real power is with the five permanent members. (ii) These members have veto power. (iii)Security Council cannot take a decision if these permanent members say No to it.
Q.7. What policies were adopted by Salvador Allende after his election as President of Chile in 1970? Assess any three reforms?
Ans. (i) Reform of the educational system. (ii) Free milk for children. (iii)Redistribution of land to the landless farmers.
Q.8. 'International Monetary Fund is not truely democratic institution.' Justify this statement with three examples?
Ans. (i) IMF's 173 member states do not have equal voting rights.
(ii) The vote of each country is weighed by how much money it has contributed to the IMF. (iii)Nearly half of the voting power is in the hands of only seven countries.
Q.9. Who was elected as President of Chile in 1970? What steps did he take to help the poor? Ans. Salvador Allende was elected president of Chile in 1970. (i) He reformed education system;
(ii) He provides free milk for children; and (iii) He arranged redistribution of land to the landless farmers.
Q.10. In Poland how was democracy re-established?
Ans. Lech Walesa – an electrician, joined the strikers (workers of Lenin Shipyard). He became popular. The government agreed to the workers, demand. An independent trade union was formed. Soon it had one core members. The government tried to put it down. Another wave of strike followed. This time it resulted in an agreement in 1989 for free elections. Walesa was elected President of Poland.
Q.11. Mention any three features of democracy
Ans. (i) Allende’s democratic government preferred government control on big industries and economy.
(ii) Walesa wanted the market to be free of government interference.
(iii) Michelle stands somewhere in the middle.
Q.12. Who was Lech Walesa
Ans-Lech Walesa was a former electrician of the Lenin Shipyard. He joined and then led the striking workers. He signed a 21 point agreement with the government that ended the strike.
A new trade union called Solidarity was formed.
General Jaruzeleski imposed martial law.Another wave of strike follwed in April 1989. Free election was held. Solidarity won 99 out of 100 seats. Walesa was elected President of Poland.
Q.13. Who was Salvador Allende? Why was his policy opposed?
Ans. Salvador Allende was the President of Chile. The landlords, the rich and the church opposed his reforms and policies.
Q.14. How did Solidarity come to power in Poland?
Ans.On 11 September 1973 the military took over the seaport. The Defence Minister was arrested by the military. Allende was asked to resign. He addressed the nation on the radio. It was his last speech. He died in a military attack on the president's house.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS [5 MARKS]
Q.1.Differenciate between Pinochet’s rule in Chile and the communist rule inPoland? Ans.1- Pinochet, an Army General supported by the government of USA, led a coup in Chile in
1973 against Allende’s popularly elected government. With this, dictatorship was established in Chile. 2-Pinochet’s government tortured and killed several of those who supported Allende and wanted to restore democracy there.
3- In Poland, a Communist Party called Polish United Workers’ Party ruled in 1980. No other political party was allowed to function. The government of Poland was supported by Soviet Union.
4- But when the movement led by Lech Walesa spread, demanding the workers’ rights, the government had to give in.
5- Finally, an agreement was signed between Walesa and the Polish government in April 1989 for free elections. In 1990, elections were held in which more than one party could contest.
Q.2. Write major demands made in the 19th century to established democracy in the world?
Ans.1-In the 19th century, struggles for democracy often centred round political equality, freedom and justice.
2- There was a demand for right to vote for every adult citizen. Many European countries that were becoming more democratic did not initially allow all people to vote.
3- In some countries, only people owning property had the right to vote. Often women did not have the right to vote.
4- Those struggling for democracy wanted “universal suffrage”, i.e. voting right for all adults – men or women, rich or poor, white or black.
Q.3.What was the major changes that took place in India’s neighbourhood in the 1990s and 2005? Ans1-In the 1990s, Pakistan and Bangladesh made a transition from army rule to democracy.
2. InNepal the king gave up many of his powers to become a constitutional monarch to be guided by elected leaders.
3. However, these changes were not permanent. In 1999, General Musharraf set up 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.
Q4.Distinguish between the democratic and non democratic conditions?
Ans-{A} a democratic government is elected by the people while a nondemocratic government is not elected by the people.
{B}Under democracy people are given basic rights while under nondemocratic conditions people are not given basic rights.
{C} in democracy there are regular elections though which people can change their government but not in nondemocratic conditions.
{D}Under democracy the government works within the constitution but in nondemocratic country these conditions do not apply.
{E] In democracy Parliament is supreme but undern nondemocratic conditions, ruler is supreme.
Hots
Q.1 Discuss any three contributions of UN as a government of the world?
Ans. (i) It is a global association of nations of the world to help in international law securityEconomic development and social equity.
(ii) It maintains peace and security among countries; it can put together on International Army.
(iii) It can take action against the wrong doer.
Q.2. State how democracy was crushed in Myanmar after the elections were held there in 1990. Ans.1-In 1990, in Myanmar, elections were held for the first time after almost 28 years.
2- The National League for Democracy led by Aung San Sui Kyi won the election. But the military leaders of Myanmar refused to step down and did not recognise the election results.
3- The military put the elected pro-democracy leaders, including Sui Kyi, under house arrest. Anyone caught publicly airing views or issuing statements critical of the regime could be sentenced up to twenty years in
Q3. In the absence of a single world government, what kind of limits is put on what the governments do? Ans
1. There is no single world government, but there are many institutions in the world that perform partially the functions of such a government.
2. These organisations cannot command countries and citizens in a way a government can, but they do make rules that put limits on what governments can do.
3. The United Nations has evolved many conventions on these questions that are now binding on the countries of the world.
4. The UN Security Council is responsible for maintaining peace and security among countries.
5. The International Monetary Fund lends money to governments when they need it. The World Bank also gives loans to the government’s prison.
Democracy in the contemporary world NCERT Class 9 Extra Questions
Question-1
Write a short note on Salvador Allende.
Solution:
Salvador Allende was the founder leader of the Socialist Party of Chile. He led the Popular Unity coalition party to victory in the presidential election in the year 1970. He was then elected President of Chile. After his election, Allende passed many reforms for the betterment of the poor people of his country.
Salvador Allende reformed the educational system and ensured that free milk was provided for all the children. He also redistributed land to the landless farmers.
As President he did not allow foreign companies to take away natural resources like copper, from the country.
There was a lot of opposition for Salvador Allende’s policies from the rich landlords, the Church and other political parties.
Question-2
What was the out come of the Military Coup of 1973 ,in Chile ?
Solution:
A coup is the sudden overthrow of a government illegally, it may or may not be violent in nature’.
There was a Military coup in Chile, in the year 1973. The military coup took place under General Augusto Pinochet. Salvador Allende’s government, that was elected by people, was overthrown by the military, through conspiracy and violence. On the 11th of September, 1973, the military took over the seaport. The Defence Minister was arrested by the military.
Then the military surrounded the President’s house and started bombing it. President Allende died in the military attack. General Pinochet became the President of the country and ruled it for the next 17 years. Supporters of Allende were tortured and put to death.
Question-3
How was democracy restored after the coup, in Chile?
Solution:
General Augusto Pinochet, the military ruler of Chile, decided to hold a referendum in 1988. The General was very confident that he would win the referendum, and that the people would want him to continue in power.
But the people of Chile wanted a democratic rule. General Pinochet lost the referendum, thus losing his political and military powers. The brutal and cruel dictatorship came to an end.
Michelle Bachelet, a medical doctor and a moderate socialist, was elected the President of Chile, in the free Presidential elections, which was held in January 2006. Democracy was restored in Chile.
Question-4
What was the situation in Poland in the 1980s?
Solution:
In the 1980s Poland was ruled by the Polish United Workers’ Party. This was a Communist party. The government of the Soviet Union controlled the government in Poland. In a Communist Country people could not choose their leader or speak freely against their leader. People were put in prison for opposing the government. Independent Trade Unions were not allowed in Poland
On 14 August 1980, the workers of Lenin Shipyard, in Gdansk, went on a strike. This shipyard belonged to the Government and strikes were illegal. The strike started because a women crane operator was dismissed from service in an unjust manner. Soon Lech Walesa, joined the strike.
Lech Walesa was an electrician in the shipyard. He was dismissed from service, many years ago, because he had demanded higher wages.
The strike began to spread across the whole city. The workers started raising greater demands.
They wanted the right to form independent trade unions.
They wanted the release of political prisoners.
They wanted an end to censorship of the press.
Question-5
Describe a Communist State.
Solution:
A Communist state is a state governed by a communist party without allowing other parties to compete for power. The state controls all the big property and industry
Question-6
What was the out come of the strike in Poland ?
Solution:
Under the guidance of Lech Walesa, the strike became a great movement. Soon the Communist government relented and signed a 21-point agreement with Lech Walesa.
The main features of the 21- point Agreement were as follows:-
• The Government recognized the workers’ right to form independent trade unions
• The government also granted trade Unions the right to strike
• A new trade union called Solidarity was formed for the first time.
• Solidarity swept across Poland and had about one crore members.
Question-7
What was the plight of the Solidarity Trade union in Poland?
Solution:
Solidarity Trade Union brought to light the widespread corruption and mismanagement in the government. The Polish government was not happy with this. In the year 1981, the government imposed martial law in the country.
Thousands of Solidarity members were jailed. Freedom to organise, protest and express opinions was once again taken away from the people.
Question-8
What were the similarity between the two Governments in Chile and Poland?
Solution:
The Government in Chile under General Augusto Pinochet and the Government in Poland under the Polish United Workers’ Party, were both non- democratic governments. There were many similarities between these two governments.
The similarities were:-
• The people could not choose or change their rulers.
• There was freedom of expression.
• People could not form political associations.
• People were not permitted to organize protests or initiate political action.
Question-9
What is ‘universal adult franchise’
Solution:
The right to vote, granted universally to all adults, whether they are men or women, rich or poor, white or black is called ‘universal adult franchise’. It is also known as ‘universal suffrage’.
India gained ‘universal adult franchise’ in the year 1950.
Question-10
Trace the expansion of Democracy across the globe.
Solution:
The journey of modern democracy started two centuries ago. During the 19th century , democracy was overthrown and restored several times, in France. The French Revolution that took place in 1789 inspired many struggles for democracy all over Europe.
In Britain, though the progress towards democracy was very slow, it started much before the French Revolution. Series of political events reduced the power of the monarchy and the feudal lords in the nineteenth centuries.
In United States the British colonies in North America declared themselves independent in 1776. In the next few years these colonies came together to form the United States of America. They adopted a democratic constitution in 1787.
By the beginning of the twentieth century many countries had governments elected by the people, and had political freedom in some measure.
Question-11
Describe the end of Colonialism.
Solution:
Many countries in Asia and Africa were colonies under the control of European nations. People in these countries wanted independence.
India was one of the few colonies where people led a nationalist struggle of non- violence, to liberate the country from the colonial rule. India achieved its independence in 1947. From a subject country India has emerged into a democratic country. India continues to be a democracy.
By the end of the Second World war many of the countries became independent. Ghana was one of the first few countries which became independent. It gained independence in the year 1957. It inspired other African countries to struggle for freedom.
Question-12
Trace the Political developments in Myanmar.
Solution:
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, gained freedom from Colonial rule in 1948 and became a democracy.
The following are the political developments that took place in Myanmar since 1948:-• A military coup over threw the democratic government in the year 1962.
• In 1990, elections were held for the first time after almost 30 years.
• The National League for Democracy, which was led by Aung San Suu Kyi , won the election.
• The military leaders of Myanmar did not accept the results of the election.
• San Suu Kyi was put under house arrest.
• Political activists were jailed for minor offences.
• People were oppressed and not given any freedom of expression.
• Lakhs of people in Myanmar were driven away from their homes by the military-ruled government.
• The people in Myanmar are still struggling for a democratic government in their country. .
Question-13
Write a short note on the United Nations and its General Assembly.
Solution:
The United Nations is a global association of nations of the world. It promotes cooperation in international law, security, economic development and social equity. The UN Secretary General is the head of the UN.
The UN General Assembly has 192 member countries. Each country has one vote in the UN General Assembly. The General Assembly meets regularly. The President of the Assembly is elected from among the representatives of the member countries. General Assembly is like the parliament where discussions take place and decisions are made. The General Assembly does not have the power to interfere in a conflict between different countries. . .
Question-14
How does the International Monetary Fund function?
Solution:
International Monetary Fund can be considered as one of the biggest moneylenders for the world. It provides loan to countries for their developmental projects.
The IMF has 173 member states. All these states do not have equal voting rights. The vote of each country is weighed by how much money it has contributed to the IMF.
SolutionAlmost half of the voting power in the IMF is in the hands of the G7 nations. The G7 nations are, the US, Japan, France, UK, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia. The remaining 166 countries have very little say in the decisions the IMF takes.
Question-15
What is a referendum ?
Solution:
A Referendum is ‘a direct vote in which the people are asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may be adoption of a new constitution, a law or a specific governmental policy.’
Write a short note on Salvador Allende.
Solution:
Salvador Allende was the founder leader of the Socialist Party of Chile. He led the Popular Unity coalition party to victory in the presidential election in the year 1970. He was then elected President of Chile. After his election, Allende passed many reforms for the betterment of the poor people of his country.
Salvador Allende reformed the educational system and ensured that free milk was provided for all the children. He also redistributed land to the landless farmers.
As President he did not allow foreign companies to take away natural resources like copper, from the country.
There was a lot of opposition for Salvador Allende’s policies from the rich landlords, the Church and other political parties.
Question-2
What was the out come of the Military Coup of 1973 ,in Chile ?
Solution:
A coup is the sudden overthrow of a government illegally, it may or may not be violent in nature’.
There was a Military coup in Chile, in the year 1973. The military coup took place under General Augusto Pinochet. Salvador Allende’s government, that was elected by people, was overthrown by the military, through conspiracy and violence. On the 11th of September, 1973, the military took over the seaport. The Defence Minister was arrested by the military.
Then the military surrounded the President’s house and started bombing it. President Allende died in the military attack. General Pinochet became the President of the country and ruled it for the next 17 years. Supporters of Allende were tortured and put to death.
Question-3
How was democracy restored after the coup, in Chile?
Solution:
General Augusto Pinochet, the military ruler of Chile, decided to hold a referendum in 1988. The General was very confident that he would win the referendum, and that the people would want him to continue in power.
But the people of Chile wanted a democratic rule. General Pinochet lost the referendum, thus losing his political and military powers. The brutal and cruel dictatorship came to an end.
Michelle Bachelet, a medical doctor and a moderate socialist, was elected the President of Chile, in the free Presidential elections, which was held in January 2006. Democracy was restored in Chile.
Question-4
What was the situation in Poland in the 1980s?
Solution:
In the 1980s Poland was ruled by the Polish United Workers’ Party. This was a Communist party. The government of the Soviet Union controlled the government in Poland. In a Communist Country people could not choose their leader or speak freely against their leader. People were put in prison for opposing the government. Independent Trade Unions were not allowed in Poland
On 14 August 1980, the workers of Lenin Shipyard, in Gdansk, went on a strike. This shipyard belonged to the Government and strikes were illegal. The strike started because a women crane operator was dismissed from service in an unjust manner. Soon Lech Walesa, joined the strike.
Lech Walesa was an electrician in the shipyard. He was dismissed from service, many years ago, because he had demanded higher wages.
The strike began to spread across the whole city. The workers started raising greater demands.
They wanted the right to form independent trade unions.
They wanted the release of political prisoners.
They wanted an end to censorship of the press.
Question-5
Describe a Communist State.
Solution:
A Communist state is a state governed by a communist party without allowing other parties to compete for power. The state controls all the big property and industry
Question-6
What was the out come of the strike in Poland ?
Solution:
Under the guidance of Lech Walesa, the strike became a great movement. Soon the Communist government relented and signed a 21-point agreement with Lech Walesa.
The main features of the 21- point Agreement were as follows:-
• The Government recognized the workers’ right to form independent trade unions
• The government also granted trade Unions the right to strike
• A new trade union called Solidarity was formed for the first time.
• Solidarity swept across Poland and had about one crore members.
Question-7
What was the plight of the Solidarity Trade union in Poland?
Solution:
Solidarity Trade Union brought to light the widespread corruption and mismanagement in the government. The Polish government was not happy with this. In the year 1981, the government imposed martial law in the country.
Thousands of Solidarity members were jailed. Freedom to organise, protest and express opinions was once again taken away from the people.
Question-8
What were the similarity between the two Governments in Chile and Poland?
Solution:
The Government in Chile under General Augusto Pinochet and the Government in Poland under the Polish United Workers’ Party, were both non- democratic governments. There were many similarities between these two governments.
The similarities were:-
• The people could not choose or change their rulers.
• There was freedom of expression.
• People could not form political associations.
• People were not permitted to organize protests or initiate political action.
Question-9
What is ‘universal adult franchise’
Solution:
The right to vote, granted universally to all adults, whether they are men or women, rich or poor, white or black is called ‘universal adult franchise’. It is also known as ‘universal suffrage’.
India gained ‘universal adult franchise’ in the year 1950.
Question-10
Trace the expansion of Democracy across the globe.
Solution:
The journey of modern democracy started two centuries ago. During the 19th century , democracy was overthrown and restored several times, in France. The French Revolution that took place in 1789 inspired many struggles for democracy all over Europe.
In Britain, though the progress towards democracy was very slow, it started much before the French Revolution. Series of political events reduced the power of the monarchy and the feudal lords in the nineteenth centuries.
In United States the British colonies in North America declared themselves independent in 1776. In the next few years these colonies came together to form the United States of America. They adopted a democratic constitution in 1787.
By the beginning of the twentieth century many countries had governments elected by the people, and had political freedom in some measure.
Question-11
Describe the end of Colonialism.
Solution:
Many countries in Asia and Africa were colonies under the control of European nations. People in these countries wanted independence.
India was one of the few colonies where people led a nationalist struggle of non- violence, to liberate the country from the colonial rule. India achieved its independence in 1947. From a subject country India has emerged into a democratic country. India continues to be a democracy.
By the end of the Second World war many of the countries became independent. Ghana was one of the first few countries which became independent. It gained independence in the year 1957. It inspired other African countries to struggle for freedom.
Question-12
Trace the Political developments in Myanmar.
Solution:
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, gained freedom from Colonial rule in 1948 and became a democracy.
The following are the political developments that took place in Myanmar since 1948:-• A military coup over threw the democratic government in the year 1962.
• In 1990, elections were held for the first time after almost 30 years.
• The National League for Democracy, which was led by Aung San Suu Kyi , won the election.
• The military leaders of Myanmar did not accept the results of the election.
• San Suu Kyi was put under house arrest.
• Political activists were jailed for minor offences.
• People were oppressed and not given any freedom of expression.
• Lakhs of people in Myanmar were driven away from their homes by the military-ruled government.
• The people in Myanmar are still struggling for a democratic government in their country. .
Question-13
Write a short note on the United Nations and its General Assembly.
Solution:
The United Nations is a global association of nations of the world. It promotes cooperation in international law, security, economic development and social equity. The UN Secretary General is the head of the UN.
The UN General Assembly has 192 member countries. Each country has one vote in the UN General Assembly. The General Assembly meets regularly. The President of the Assembly is elected from among the representatives of the member countries. General Assembly is like the parliament where discussions take place and decisions are made. The General Assembly does not have the power to interfere in a conflict between different countries. . .
Question-14
How does the International Monetary Fund function?
Solution:
International Monetary Fund can be considered as one of the biggest moneylenders for the world. It provides loan to countries for their developmental projects.
The IMF has 173 member states. All these states do not have equal voting rights. The vote of each country is weighed by how much money it has contributed to the IMF.
SolutionAlmost half of the voting power in the IMF is in the hands of the G7 nations. The G7 nations are, the US, Japan, France, UK, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia. The remaining 166 countries have very little say in the decisions the IMF takes.
Question-15
What is a referendum ?
Solution:
A Referendum is ‘a direct vote in which the people are asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may be adoption of a new constitution, a law or a specific governmental policy.’
