Following are Challenges to Democracy Notes for Class 10 Social Science. These revision notes have been prepared by expert teachers of Class 10 Social Science as per the latest NCERT, CBSE, KVS books released for the current academic year. Students should go through Chapter 8 Challenges to Democracy concepts and notes as these will help you to revise all important topics and help you to score more marks. We have provided Class 10 Social Science notes for all chapters in your book. You can access it all free and download Pdf.

Chapter 8 Challenges to Democracy Notes Class 10 Social Science

Memorable facts :

1. Constitutional Design :- The principal that insists on organisation and working of the state according to a constitution.

2. Bicameral Legislature :- A legislature having two houses or chambers.

3. Challenge :- A difficulty that carries within it an opportunity for progress.

4. Decentralisation :- The transfer of power from central and state governments to local government.

5. Mandate :- The responsibility given by the electorate to the winning party in an election.

6. Political Reform :- To resolve the challenges faced in politics.

7. Martial Law :- Martial Law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civilian functions of government.

8. Mass Media :- The mass media is a diversified collections of media technologies that reach a large audience.

9. Dictatorship :- A dictatorship is a government or social situation. Where one person makes all the rules and decisions without input from anyone else.

10. Communalism : It is an ideology, according to which each commune is virtually an independent state and the nation is merely a federation of such states.

Very Short Answer type Questions

Question. Which act is considered the watch dog of democracy?
Ans. The right to Information Act.

Question. What does strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy imply?
Ans. Challenge of deepening.

Question. According to the text how much of the globe is still not under democratic government?
Ans. One Fourth

Question. Which from of government stands much superior in promoting equality, freedom and fraternity among the people?
Ans. Democratic form of government.

Question. What is said the ideology of believing supremacy of other’s caste?
Ans. Casteism

Question. Name the country where ‘Right to vote’ is not given to women.
Ans. Saudi Arab

Question. Which kind of measures is likely to succeed more in order to reform democracy?
Ans. Measures that-relies on democratic movements, people’s organisations and the media.

Question. Which act empowers the people to find out what is happening in the government?
Ans. The right to Information Act.

Question. Which from of government stands much superior in promoting equality, freedom and fraternity among the people?
Ans. Democratic form of government.

Question. Which country of the world disintegrated due to the ethnic tension between Serbs and Albanians?
Ans. Yugoslavia

Question. The challenge of making the transition to democracy from a nondemocratic government is known as?
Ans. Foundational challenge.

LONG/SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS -:

Question. Why do most people want to reform politicians? Do you agree with their views?
Ans. General public tends to blame politicians for all the ills of our country. They think that politicians are responsible for the corruption, defection, casteism, communal violence, criminality etc. But it is wrong to do so, because all politicians are not bad, there are both good, honest politicians as well as bad, corrupt ones. It is for the citizens to be more alert and make the right choice at the time of elections. People and politicians together can meet the various challenges like casteism and communalism, not any strict laws.

Question. Most of the established democracies are facing the challenge of expansion. Support the statement with examples.
Ans. Most of the established democracies are facing the challenge of expansion. This statement can be supported giving the following examples:–
(i) The challenges of expansion involves applying the basic principles of democracy across all the regions, different social groups and various institutions.
(ii) It involves ensuring greater power to local governments, extension of federal principles to all the units of the federation and inclusion of woman and minority groups.
(iii) It also implies that less and less decisions should remain outside the arena of democratic control. Most countries including India and other democracies like the USA face this challenge.
Ex. In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to take part in Public activities. In Myanmar, military rule should be challenged.

Question. What are the influences of Socio – economic inequality on Indian democracy ?
Ans. (i) Disinterest among common people mean less participation.
(ii) Control over government by rich people and industrial houses.
(iii) Widening gap between rich and poor.
(iv) Promotes class interest.
(v) Unrest between the poor and the rich leads to tension.

Question. How are the challenges to democracy linked to the possibility of political reform? Explain.
Ans. Challenges to democracy are linked to the possibility of political reform in the following ways:-
(i) Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices.
(ii) Democratic reforms are to be carried out by political parties activists, movements and politically conscious citizens.
(iii) Ordinary citizens too participate in political affairs.
(iv) Democratic movements, citizens organizations and media can play an important role in establishing democracy and thus reforming politics.
(v) Laws to empower citizens like RTI should be made accessible so that parties, their functioning and above all democracy can be reformed from time to time.

Question. Explain which four guideline should be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India.
Ans. (i) Carefully devised changes in Law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage good ones. At the same time, legal constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy. They are to be carried out by political activists, parties movements and politically aware people.
(ii) Legal changes can sometimes be counter productive. Generally laws that seek to ban something are not very successful. Rather laws that give political actors incentives to do good things have more chances of working for example, RTI, empowers people to act as watch dogs of democracy.
(iii) The focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic practice.
(iv) Any proposal or political reforms should think not only about what is a good solution but also about who will implement it and how measures that rely or democratic movements, citizens organisations and the media are likely to succeed.

Question. “Legal constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy”. Justify the statement with an example ?
Ans. Legal-constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy. This statement can be explained giving the following arguments :
(i) Democratic reforms need to be carried out mainly by political activities, political parties, movement groups and politically conscious citizens.
(ii) Any legal change must produce positive effects of politics. But sometimes the result may be counter productive. For example many states have banned people from contesting election. Who have more than two children. This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor and women, though it was not an intention.
(iii) Laws that seek to ban something need not be successful always.
(iv) Laws that give initiative to the politician actors have more possibilities of surviving.
(v) Laws that empower people and carry out democratic reforms are best. For example RTI Act.
(vi) At a larger scale, it will initiate a corruption fee society.

Question. What do you understand by the term ‘foundational challenges’?
Ans. Many countries even now are not democratic. They have to make a transition from other forms of governments to democracy and then instituting democratic governments. Such countries face the foundational challenges.

Question. What are the different types of challenges to a Democracy?
Ans. Different types of challenges to a democracy:
(i) Constitutional design
(ii) Federalism and its functioning
(iii) working of institutions
(iv) Elections
(v) Democratic rights
(vi) Accommodation of diversity
(vii) Political groups and organizations
(viii) Challenges of expansion of democracy
(ix) Challenges of deepening of democracy
(x) Foundational challenge of making the transition to democracy.

Question. ‘The challenge of deepening of democracy is being faced by every democracy in one form or another.’ Support the statement with three arguments.
Ans. The challenge of deepening of democracy is faced by every democracy in one way or the other. This challenge ensures:–
(i) Strengthening of democratic institutions and principles.
(ii) To check the influence of the wealthy and powerful people in democratic decisions.
(iii) Empowering the general section of people through democratic institutions.

Question. What are the challenges faced by the countries, making transitions to democracy under foundational challenge? Explain.
Ans. Different kinds of challenges are as under :
(i) Poverty
(ii) Illiteracy
(iii) Regionalism
(iv) Unemployment
(v) Communalism
(vi) Political Violence and insurgency
(vii) Casteism
(viii) Gender Discrimination
(ix) Lingiusm