Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Correct the following statement and rewrite. Belgium is area wise and population wise smaller than the state of U.S.A.
Answer : Belgium is area wise and population wise smaller than the state of Haryana.

Question. Define ‘Liberation Movement’.
Answer : A liberation movement is a political organisation that rebels against the policies and procedures of the government or a colonial power either violently or nonviolently. These movements are often organised for getting independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperialist outlook.

Question. Define ‘power sharing’.
Answer : Power sharing is a political arrangement in which various groups, either from supporting parties or opposition parties, take part in the government activities.

Question. Define authoritarian government.
Answer : Authoritarian government is the one in which individuals do not have any power and they need to show absolute obedience to the formal authority without questioning on any activity. The leaders in such governments handle all the activities, including economic, military, and foreign relations, as they want. Dictatorship is an example of such type of governments.

Question. What is the main advantage of horizontal distribution of power ?
Answer : Horizontal distribution of power enables different government bodies to exercise different powers being at the same levels.

Question. Defining moments of democracy are those moments which usually ______.
Answer : involve conflict between those groups who aspire for a share in power and exercised power.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. Justify this statement with three suitable points.
Answer : Power sharing is true spirit of democracy because :
(i) It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
(ii) It is a good way to ensure the stability of the political order.
(iii) Here, people have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. Thus, a legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.

Question. Explain the differences between horizontal power sharing and vertical power sharing.
Answer : In modern democracy, power sharing arrangement can take many forms. It can be horizontal or vertical. The difference between the two arrangement are :
(i) Under the horizontal power sharing, power is shared among the different organs of the government such as the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. In case of vertical power sharing, power is shared among the different levels of the government.
(ii) Under the horizontal distribution of power, the organs of the government are placed at the same level to exercise different powers. But the vertical division of power involves the higher and lower levels of the government.
(iii) In horizontal distribution of power, each organ check the other organ. But in vertical power sharing the lower organ works under the higher organs.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Describe the tension that existed between the Dutch and the French speaking people in Belgium.
Answer :
(i) The economic difference between the Dutch speaking and French speaking people is the fundamental reason behind the tension.
(ii) The French speaking community is in minority. The French people are comparatively richer and powerful, whereas the Dutch speaking community is not only in majority but also is poor.
(iii) This is subsequently resented by the Dutch speaking community as it has affected their economic development and education.
(iv) The tension between the two communities assumes a severe form in Brussels. The Dutch speaking people are in majority within the country, however, they constitute a minor proportion in Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium.
(v) Between 1970 and 1993, the Belgium government amended their constitution four times to make an arrangement that would enable them to live together.

Question. Highlight the measures adopted by the Belgian constitution for the prevention of conflicts in Belgium.
Answer : The arrangement that the Belgium leaders worked out is different from any other country and is very innovative.
(i) Belgian constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government. Thus, no single community can make decisions unilaterally. (ii) Many powers have been given to the State Governments because the state governments are not subordinates to the Central Government.
(iii) Brussels has a separate government, in which both the communities have equal representation.
(iv) There is a third type of government, ‘community government’ which is elected by the people belonging to one language community (Dutch, French or German) and has the power regarding cultural, educational and language related issues.