Important Notes for CBSE Class 6 Civics Chapter 4 – Key Elements of a Democratic Government. Key Elements of a Democratic Government Class 6 Notes and Study Material Download in PDF form.
Key Elements of a Democratic Government Notes | Key Elements of a Democratic Government Class 6 Notes | Key Elements of a Democratic Government Quick Revision | Key Elements of a Democratic Government Class 6 Quick Revision Notes | Civics Class 6 Ch 4 Notes | NCERT Class Class 6 Civics Chapter 4 Notes PDF.
Key Objectives of the Chapter:
- To understand the idea of discrimination and its indulgence in our society
- To learn about the famous and indiscriminately policy of apartheid
- To learn about minorities and their relation with discrimination
- To learn about the key factors that make a democratic government successful
Expected Learning Outcomes
The chapter is full of concepts that are important for students to learn and understand at this very age. Students will have a clear idea about how dicrimination is indulged and is a common part of our society and how it is taken lightly. The students will also have a clear idea about minorities and how their existence is also somewhat related to the existence of discrimination. The teacher should be able to use practical approaches to make the students understand what exactly minority and discrimination have in common with the examples of Dalits. The best idea would be asking opinions of the students in the same regard. Also, the students will be enlightened with the idea of justice and equality at the end of the chapter.
Focus Point
The major focus of the chapter lies in the idea of discrimination in our society.
Things to answer after reading the context :
- What is the meaning of ‘Apartheid’ ?
- Who was Hector Pieterson ? How did he die ?
- What kinds of crime did black people have to go through ?
Discrimination Based on Colours
Do you realize that there are times when many people around you are made fun of or discriminated against just because of their skin color? In India, we often see fair people making fun of dark skinned people, which either we chose to ignore or we chose to join them in the fun. We do not realize the humiliation and insult until and unless we ourselves face it. The idea of humiliating and discriminating the black people is just not limited to India, but its history, a very strong history, dates back to the 1940s, when South African Blacks were discriminated against and were denied basic human rights.
South African Blacks did not have an easy history as they were discriminated against because of their skin color. The population includes the Blacks, White and Indians. In the 1940s, South Africa was led by the National Party that led to the formation of Aparthied laws, which meant people were ruled and rules were made on the basis of their skin color. The laws discriminated against the Blacks to the very extent that they were not allowed to live, educate or even travel with the Whites. There were different schools, different transports and even different residential areas for the Blacks. How do you think they felt while living a life with so much hatred and discrimination, just because of their skin color?
SOUTH WESTERN TOWNSHIP – Hector Pieterson lived in the South Western Township . He along with his classmates protested against the learning of Afrikaans language which was taught in schools . They wanted to learn their own language , Zulu but were forced to learn the Africaans language .
The police relentlessly beat the protesters and killed them . One of the bullets shot Hector and he was dead on 16th June 1976.
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS – A group of people with Nelson Mandela fought for the apartheid system for several years . After fighting for several years , they succeeded and in 1994 South Africa became a democratic country . Now, all races are treated and given opportunities equally. Nelson Mandela is a very celebrated and a remembered leader who led the country and helped apartheid end in South Africa.
Things to answer after reading the context :
- What is the need to have elections ?
- What is the time period in India for the government to stay in the government’s position ?
- What compels the government to change its decision?
Roles of People in Choosing Government
In the previous chapter we have already read that in a democratic country the people are the ones to elect the government and have a huge impact in the decision making of a government . The most important part of democracy is that it takes care about the opinions and views of the people in the country.
In India , the government can stay in power for the next five years after the election . If they want to continue , then they will again have to stand in elections and it is in the hands of the people whether they want to elect the same person or change them .
There are also other ways in which the people can express themselves other than elections . In August 2005 , the government increased the pay of electricity . People were not satisfied with this and expressed their grief in the form of rallies , signature campaigns , etc . The government tried to defend his decision but then had to again change his decision and listen to the people .
Dharnas , strikes are also other ways people take to make the government understand what actions should be taken and what not to be taken . Newspapers , magazines , and interviews play an important role in discussing government issues.
Do a quick research on Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Try to find out the similarity between their ways of protesting against the existing government.
MINORITY COMMUNITIES – Sometimes , even in a democratic country , people are not given equal rights . Especially the minority communities like Dalits , adivasis , women , etc are not able to participate in the same manner others do . It is our responsibility as the citizens that whenever we see any rallies or protests , we should find out the reason behind their protests . It gives us a sense on how the government works .
Do you think women are a minority community? Find out how women are discriminated against in the fields of work and salary. What is the position of women in politics today and do they earn a share as equal to men? Find out about the most infuential women of India.
Things to answer after reading the context :
- Give some examples of the conflicts you have seen till now ?
- How are the conflicts and differences solved ?
- How can rivers be a source of conflict between states ?
Conflicts can be Violating
India is a diverse country and it takes a lot of patience to handle the problems of such a country and that is where a state government plays its role. India has been a victim to lots of conflicts like religious conflict, land conflicts and even river conflicts. Conflicts generally occur when someone feels they are not being treated equally . When a particular religion , culture , etc feel that they are being discriminated against, they start raising their voices against it . Violation occurs when people try to settle their differences. Raising a voice against discrimiation is the best right that democracy allows us, but we as citizens need to understand that vandalism, that is breaking public property and being violent is not one of the best ways to protest. Our country got its independence from Gandhi’s values and we are to respect it. To protect the rights of the population, we have the Indian constitution.
THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION is supreme and is above everyone in the country. It has laws which are to be followed by the people as well as the government. The conflicts in the country are resolved as per the laws stated in the constitution.
The government plays an important role in solving the conflicts. At times , the violation goes to an extent that people do not think twice before harming others.
RIVERS – Sometimes , a river starts at a state , ends at another state and flows between some other state . This type of situation also leads to a conflict between states. E.g the conflict between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu due to the Cauvery water.
Things to answer after reading the context :
- How did Dr Ambedkar fight for the injustice happening to the ‘untouchables’ ?
- Give some ideas that should be put to provide equality and justice amongst people?
- What special provisions should the government take in the society in order to resolve the issues about inequality ?
Key Ideas of a Democratic Government
EQUALITY AND JUSTICE – For a democratic country , equality and justice should be amongst one of the top priorities . In earlier times , people had to fight a lot and many lives were sacrificed to bring this law . Dr Ambedkar was one of them who understood how wrong it is to discriminate between the poor and the rich and such activities should not be continued ever . The government also felt this and made several special provisions for such groups of the society .
A common issue is the discrimination between boys and girls . There are several steps taken by the government to overcome such injustices .
E.g , the fees of the girls are sometimes lowered in the government schools and colleges.
Just like girls, even boys are discriminated against. Don’t you think fees and other quotas should be kept on the basis of qualifications and economic status?
CONCLUSION – After several fights and conflicts , India is at this place . Still at some places there are several injustices , crimes , etc followed . It is our responsibility as the citizens of India to look into these matters and raise our voices against them .
DID YOU KNOW
- In 1993 , Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in peacefully ending apartheid in South Africa .
- International Human Rights is celebrated on December 10th.
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