Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Understand the Heading

Power Sharing
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

What we are going to study in this chapter?

❖ Belgium and Sri Lanka

❖ Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka

❖ Accommodation in Belgium

❖ Why Power Sharing is desirable?

❖ Forms of power-sharing
Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Belgium and Sri Lanka

Ethnic composition of Belgium

● 59 per cent lives in the Flemish region

and speaks Dutch language.

● Another 40 per cent people live in the

Wallonia region and speak French.

● Remaining one per cent of the Belgians

speak German.

● In the capital city Brussels, 80 per cent

people speak French while 20 per cent
are Dutchspeaking.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Reasons for Tension

● The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful.

● This was resented by the Dutch-speaking community who got the benefit of economic
development and education much later.

● The tension between the two communities was more acute in Brussels.

● Brussels presented a special problem: the Dutch-speaking people constituted a majority in

the country, but a minority in the capital.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Ethnic composition of Sri Lanka

● Sri Lanka has a diverse population.

● The major social groups are the Sinhala-speakers (74 per

cent) and the Tamil-speakers (18 per cent).

Among Tamils there are two subgroups.

● Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’

(13 per cent).

● The rest, whose forefathers came from India as plantation

workers during colonial period, are called ‘Indian Tamils’.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Religious Composition

● Most of the Sinhala speaking people are Buddhists, while most of the Tamils
are Hindus or Muslims.

● There are about 7 per cent Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala.

Analyse the situation

Possibility of majority dominance and conflicts.

 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka

● Sri Lanka got independence in 1948.

Majority Sinhalas

Sought to secure dominance over

government by virtue of their majority.

Majoritarianism

A belief that the majority community should be able to

rule a country in whichever way it wants, by
disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Steps taken to establish Sinhala supremacy are -

● In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus
disregarding Tamil.

● The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for
university positions and government jobs.

● A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

Impact
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Impact of Steps taken to establish Sinhala supremacy

All these government measures increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils.

● They felt that the Buddhist Sinhala leaders were not sensitive to their language and culture.

● They felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights.

● Discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests.

As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over time.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Reaction of Sri Lankan Tamils

● The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for

the recognition of Tamil as an official language, for
regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in
securing education and jobs.
Civil War
● By 1980s several political organisations were formed
demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in
northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
The civil war has caused a
● The distrust between the two communities turned into
terrible setback to the social,
widespread conflict.
cultural and economic life of
the country.
Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation
Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

V/S
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Accommodation in Belgium

Belgium Differences Diversity Conflicts

● The Belgian leaders took a different path.

● They recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities.

Explain
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Some of the elements of the Belgian model of Accommodation are:

➔ Between 1970 and 1993, they amended their constitution four times so as to work
out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same
country.
1. 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.

2. Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of
the two regions of the country. The state governments are not subordinate to the
Central Government.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Some of the elements of the Belgian model of Accommodation are:

● Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation.

The French Speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the
Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal representation in the Central Government.

● Apart from the Central and the State Government, there is a third kind of government.

‘Community government’ is elected by people belonging to one language community - Dutch,

French and German-speaking - no matter where they live. This government has the power
regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Belgian model is very complicated.

● But these arrangements have worked well so far.

● They helped to avoid civic strife between the two

major communities and a possible division of the
country on linguistic lines.

● When many countries of Europe came together to

form the European Union, Brussels was chosen as
its headquarters.

Conclusion European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium

 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Why Power Sharing is Desirable?

Prudential Moral

Power sharing is good because it helps Power sharing is the very spirit
to reduce the possibility of conflict of democracy.
between social groups.

Explain
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Prudential reasons for power sharing

● Social conflict often leads to violence and political instability, power sharing is a good
way to ensure the stability of political order.

● Imposing the will of majority community over others may look like an attractive option
in the short run, but in the long run it undermines the unity of the nation.

● Tyranny of the majority is not just oppressive for the minority; it often brings ruin to the
majority as well.

It is prudential to share power because it helps to reduce the possibility of

conflict between social groups.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Moral reasons for power sharing

● Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy.

● A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise,
and who have to live with its effects.

● People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.

● A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire

a stake in the system.

While prudential reasons stress that power sharing will bring out better outcomes,
moral reasons emphasise the very act of power sharing as valuable.
Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Forms of Power Sharing

Power sharing and idea associated with it.

All power of a government must Emergence of democracy

reside in one person or group.

● People are the source of all political

power.
Why?
● Everyone has a voice in the shaping
of public policies.
∴ Political Power Should be distributed
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

In modern democracies, power sharing arrangements can take many forms.

1. Power is shared among different organs of government.

Horizontal distribution of power.

● Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can

exercise unlimited power.
● Each organ checks the others.
● This results in a balance of power among various
institutions.

System of checks and balances

Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Executive Legislature Judiciary

 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

2. Power can be shared among government at different levels.

Central

Vertical form of power sharing

State

Federal government
Local

● In a federal government power is shared between a general government for the entire
country and governments at the provincial or regional level.

Federal division of power

 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

3. Power may also be shared among different social groups.

Social Group Groups based on the basis of religion and language.

● ‘Community government’ in Belgium is a good example of this arrangement.

● In some countries there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially
weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and administration.

Reserved Constituencies
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

Advantages of sharing power among different social groups

● This type of arrangement is meant to give space in the

government and administration to diverse social groups who
otherwise would feel alienated from the government.

● This method is used to give minority communities a fair share in

power.
 Class 10th - Civics - Power Sharing - One Shot - Chapter Explanation

4. Power can be shared by political parties, pressure groups and movements.

Democracy Political parties Competition

● Such competition ensures that power does not remain in one hand.
● Power is shared among different political parties that represent different ideologies
and social groups.

Example -
➔ Coalition government.
➔ In a democracy, we find interest groups such as those of traders, businessmen,
industrialists, farmers and industrial workers.