Class IX - Democracy In the Contemporary World

Class IX - Democracy In the Contemporary World

Questions within the Lesson

Page No. 3

Q.1. President Salvador Allende (wearing a helmet) and his security guards in front of La Moneda, Chile’s Presidential Palace, on 11 September, 1973, hours before his death.What do you read on everyone’s face in this photograph?

Ans. Fear. Anxiety.

Q.2. Why did President Allende address himself mainly to workers? Why were the rich unhappy with him?

Ans. He addressed the workers because they were his biggest supporters. He had taken several policy decisions as President to help the poor and the workers, and he had faith in them. The rich were against him because of his policies, which supported the poor and taxed the rich.

Page No. 4

Q.3. President Michelle Bachelet addressing her supporters after her victory in the presidential election in January 2006. From this photograph do you notice any difference between an election rally in Chile and in India?

Ans. In India the people never sit or stand so close to the speaker. They are always kept far away, or behind a fence by the police. The speaker is always surrounded by body guards carrying firearms. The setting is more formal.

Page No. 6

Q.4. Why was an independent trade union so important in Poland? Why are trade unions necessary?

Ans. Poland had only one workers union controlled by the Polish United Workers’ Party. So there was autocratic rule of this party. People could not form independent unions which voiced their grievances. There was no freedom of speech. Trade unions are necessary as they help in maintaining or improving the conditions of the workers. They represent the workers’ views and demands to the management and fight for their rights.

Page No. 10

Q.5. Looking at these maps, which period do you find most important in the expansion of democracy? Why?

Ans. The period after 1975 till  2000 AD. In this period most of the countries in Africa became independent and supported democratic governments. The USSR broke up and 15 independent states emerged, most of them choosing democracy. Same is true of South America.

Page No. 12

Q.6. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, the capital of Ghana. This park was commissioned in 1992, twenty years after Nkrumah passed away. What might have caused this delay?

Ans. The delay in the commission of the Kwane Nkrumah Memorial must be due to the fact that in 1966 Nkrumah was overthrown by the military in Ghana. It was only after the return to democracy in 1992, that a tribute to the first democratic leader in Africa was paid in the form of this Memorial.

Page No. 13

Q.7. This cartoon appeared in 2005 when Aung San Suu Kyi turned 60. What is the cartoonist saying here? Will the army rulers feel happy with this cartoon?

Ans. Cartoon :  No. The cartoon mocks the military rulers. They wish Suu Kyi a happy birthday by putting her in jail. Her 60th birthday cake is in the form or shape of a jail.

Q.8. What should be the policy of the government of India towards the military rulers of Myanmar?

Ans. The Government of India can support Suu Kyi in all international forums and demand her freedom without interfering in the domestic affairs of the government of Myanmar. It must fight for her freedom under Human Rights.

Page No. 14

Q.9. This cartoon was published in Mexico in 2005 and was titled ‘International Games’. Which games is the cartoonist talking about here? What does the ball symbolise? Who are the players?

Ans. Cartoon : ‘International Games’ refers to the politics between superpowers and the terrorists. The ball represents the rest of the world kicked around in the struggle.

Q.10. Should there be a world government? If yes, who should elect it? And what powers should it have?

Ans. Yes a world government like the UN. It should have representatives of all the nations, with each nation given the same status. Each nation should send its own representatives, elected by the people. They should have powers to fight for Human Rights and Democracy.

Page No. 15

Q.11. Should the permanent members of the UN give up the power to veto?

Ans. Yes, they should. The five veto powers should not be allowed to dictate terms to the rest of

the world.

Page No. 16

Q.12. Wolfowitz was a senior official in the Department of Defence in the US (commonly called Pentagon). He was an aggressive supporter of the invasion of Iraq. The cartoon comments on his appointment as the President of the World Bank. What does the cartoon tell us about the relationship between the World Bank and the US?

Ans. The cartoon exposes the aggressive policies of the US. Wolfowitz claims, “I worked for peace at the Pentagon” and backed US attack on Iraq! He is going to do the same at the World Bank. Support US aggression with the help of the World Bank. It shows how the US is dominating the world policies.

Page No. 17

Q.13. The cartoon “Cactus of Democracy” was published in 2004. What does the cactus look

like here? Who is gifting it, and to whom? What is the message?

Ans. The cactus looks like the Statue of Liberty in the USA. Iraq is gifting it to the US Army. It

clearly states that the Iraqis do not want liberty forced on them by the US Army, a liberty

which destroyed their country in a war.

Page No. 18

Q.14. ‘Helping Democracy’ was a comment on the presence of US forces during the elections in Iraq. Do you think the cartoon can apply to many other situations? Identify some examples from this chapter which this cartoon can help understand.

Ans. Yes this cartoon gives an indirect message to all. External force can never establish democracy in any country. The presence of the US Armed forces have forced people to vote. But this kind of election cannot be sustained for long. Any government, imposed on the people by external force, cannot last long. We have learnt from the lesson how all military rulers were overthrown by the people. Democracy can be established only when people of the country want it and struggle for it. We have the examples of Chile, Poland, Ghana and the break-up of the mighty USSR.