Power Sharing

Question 1

Why is power shared ?

Answer 1

To avoid corruption
And division causes less load and good efficiency

Question 2

Describe Belgium location

Answer 2

Belgium is a small country in Europe with a population of 1 cr
Share borders with france netherlands germany and Luxembourg

Question 3

What is the ethnic composition of Belgium throughout the country ?

Answer 3

The Dutch were in the majority 59% living in Flemish region
The French 🍟 were 40 % living in the Walloria region
Germans were 1%

Question 4

What was the capital of Belgium

Answer 4

Brussels

Question 5

Describe the ethnic composition of Brussels

Answer 5

Dutch were 20%
French were 80%

Question 6

What caused tension in Belgium?

Answer 6

The Dutch were in the majority in the country but the French were in majority in Brussels
French were rich and powerful

Question 7

Describe srilanka location

Answer 7

Island nation near tamil nadu
Population is 2 cr and diverse

Question 8

What was the ethnic composition of Srilanka based on language?

Answer 8

74%Sinhala
18% Tamil - 13% Sri Lankan tamils and 5% Indian Tamils

Question 9

What was the religious composition of Srilanka

Answer 9

The Buddhist was 74% (Sinhala )
The Christian were 7%
Muslims and Hindus were 19%

Question 10

What were the steps taken by Srilankan government

Answer 10

JLR
Job opportunities to only Sinhala
Sinhala became official language
Buddhist become official religion

Question 11

What was the reaction of Tamils to Sri Lanka suppression policy ?

Answer 11

Launched parties and struggle for
- Recognition of Tamil language
-Regionaal autonomy
- Equal opportunity
Demanded different Tamil state
Their demands weren’t listened to and they felt like outsiders which resulted in a civil war where thousands of people died.

Question 12

Why should the power not be in the hands of a few ?

Answer 12

Corruption
Poor decisions
Poor execution

Question 13

What is the difference between majoritarianism and democracy?

Answer 13

If A rules the country keeping both A and B equal then it’s democracy but if A suppress B who is in minority then it is majoritarianism

Question 14

What was the accommodation in Belgium??

Answer 14

In Belgium disregarding the difference the government took measures to balance the differences between people
Amended the constitution 4 times to solve the problem

Question 15

What are the elements of the Belgium Model ?

Answer 15

Both french and Dutch had equal rights in the govt
Brussels government with equal representation of French and Dutch
Division of power into state govt
French Dutch and German communities were formed so that internal community issues can be solved

Question 16

What was the result of Belgium Model ?

Answer 16

Many countries of Europe came together to form the European union at Brussels as the headquarters

Question 17

Why is power sharing desirable?

Answer 17

Prudential reason or practical reason - no conflicts between social community
Moral reason - emotional reason because power sharing is the spirit of democracy

Question 18

What are the forms of power sharing ??

Answer 18

Vertical - different amount of power some have more someone has less based on tiers or levels
Central ->State->Local
Horizontal - check and balance the form of power sharing the same amount of power in each organ
Judiciary legislative and executive
Among social groups - community government having community leaders of community to solve internal conflict
Among political parties pressure groups and movement - Power sharing in coalition government pressure groups and movement can pressure the govt to change law

Question 19

What is power sharing?

Answer 19

Power sharing is the distribution of power among different organs, levels, and social groups in a democracy to avoid the concentration of power.

Question 20

Why is the community government in Belgium a unique example of power sharing?

Answer 20

It gives cultural autonomy to each linguistic group, regardless of region, maintaining unity without forcing uniformity.

Question 21

Did Sri Lanka fail in power sharing? Why?

Answer 21

Yes, it followed majoritarianism, ignoring minority rights → conflict.

Question 22

Assertion (A): Power sharing is good for democracy.
Reason (R): It helps reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.

Answer 22

Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation

Question 23

Assertion (A): In Belgium, the majority community always dominated the government.
Reason (R): Belgium had a unitary form of government.

Answer 23

A is false, R is false

Question 24

Assertion (A): Sri Lanka established Sinhala as the only official language.
Reason (R): Sri Lanka wanted to ensure equality among all linguistic groups.

Answer 24

A is true, R is false

Question 25

Match the power sharing form with its example: a. Horizontal Power Sharing b. Vertical Power Sharing c. Power Sharing among social groups d. Power Sharing among political parties Options: India – Union and State Governments Judiciary and Executive Community Government in Belgium Coalition Government

Answer 25

a → 2, b → 1, c → 3, d → 4

Question 26

The principle of power sharing is the very spirit of _______.

Answer 26

democracy

Question 27

The _______ government in Belgium had equal representation of both Dutch and French-speaking people.

Answer 27

central

Question 28

Power shared among different organs at the same level is called _______ power sharing.

Answer 28

horizontal

Question 29

In Belgium, the Dutch-speaking population lived mostly in the Wallonia region.

Answer 29

False (They lived mostly in the Flemish region)

Question 30

Sri Lanka successfully accommodated the demands of the Tamil minority

Answer 30

False

Question 31

The system of checks and balances exists due to horizontal power sharing.

Answer 31

True

Question 32

Look at the diagram of Belgium’s government structure. What is the role of the community government?

Answer 32

The community government handles matters related to culture, education, and language for each linguistic group, regardless of the region.

Question 33

Imagine a country with two major ethnic groups. One group always gets preference in language and jobs. Which country does this resemble from the chapter and why?

Answer 33

Sri Lanka—it followed majoritarianism, giving preference to Sinhalese over Tamils.

Question 34

How is majoritarianism different from accomodation in Belgium

Answer 34

Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka refers to the policy where the majority community, the Sinhalese, used its numerical strength to dominate the minorities, especially the Tamils. After independence, the Sri Lankan government adopted policies that promoted Sinhalese as the only official language and gave special status to Buddhism. These measures ignored the cultural and political rights of the Tamil minority, leading to feelings of alienation, widespread dissatisfaction, and ultimately, a long civil conflict In contrast, Belgium followed a policy of accommodation to respect the cultural and linguistic diversity of its population. Despite the Dutch-speaking people being in the majority, Belgium did not impose their dominance. Instead, both Dutch and French-speaking communities were given equal representation in the central government. Moreover, a separate community government was created for each linguistic group to manage cultural, educational, and language-related issues. This approach helped maintain peace and unity by ensuring fair power sharing among all communities. Thus, while Sri Lanka’s majoritarian approach led to conflict and division, Belgium’s accommodative model promoted harmony and stability.