Experts have designed these Class 7 SST Notes Chapter 9 How the Land Becomes Sacred Class 7 Notes for effective learning.
Class 7 From the Rulers to the Ruled Types of Governments Notes
Class 7 SST Chapter 9 From the Rulers to the Ruled Types of Governments Notes
Class 7 SST Chapter 9 Notes – From the Rulers to the Ruled Types of Governments Notes Class 7
→ Administration: A group which manages and carries out rules, plans, and decisions in an organisation or government.
→ External aggression: Hostile actions or attacks carried out by a foreign country or entity against another nation.
→ Safeguarding: Protecting something from harm, danger, or damage to ensure its safety and security.
→ Stability: Steadiness and control without sudden changes.
→ Security: Protection from harm or danger.
→ Authority: The power or right to make decisions, give orders, or enforce rules.
→ Representatives: People chosen to speak or act for others, especially in a government or organisation.
→ Mural: A large picture painted on a wall.
→ Equality: Treating everyone the same way.
→ Freedom: The ability to do what you want without being stopped by others.
→ Representative participation: When people choose others to make decisions for them.
→ Universal adult franchise: The right for all adults to vote.
→ Fundamental rights: Basic rights that everyone should have, like the right to speak freely or be treated equally.
→ Independent judiciary: Courts that make decisions based on the law, not influenced by the government.
→ Accountable: Being responsible for one’s actions and decisions, especially to the people.
→ Universal Adult Suffrage: The right for all adult citizens to vote.
→ Executive: The part of the government that makes sure laws are carried out.
→ Legislature: The part of the government that makes laws.
→ Upper house and lower house: The lower house, elected by voting, is more powerful. In India, it’s the Lok Sabha; the upper house is the Rajya Sabha.
→ Nomination: Selecting members without voting.
→ Separation of power: The three parts of the government – legislature, executive, and judiciary – work on their own and don’t get involved in each other’s work.
→ Monarch: A king, queen, or emperor who rules a country.
→ Inscriptions: Text or writing that is carved, engraved, or written on a surface (on stone, metal or wood), often for memorial or historical purposes.
→ Dismissal: The act of removing someone from a position or job.
→ Slaves: People who are owned, by another person and forced to work without pay.
→ Immense power: Strong ability to control or affect something.
→ Subjugate: To bring someone or something under control or domination.
→ Dynasty: A family of rulers or leaders that maintains power over generations.
→ Corruption: Dishonest or unethical behaviour, often by people in power.
→ Sovereign: A supreme ruler or the highest authority, often in a country.
→ Adjudicating: Making a decision to settle a dispute or legal matter.
→ Nominal power: Power that exists in title only, with little or no actual control or influence.
→ Fundamental: Basic, essential, or most important part of something.
→ Islamic clerics: Religious leaders or scholars in Islam who are experts in Islamic law and teachings.
→ Holocaust: The mass killing of Jews and other minorities by Nazis of Germany.
→ Caricature: An exaggerated drawing or description of someone, often for humour.
→ Merciless: Showing no pity or compassion, being ruthless.
→ Political Commentators: People who talk about and explain political events and issues.
→ Manipulation: Unfairly controlling someone or something for personal gain.
From the Rulers to the Ruled Types of Governments Class 7th Notes
WHAT IS GOVERNMENT?
WHAT ARE ITS FUNCTIONS?
- Governments are essential for maintaining law and order, national defence and ensuring the well-being and security of citizens.
- It also plays an important role in giving public services like education, healthcare, and roads, handling the economy, and improving people’s lives.
WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
- Democracy means ‘rule of the people’, where people have the power to choose their leaders by voting and take part in decision-making.
A school example
- Students decided to vote and choose their representatives for a committee, showing how democracy gives everyone a fair chance to participate.
- Choosing one representative from each grade through voting is a democratic way to form a student committee, as it ensures everyone’s voice is heard and helps make decisions and implementation easier and fair for all.
FUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT
- The functions of government include making rules through the legislative function, enforcing them through the executive function, and ensuring they are followed through the judicial function.
- Democracy, also known as the rule of the people, means that citizens have the power to elect their leaders to run the country. Different countries use different ways to select their leaders.
- Former US President Abraham Lincoln described democracy as a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” a phrase still commonly used today.
WHAT MAKES GOVERNMENTS DIFFERENT?
- Each country’s government evolves over time, shaped by its unique history, culture, and aspirations. As a result, governments vary from country to country.
Key differences between governments
Who gets to decide that ‘this is the government’?
The source of authority differs in governments. In democracies, the people have the power, while in theocracies, authority comes from religious beliefs and their religions leaders.
How is the government formed?
Governments in democracies are formed through elections, while in monarchies, leadership is passed within royal families. Other systems may have different methods.
What are the different parts of the government and what do they do?
Governments have different branches, such as legislative, executive, and judiciary, which may be separate or combined. These roles are usually outlined in a constitution, or determined by a king in monarchy.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD
- Democracy is the most widely adopted form of government today. Although democratic governments vary, they all follow certain key principles.
Fundamental principles of democracy:
- Equality
- Freedom
- Representative participation
- Universal adult franchise
- Fundamental rights
- Independent judiciary
- These principles have developed over time. For instance, India gave voting rights to all adults in 1950, while Switzerland did so for women only in 1971. Even if not fully followed, these ideals should guide every democracy.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS
Direct Democracy
In this type, all citizens take part in making laws and decisions directly. Though a few countries like Switzerland follow it in some ways today, it’s difficult to apply in large countries like India, because involving everyone in every decision slows down the process.
Representative Democracy
In representative democracy, people elect leaders to make decisions for them. The government is responsible to the people. For example, elections are held every five years in India and every four years in the USA, giving citizens the chance to choose new representatives.
- Most countries today have representative democracies, but each one works in its own way. There are two forms of Representative Democracy Presidential democracy and parliamentary democracy.
(a) Parliamentary Democracy
In a parliamentary democracy such as India, the Prime Minister and ministers come from the parliament and stay in power only while they have the support of the Lok Sabha. Citizens vote to choose the parliament, and the ministers are selected from those elected members.
(b) Presidential Democracy
In this system, the president is elected by the people and works separately from the legislature, without needing its support like USA. In India, states like Karnataka and Kerala have their own governments but are still under the Union Government.
What do these terms mean?
(a) Executive : The executive is the branch of government that implements and enforces laws.
- It includes the President, Prime Minister, Ministers and government officials who run different departments like police, defence, (army, air force and navy) etc.
(b) Legislature: The legislature is the branch of government that makes laws.
- In India, it mainly refers to the Parliament, which has two parts: the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Upperhouse and Lower House: Upper House is called Rajya Sabha.
- It is also called the Council of States as it represents the states of India.
- Its Members are mostly elected by State Legislature.
- It has 250 members.
Lower House is called Lok Sabha: It is also called the House of the People.
- It represents the citizens directly.
- Its Members are elected by the people through general elections.
- It has 545 members.
(c) Judiciary: The judiciary ensures that laws and rules are followed. They decide the quantum of punishment when laws or rules are not followed.
Separation of Power: It means that the three branches of government Legislative, Executive and Judiciary are independent of each other.
- Each branch has its own powers and responsibilities.
- This system helps to prevent abuse of power and keeps the government fair and balanced.
A PEEK INTO HISTORY
Early Republics
- A republic is a system of government where the leader is elected by the people, rather than taking the position by birthright as a monarch does.
- In ancient India, the Vajji mahajanapada, which included the Lichchhavi clan, selected leaders based on their abilities, not their family background. Key roles were filled through elections, and decisions for the people’s well-being were made collectively by representatives from various clans who gathered regularly to address issues. These systems are seen as early forms of republics.
- The voice of the common people has been important for centuries. A good example is the 10th-century CE Uttaramerur inscriptions from Tamil Nadu, which talk about the Chola period’s village sabha elections. They explain how sealed ballot boxes were used, what qualifications members needed, their duties, and the reasons they could be removed, such as being involved in corruption.
- During the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, republics were also seen in places such as Rome and Greece. In certain Greek regions, voting rights were given only to free men, excluding women, workers, and slaves. Some areas, however, had a system where decisions were controlled by a small, privileged group.
OTHER FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
- Democracy is the most common type of government today, but there are other types of government too.
Monarchy
- Mahajanapadas were ruled by kings who took advice from the sabha or samiti. These kings were expected to follow the guidance of these groups. As empires grew in India, kings became more powerful. However, they still needed help from ministers and officials to run the empire. Many kings also asked wise scholars for advice on dharma. Yet, there were some rulers who misused their power to oppress their people.
- Unlike some regions where kings had absolute power, Indian rulers did not have complete dominance. While some kings claimed divine approval for their rule, Indian rajas were expected to follow rajadharma, which meant ruling fairly and caring for their people. However, not all rulers managed to do this successfully.
Monarchies Today
- A monarchy is a type of government where a king or queen is the ruler. Most of the time, their child, usually the son, becomes the next king.
- There are two types of monarchy: Absolute and Constitutional monarchy.
Absolute Monarchy
- In certain countries, the ruler holds full authority to create laws, enforce them, and decide punishments. This system is known as an absolute monarchy. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, the king governs with complete power under Islamic law. Although he appoints a council, including some women, to advise him, he is not obliged to follow their advice.
Constitutional monarchy
- In a constitutional monarchy, the country has a king or queen, but they have only a symbolic role. The real power is held by the elected parliament and the prime minister. For example, in the United Kingdom, the government is run by the prime minister, so the country works like a parliamentary democracy even though it has a monarch.
THEOCRACY
- A theocracy is a type of government where religious leaders rule, and laws are based on religious teachings.
- Iran, also called the “Islamic Republic of Iran,” has a system that mixes theocracy and democracy. Its laws are based on Islamic principles, and Islam is the country’s official religion. The Supreme Leader, chosen by Islamic clerics, has the most power and stays in charge without a fixed term. Meanwhile, an elected president and parliament handle the country’s daily affairs, aiming to create a society based on Islamic values.
DICTATORSHIP
- A dictatorship is a type of government where absolute power rests with one person or a small group, with no legal or constitutional limits. During the 20th century, leaders like Adolf Hitler in Germany and Idi Amin in Uganda became infamous for imposing harsh and oppressive conditions on their citizens.
- Adolf Hitler, the German dictator, and Idi Amin, the military dictator of Uganda, were notorious 20th-century leaders. Hitler’s actions led to World War II and the Holocaust, while Amin was responsible for the deaths of thousands and the forced exile of many Indians.
OLIGARCHY
- ‘Oligarchy’ comes from Greek, meaning “rule by a few.” It refers to a government controlled by a small, powerful group, often wealthy families or influential individuals. In ancient Greece, aristocratic families ruled as oligarchs, and in modern times, some democracies show oligarchic traits when a few politicians and business elites dominate governance.
WHY DEMOCRACY MATTERS
- Democracy matters because it allows people to have a voice in how they are governed, protects their rights, and ensures that leaders are responsible to the public. It promotes fairness, equality, and peaceful change.