NCERT Class 9 Political Science Democracy in the Contemporary World

Democracy in the Contemporary World

TWO TALES OF DEMOCRACY

“Workers of my homeland! I have faith in Chile and its future. Chileans will overcome this dark and bitter moment when treason became dominant. You must never forget that, sooner rather than later, the grand avenues will be opened where free men will march on to build a better society. Long live Chile! Long live the people! Long live the workers! These are my last words and I have certainty that my sacrifice will not be in vain; I have certainty that, at the least, I will be a moral lesson to castigate felony,  cowardice, and treason.”

These are some extracts from the last speech of Salvador Allende (pronounced Ayen-they). He was then the President of Chile, a country in South America. The speech was given on the morning of 11 September 1973, the day his government was overthrown by the commanders asked the President to resign. Allende refused to resign or leave the country. But realising the danger to the country and to his life, he addressed the people on the radio, part of which we read in the beginning. Then the military surrounded the President’s house and started bombing it. President Allende died in the military attack. This was the sacrifice he was talking about in his last speech. A government elected by people was overthrown by the military through conspiracy and violence. What took place in Chile on 11 September 1973 was a military coup. General Augusto Pinochet (pronounced Pinoshe), an Army general, led the coup. The government of the United States of America was unhappy with Allende’s rule and is known to have supported and funded activities that led to the coup. Pinochet became the President of the country and ruled it for the next 17 years. From a government that was elected by the people, the power shifted to the President Michelle Bachelet addressing her supporters  after her victory in the presidential election inJanuary 2006. From this  photograph do you noticeany difference between an election rally in Chile and in India? Did the army have any legal right to arrest the defence minister of the country? Should the army have the power to arrest any citizen?military officers. They could do as they wished and no one could question them.

Thus a military dictatorship was established in Chile. Pinochet’s government tortured and killed several of those who supported Allende and those who wanted democracy to be restored. These included General Alberto Bachelet of the Chilean Air Force and many other officers who refused to join the coup. General Bachelet’s wife and daughter were put in prison and tortured. More than 3,000 people were killed by the military. Many more were reported ‘missing’. No one knows what happened to them.

Restoration of Democracy Pinochet’s military dictatorship came to an end after he decided to hold a referendum in 1988. He felt confident that in this referendum, the people would say ‘yes’ to his continuing in power. But the people of Chile had not forgotten their democratic traditions. Their vote was a decisive ‘no’ to Pinochet. This led to Pinochet losing first his political and then his military powers. The hope Allende expressed in his last address was realised: felony, cowardice and treason were finally punished. Political freedom was  restored. Since then Chile has held four presidential elections in which different political parties have participated. Slowly, the army’s role in the country’s government has been eliminated. The elected governments that came to power ordered inquiries into Pinochet’s rule. These inquiries showed that his government was not only very brutal, but also very corrupt.

QUESTION

1. Which of the following does not lead to the spread of democracy?

a Struggle by the people

b Invasion by foreign countries

c End of colonialism

d People’s desire for freedom

2.Which of the following statement is true about today’s world?

a Monarchy as a form of government has vanished .

b The relationship between different countries has become more democratic than ever before.

c In more and more countries rulers are being elected by the people.

d There are no more military dictators in the world.

3.Use one of the following statements to complete the sentence: Democracy in the international organisations requires that …

a The rich countries should have a greater say.

b Countries should have a say according to their military power.

c Countries should be treated with respect in proportion to their population.

d All countries in the world should be treated equally.

4.What are the difficulties people face in a non-democratic country? Give answers drawing from the examples given in this chapter.

5.Which freedoms are ususally taken away when a democracy is overthrown by the military?

6.Which of the following positions can contribute to democracy at the global level? Give reasons for your answer in each case.

a My country gives more money to international institutions. Therefore, I want to be treated with more respect and exercise more power.

b My country may be small or poor. But my voice must be heard with equal respect, because these decisions will affect my country.

c Wealthy nations will have a greater say in international affairs. They cannot let their interests suffer just because they are outnumbered by poor nations.

d Big countries like India must have a greater say in international organisations.

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