Chapter 3: What Is Government?

What Is Government?

A government is an organized system and body of people that has the authority to make and enforce laws for a country or community. Every country requires a government to make crucial decisions, manage resources, and ensure the smooth functioning of society.

The functions of a government are vast and impact our daily lives. These responsibilities include:

• Development of Infrastructure: Making decisions on where to build essential facilities like roads, schools, and hospitals.
• Economic Management: Regulating the economy, such as controlling the prices of essential goods or ensuring a stable supply of electricity.
• Social Welfare Programs: Creating and running programs to support vulnerable populations, particularly the poor.
• Public Services: Operating essential national services like the postal system and railways.
• National Security: Protecting the country's borders and maintaining peaceful diplomatic relationships with other nations.
• Citizen Welfare: Ensuring that all citizens have access to basic needs like food and healthcare facilities.
• Disaster Management: Organizing and leading relief and rescue efforts during natural calamities like earthquakes or tsunamis.
• Maintaining Law and Order: The judicial system, including the courts, is a part of the government responsible for resolving disputes and punishing crime.

The necessity for a government arises from the need for organization whenever people live and work together. It provides leadership, makes rules that apply to everyone, and implements decisions to ensure the security and well-being of its citizens.

Levels Of Government

To effectively govern a large and diverse country like India, the government operates at three distinct levels. This division of power ensures that issues are managed efficiently at the appropriate scale, from a local village to the entire nation.

The Three Levels of Government

1. Local Level: This level of government functions within a specific village, town, or locality. It addresses the day-to-day problems and needs of the local community, such as sanitation, water supply, and the maintenance of local parks and roads.
2. State Level: This government is responsible for managing the affairs of an entire state, such as Assam, Haryana, or West Bengal. Its jurisdiction covers state-wide issues like state police, public health, and agriculture.
3. National Level (Central Government): This is the highest level of government, which makes decisions for the entire country. Its responsibilities include matters of national importance like defence, foreign affairs, currency, and national highways.

Laws And The Government

A core function of the government is to create laws that all people living in the country must follow. However, making laws is only half the job. The government must also have the power to enforce these laws. Without enforcement, the decisions and laws made by the government would be ineffective.

For example, there is a law that requires anyone driving a motor vehicle to possess a valid license. If a person is caught violating this law, the government, through its police force, has the power to impose a penalty, such as a fine or imprisonment. This power of enforcement ensures that laws are taken seriously.

Furthermore, citizens also have recourse through the legal system. If an individual feels that a law is not being followed or that they have been treated unjustly—for instance, being denied a job due to their religion or caste—they have the right to approach the courts. The judiciary can then intervene and issue orders to ensure the law is upheld and justice is served.

Types Of Government

The source of a government's power to make and enforce laws depends on the type of government a country has. The two primary forms discussed are democracy and monarchy.

Democratic Governments

India is a democracy, a system achieved after a long and hard-fought struggle for independence. The fundamental principle of a democracy is that power rests with the people; it is, in essence, rule by the people.

Representative Democracy

In modern times, most democracies are representative democracies. Given the large populations of most countries, it is not practical for all citizens to participate directly in making every decision. Instead, people elect representatives through an election process. These elected officials (like Members of Parliament or State Legislatures) meet, form the government, and make decisions for the entire population they represent.

Universal Adult Franchise

A defining feature of a true democracy today is universal adult franchise. This principle guarantees that all adult citizens in the country have the right to vote. This right is granted irrespective of a person's wealth, education, caste, religion, or gender.

Historically, this was not the case. In early forms of government, the right to vote was restricted to a small minority of men who were educated and owned property. Women, the poor, and the uneducated were denied this fundamental right. Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders were appalled by this unfairness and demanded that every adult should have the right to vote.

The Women's Suffrage Movement

The right to vote was not given willingly to all. Across the world, women and the poor had to fight for it. The movement for women's voting rights is known as the women's suffrage movement (suffrage means the right to vote). This struggle intensified during World War I, when women took on jobs previously considered "men's work," challenging unfair stereotypes about their capabilities. The suffragettes used various protest methods, including chaining themselves to railings and holding hunger strikes, to demand their rights. Their persistence led to historic victories, with American women gaining the right to vote in 1920 and women in the UK getting equal voting rights in 1928.