Here is the notes of Class 6 NCERT Political Science – Chapter 3: “What is Government?
Government
- A government is a group of people with the authority to make decisions and enforce laws for a country.
- It helps run the country and takes care of people’s needs.
The government is needed to:
- Maintain law and order
- Protect the borders
- Provide facilities like roads, schools, and hospitals
- Make and enforce laws
- Solve disputes
- Collect and use taxes for public welfare
Levels of Government
- Local Level – Village, town, or city (Panchayats, Municipalities)
- State Level – Whole state (State Government)
- National Level – Whole country (Central Government)
Types of Government
Democracy
- It is the people who give the government this power.
- People elect their leaders.
- Leaders make decisions on behalf of the people.
- In a democracy the government has to explain its actions and defend its decisions to the people.
Monarchy
- Ruled by a king or queen.
- Power is usually inherited.
- The monarch may have a small group of people to discuss matter with, but the final decision-making power remains with the monarch.
- Kings queens do not have to explain their actions or defend the decisions they take.
Democratic Governments
- Democratic governments usually referred to as representative democracies.
- In democracy people have the power to elect their leaders.
- They choose their representatives through an election process.
- The basic idea is that people rule themselves by participating in the making of these rules.
Universal Adult Franchise
- Every adult citizen of a country, regardless of their caste, religion, gender, or social status, has right to vote in elections.
- American women got the right to vote in 1920.
- Women in the UK got right to vote in 1928.