Question

Analyse the popular struggles in the development of democracy.

Answer 1

Hint:
Democracy is the form of government in which people have the authority to choose their governing representatives. Freedom of assembly and speech, inclusiveness and equality, right to life and minority rights, voting etc. are some of the cornerstones of democracy.

Complete step by step solution:
Popular struggles have played a major role in the development of democracy worldwide. It is an integral part of the working of the democracy because of the following reasons:

- Popular struggles deepen democracy and ensure a greater participation of people. It happens through meetings, processions which make people more vigilant and aware.

- It represents and accommodates the diverse interests of the people.

- These struggles lead to mass mobilization which empowers them enough so much so that the collective voice has the strength to topple even the most oppressive governments.

- It instilled a sense of courage among the people to fight for their rights and be governed by the people who would take care of their livelihood.

- They have been happening since ancient times when Nandas were toppled by Chandragupta Maurya and Kautilya through mass mobilization against the oppressive policies of the government.

- Popular struggles in the 18th century like American Revolution and French revolution helped to bring in full democracy in USA and France respectively.

- Indian freedom struggle is one of the biggest examples of popular struggles. It helped us to topple the mightiest of the colonial empires by the British.

Note:
Democracy is the only form of government in which people can show their dissent and different individual groups can express their feelings. Nepal’s struggle for restoration of democracy is another instance where popular struggle has been used in the development of democracy.