CBSE Class 10 Political Science (Civics) Chapter 3 Notes - Democracy and Diversity

Democracy and Diversity

Diversity sets us all apart. It includes our backgrounds, personality, life experiences and beliefs, etc. The people put up their demands to those in power, but different groups have different demands because of they are all different. This leads to the creation of parties and groups based on language, religion, gender, class, etc. However, democracy allows politics to be based on multiple interests thus we can say that diversity allows working of democracy in a better way.

USA Civil Rights Movement

Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights movement in USA which lasted from 1954 to 1958. The movement was a struggle for social justice for the Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States of America. People followed the Gandhian methods of civil obedience against racist rules and regulations.

Social Differences

They are social identities that are based on individual choices and others are present right from the birth. They can either unite or even divide the society, if used for the purpose.

Social Divisions

It is a conflict based on various social inequalities, such as income, religion, lifestyle, etc. They can be divided into the following:

• Overlapping Differences

• Cross-cutting Differences

Factors Determining Social Divisions:

• How citizens comprehend their identity.

• How political leaders choose to raise the demand for a community.

• How the government reacts to the community's demand.

Important Questions and Answers

1. What is a homogeneous society?

Ans: A society that has similar types of people without ethnic discrepancies of any kind.

2. What is a Migrant?

Ans: Anyone who moves from one country or region to another for work, studies, etc.

3. What is the black power movement?

Ans: It is a movement that started in 1966 and went on until 1975. It movement advocated the use of violence under necessary conditions to end racism in the USA. Its goal was total racial equality.

4. What do you mean by accident of birth?

Ans: It is the origin of social difference based on the birth.

5. What do you mean by "based on choices"?

Ans: It is the origin of social difference based on the choices people make.

6. How can a social difference lead to a social division? Give an example.

Ans: If the social differences cross each another, it becomes difficult to avoid conflicts between the groups.

This leads to the creation of a ridge known as a social division.

7. What actions were taken against the three Olympians, Smith, Carlos, and Norman by the International Olympic Association?

Ans: Smith and Carlos were suspended from the US team in the Olympics. Norman Peter was not selected for the upcoming Olympic games.

Class 10 Social Science Political Science Chapter 3 Democracy And Diversity Notes

The Story of Two Athletes 

During the 1968 Olympics when two athletes named Tommie Smith and John Carlos, were called for the medal distribution ceremony, both the athletes wore black gloves on the one hand and raised the hand, making it a fist. They did this while the US National Anthem was played. The two athletes did this on purpose to protest against the social discrimination that was going on in the US. They were trying to attract the attention of all the people of the world towards the social discrimination in the United States. The Black gloves and the closed fist symbolized the power of black people or Black Power.

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What is Social Division?

Social Division is also termed as social difference or social discrimination. It is the difference that is created in society. This difference can be based on gender, colour, family background, caste, and many other criteria. These differences create inequality in society. The differences create a lot of hatred and harsh feeling in the minds of the people. 

Origin of Social Difference

Social discriminations are made basically in two ways, i.e., Accident by birth or By choice. Accident by Birth means here the discrimination is done based on birth. For example, if a person is short, born black, or has certain physical disabilities, he/she is discriminated against. This is not our choice if we are born black or are of short height. It is by birth, and we cannot do anything about that. There are certain discriminations made which are based on caste. Suppose if a child is born in a lower caste, he/she is discriminated against. This is called an Accident by birth discrimination.

On the other hand, Some differences are according to our choices. There can be discrimination for faith in god. There can be discrimination against certain religions. These choices of ours form a social group and lead us to discriminate. 

Types of Social Difference

Social difference simply means that one group of people are given more attention or preference than the other. Social discrimination or differences can be of two types: Overlapping Differences and Cross-cutting Differences.

Overlapping Differences: Overlapping differences create a situation of tension and deep divisions in society. In this type of difference, one category of division becomes more important or essential than other kinds of division. People start feeling a sense of detachment from the community they belong to. They start to think that they belong to another community. 

Cross-Cutting Differences:  This is another type of social difference. In cross-cutting difference, it so happens that a group that shares a common interest in a topic or an issue can be on a different side in case there is another issue. 

Politics And Social Difference

Politics is something that should be done on democratic terms. There should not be any discrimination in politics or political parties. There should be equality in politics. If political parties start to compete based on some social differences, it can lead to a devastating situation. The combination of politics and the social difference can prove to be very dangerous and disastrous for a nation. 

Democracy And Diversity Class 10 Notes

Students in Class 10 sometimes get confused about the social divisions and democracy. They don’t know the meaning of social discrimination and how democracy responds to it. The Class 10 Civics Chapter 3 Notes are the perfect solution to solve the doubts that students have regarding democracy and diversity. The Democracy and Diversity Notes by Vedantu explain the meaning of democracy and social divisions. Further in the chapter, the various types of social divisions are discussed in detail. Then moving further into the chapter, you will learn how democratic politics is affected by social differences. 

The Notes of Civics Class 10 Chapter 3 cover all the topics under the chapter and provide detailed information about the chapter to the students. Here we have summarised the chapter for the benefit of the students. The students can access and download the Class 10 Civics Chapter 3 Notes PDF for free here. The Democracy and Diversity Class 10 Notes give an overview of the chapter to the students. The notes cover all the topics that are given in the chapter. They also come with answers to all the questions given in the exercise of the chapter. These notes teach the students the importance of democracy and all about diversity and social divisions.