CBSE Class 6 Political Science (Civics) Chapter 3 Notes - What Is Government

Revision Notes
Class – 6 Social Science Political Science

Chapter 3 - What Is a Government?
● We always hear the term ‘government.’ But do we know what it means? Is it

a manner to rule over the people? Is it a means to bind people by rule of law?
Is it a means to protect and defend the country?
● Definition of a Government
Here is a big shocker - even big philosophers and political analysts differ in
their definition of the government.
John Locke had said once that government is a complex machinery that
protects the ‘natural rights’ - the right to life, property and to live freely - of
the people.
❖ Montesquieu on the other hand was not a believer of natural rights. He thought
that when human beings lived without a society without forming any group,
they felt unsafe and remained timid. As they formed society, they became
fearless because now they were in a big group. Once the societies and the
groups became fearless, there was a chance of war among the groups and even
among themselves within the group. This led to the formation of the
government so that human beings could then be protected and law and order
could prevail.
❖ Rousseau’s idea of government is also quite progressive. According to him,

it is true that natural rights of human beings should not be revoked by anyone.
But the machinery upon which people have entrusted the responsibility of
protecting their rights is fraud & harmful. According to him, the government
should be made up of all the people living in the nation-state.
❖ So, what then can be the definition of a government in a modern world? It is

a mixture of all above philosophies. A government is there to perform its basic
duties necessary to make the nation keep moving forward. It functions as the
gatekeeper of the rights of the people. However, in modern world, it is not
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practically possible for all the people to take part in the governance directly.
So what they do is, they elect people to power who, on their behalf, would
then later form the government.
● The Jobs of the Government

Generally speaking, the primary job of a government is to run the country.
Now there are various aspects to running a country.
❖ The government also looks after the development of the country. It decides
where to build roads, hospitals or a school. It makes sure that the facilities like
electricity, water etc reach the maximum number of people in the country.
❖ The government takes care of the economy of the country. It controls the
inflation (excessive price rise) and it makes sure that the factories,
manufacturing units & industries remain healthy so that the country advances
financially. It is also responsible for controlling the banking system of the
country.
❖ The government, with the help of armed forces, makes sure that the borders
of the nation are protected from any foreign attacks. It also maintains amicable
relationships with its neighbouring countries through diplomacy and other
policies.
❖ The government in a welfare state then makes sure that the people of the
country have food to eat. It makes special arrangements for poor people. In
times of disasters, the government helps the people with necessary aids.
❖ The government also has the judicial arm - the court to resolve quarrels
between the citizens of the country.
● Levels of the Government

❖ A country is a huge area. Millions of people live in a country. It is not possible
for a centralised government to govern, protect and develop all the parts of
the huge country. To solve this problem, leaders have come up with different
levels of the government.

❖ We have various state governments to look after affairs of the states, to protect
and defend the people living in the states. Then there are focused local
governments which emphasises on developing a particular area of the state &
helping the people of that are. The duty of central government is to develop,
govern, and protect the whole country in a general manner.
❖ This kind of decentralised form of government is known the federal
government. In India, we also see such a type of government.
● India has states like Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra etc. These states also have
their respective state governments. These states also consist of municipalities
and Panchayats - these are the local form of governments.
● How Does Government Make Sure That Its Rules Are Followed?
So, government generally formulates rules to manage the economy, build
roads, stop people from encroaching on the properties of others. But why do
people listen to governments?
People listen to governments because the government’s legislative arm creates

laws so that there remains an order and peace in society. For example, as your
book says, every person who wants to drive a motor vehicle has to first obtain
driver’s licence. Without driver’s licence, it is illegal to drive a vehicle and it
is punishable. This rule is also enforced with the help of laws concerning
motor vehicles.
There are certain laws that prevent others from entering the property of others
without permission. The citizens, themselves can use such laws to protect
themselves.
● Types of Governments
❖ There are many types of governments. The most popular type of government
that we see around us is the democratic government. In a democratic
government, people elect the leaders who would govern the nation on their
behalf. The merit of democratic government is that the people have a say in
the way the government functions.

❖ In the olden days, there was monarchy where the King had the sovereign
power. People would also not elect the King. Generally, the rule was dynastic
in nature. Most of time, King had little regard for the desires and expectations
of the people.
❖ Again, in many countries, we see dictatorial governments where one man or

one government has every power. That man or that government stifles
freedom of the people & does everything to make sure that the power remains
with the man or the government.
● India Is a Democracy
India is also a democracy. The people of India take part in the election where
they choose people who would then represent them in the assembly. This kind
of democracy is known as representative democracy because here, instead of
directly participating in the governance, the people choose their
representatives who would do that work.
But India was not democracy from beginning. Before the British came, India
was ruled by Kings and dynasties. When the British came, India became the
subject of British rule. It is the sacrifice of the freedom fighters that has helped
India gain democracy. In India any adult - be it, man or woman - has the right
to vote. This is known as the Universal Adult Franchise - a major criterion for
any country to call itself democratic

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Revision Notes

Class – 6 Social Science Political Science

● We always hear the term ‘government.’ But do we know what it means? Is it

❖ Rousseau’s idea of government is also quite progressive. According to him,

❖ So, what then can be the definition of a government in a modern world? It is

Class VI Social Science www.vedantu.com 1

● The Jobs of the Government

● Levels of the Government

Class VI Social Science www.vedantu.com 2

People listen to governments because the government’s legislative arm creates

Class VI Social Science www.vedantu.com 3

❖ Again, in many countries, we see dictatorial governments where one man or

Class VI Social Science www.vedantu.com 4

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