CBSE Class 6 Social Science: Chapter 3 - What is Government? NCERT Solutions

A government is an organized body responsible for administering and implementing decisions for the well-being and functioning of a nation and its citizens.

Here are five ways the government affects our daily life:

1. Protection and Foreign Relations: The government is responsible for protecting the country's borders from external threats and maintaining peaceful relationships with other nations.
2. Public Services: It manages and operates essential services such as the postal system and railways, ensuring connectivity and communication.
3. Disaster Management: The government provides crucial aid and assistance to people affected by natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, or floods.
4. Citizen Welfare: It works towards the welfare of its citizens by ensuring access to good health facilities and promoting public health initiatives.
5. Social Issues: The government takes action on important social issues, implementing various programs and policies to support vulnerable sections of society, such as the poor.

Governments create and enforce laws to ensure that everyone living in the country follows a common set of rules. This is fundamental for the orderly functioning of society and the nation as a whole. Just as the government has the authority to make decisions, it also needs the power to ensure these decisions are followed. Without laws, the government's ability to make decisions would be ineffective, as there would be no mechanism to enforce them or maintain order.

Two essential features of a democratic government are:

1. People's Power to Elect Leaders: In a democracy, citizens hold the power to choose their leaders through elections. This means people rule themselves, either directly or by choosing representatives who make decisions on their behalf. This process is known as representative democracy.
2. Government Accountability: Since leaders are elected by the people, the government is accountable to them. It is the responsibility of these elected leaders to make decisions and govern for the benefit of the entire population.

The suffrage movement was a historical struggle, particularly prominent in Europe and the USA, where women and the poor fought for their right to participate in government, primarily through the right to vote. The term 'suffrage' itself means the right to vote.

This movement gained significant momentum, especially for women, around the time of the First World War. Activists, known as suffragettes, used various methods to demand voting rights, including chaining themselves to public railings. Many faced imprisonment and resorted to hunger strikes, sometimes requiring force-feeding.

The movement accomplished its goal: American women gained the right to vote in 1920, and women in the UK achieved voting rights on the same terms as men in 1928.