1. Aim: To what extent has India achieved success as a Democracy?
/ India as a Democracy
Aim: To what extent has India achieved success as a Democracy?
Do Now: How do you think American democracy “works” with so many different peoples in one country? Explain your answer.
 How has this created obstacles and/ or challenges to our democracy?

2. India as a Democracy
Define Pluralism- a situation in which people of different social classes, religions, races, etc…are together in a society but continue to have their different traditions and interests.
Based on your studies of India, How is India a country of many different peoples?

3. Activity
Work in groups on assigned primary and secondary resource readings that deal with controversial issues in India.
2. Read one of four articles and summarize the author’s main ideas in writing.
3. Answer the overarching question in a paragraph:
How successful has India been in unifying its people?

5. Modern India The world’s largest democracy –parliamentary democracy
- caste system outlawed
Multiple party system
(Congress Party, BJP Hindu Party)
Capital – New Delhi
Foreign policy
Nuclear power with a long history of conflict and mistrust of neighboring Pakistan

6. Diverse Culture 83% Hindu Approximately 150 million Muslims
Minorities of Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Zoroastrians, Christians and Jews.
18 “scheduled” or standard languages recognized by the government.
Hindi and English are official
Dozens of other languages

7. Major issues India faces
Population related:
Poverty
Urban v Rural issues: caste system
Literacy rates (education)
Agricultural – flooding (misuse or overuse)
Hindu – Muslim relationships:
India – Pakistan tensions
Kashmir situation
Sikh nationalism –Punjab region
Hindu nationalism

8. Check For Understanding
1. In India, urbanization affected society by (1) reinforcing Hindu beliefs (2) encouraging native arts and crafts (3) weakening the traditional caste system (4) increasing the number of farmers
• The people of Kashmir demand separation from India.
• The people of East Timor vote for independence from Indonesia.
• The Tibetans resent control of their country by China.
• The Kurds want to establish their own independent state of Kurdistan.
These statements are examples of the efforts of different peoples to achieve
free-market systems
democratic governments
social equality
self-determination