Answer VerifiedHint: Regional differences and cultural diversities caused the conflict. Diverse population is also a main reason for such conflicts. Constitutional methods became the road to solve the conflict. Complete Answer: Belgium ethnic conflict was due to:- Minority french speaking community but they are powerful and rich.- Dutch community more in no. But less opportunities as compared to french.- Social disparity between the two is also a main cause.- Economically and politically dutch were more inferior than french.- The dutch speaking community was called Flanders and french speaking was called wallonia.- For many years, Flanders want to separate themselves from Belgium and form another state of their own.- Though Belgium is a compact state, it still failed to communicate with the ethnic groups.How was it resolved?- Changes in government. In terms of equality in no. Of ministers of dutch and french.- Devolution of power from central govt to state govt.- Brussels to have given separate govt.called community govt.- In Brussels people elected the govt. Directly. - The Community Govt has the power relating to education,culture,language.Note: Belgium bordered by the Netherlands in the north,Germany in the east,and Luxembourg. It is the 6th most densely populated country in Europe.Its official languages are dutch,french,GermanIt is still divided into Flanders in north,Wallonia in south Brussels the capital.Formulae Handbook for Class 10 Maths and Science Q-1- Describe the tension that existed between the Dutch and the French speaking people in Belgium. [CBSE 2014] (v) Between 1970 and 1993, the Belgium government amended their constitution four times so as to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country. ‘ Q.2. How were the ethnic problems solved in Belgium ? Mention any four steps which were taken by the government to solve the problems ? Apart from the central and the state government, there is a third kind of government, i.e., ‘community government’. This ‘community government’ is elected by the people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and German speaking no matter where they live. This government has the powers regarding cultural, educational and language related issues. More Resources for CBSE Class 10 Q.3. Why is Power sharing desirable ? [CBSE Sept. 2010, 2012] (iii) Decentralisation of power, i.e., formation of state governments, local governments is an example of moral reason. Q.4. Explain the major forms of power sharing in modern democracies. [CBSE Sept. 2010] (iii) Power sharing among different social groups : In a democracy, especially, in a multi-ethnic society, power is also shared among social groups such as the religious and linguistic groups. ‘Community government’ in Belgium is a good example of this arrangement. In some countries, there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and the administration. (iv) Power sharing among political parties, pressure groups and movements : In a democracy, power is also shared among different political parties, pressure groups and movements. Democracy provides the citizens a choice to choose their rulers. This choice is provided by the various political parties, who contest elections to win them. Such competition ensures that power does not remain in one hand. Q.5. What are the advantages of horizontal power sharing ? Explain with the help of examples. (v) For example, in India, though the ministers and government officials exercise power, but they are responsible to the parliament or state legislatures. Similarly, although the judges are appointed by the executive, but they can check the functioning of executive of laws made by the legislatures. Q.6. Explain the differences between horizontal power sharing and vertical power sharing .[CBSE Sept. 2010] Q.7. Explain the power sharing arrangements among the political parties and pressure groups. (iv) In a democracy, various pressure groups and movements also remain active. They also have a share in governmental power, either through participation in governmental committees or having influence on the decision making process. Q.8. How is a federal government better than a unitary government ? Explain with examples of Belgium and Sri Lanka. [CBSE 2008 (O)] (iii) The Belgium solution helped in avoiding the civic strife, whereas the majoritarianism in Sri Lanka led to the civil war. Q.9. What are some of the basic elements of Belgium model of power sharing ? Write any three. [CBSE Sept. 2011, 2012] (iii) Separate government for Brussels : Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation. The French-speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal representation in the Central Government. |