Crisis of Democratic Order
Class 12 · Political Science
4 ideas in Class 12 Political Science, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Road to Emergency
Part of: Toward the Proclamation
Garibi Hatao pledges sank under Bangladesh bills, lost US aid, oil shocks, 23 and 30 per cent price jumps and failed rains. Gujarat and Bihar students rose against prices and graft, JP preached total revolution, rail staff struck for twenty days in 1974, and Naxal bands rejected polls. Meanwhile Delhi fought courts over rights versus welfare, capped by the 1973 basic-features ruling, the supersession appointing Ray, and the June 1975 verdict voiding Indira's poll win.
Why it matters. Crises converge. Learners link economics, streets and courts in one storm.
Key words
- Gujarat-Bihar movements
- : 1974 student revolts in two states.
- Total revolution
- : JP call for all-round change.
- Railway strike
- : 1974 twenty-day rail stoppage.
- Kesavananda ruling
- : 1973 basic-features verdict.
- Ray appointment
- : 1973 supersession in top judge post.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask how price rise fuels anger.
- Discuss students inviting JP to lead.
- Ask why rail stoppage scared Delhi.
- Trace court clashes to the 1975 verdict.
Try at home. List three protests you have seen and what each sought.
Emergency Proclaimed and Practiced
Part of: Toward the Proclamation
The 12 June 1975 Allahabad verdict voided Indira's poll win; a 24 June stay kept her MP but voteless in House. JP's 25 June Ramlila march urging defiance of orders triggered the night proclamation on internal-disturbance grounds. Press power failed, leaders fell, censorship gagged papers, rights including court remedy froze, detentions swelled, the 1976 bench shut court doors, and the 42nd amendment stretched House terms to six years.
Why it matters. Rules can strangle rules. Learners see how lawful powers suspended democracy itself.
Key words
- Emergency
- : 1975 internal-disturbance rule.
- Article 352
- : 1975 article invoked for the rule.
- Press censorship
- : Prior approval for all print.
- Preventive detention
- : Jail without offence on suspicion.
- 42nd amendment
- : 1976 charter overhaul in Emergency.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask how a poll verdict became a crisis.
- Discuss night arrests before dawn cabinet.
- Ask what suspended rights mean.
- Judge the 42nd amendment's term stretch.
Try at home. Leave a blank box in a notebook for censored news and discuss it.
Resistance, Lessons and Referendum
Part of: Aftermath and Verdict
Workers hid and printed leaflets, papers left blank spaces, Seminar shut down, journalists fell, and Karanth and Renu returned state honours. Lessons hardened democracy: internal rule now needs armed rebellion plus written cabinet advice, courts guard liberties through public interest litigation, and citizens prize rights. The March 1977 polls, fought on save democracy, ousted Congress in the north and taught rulers that anti-democratic acts earn voter wrath.
Why it matters. Defeat taught more than victory. Learners see fixes, courts and ballots as democracy's immune system.
Key words
- Underground resistance
- : Hidden organising against the rule.
- Award returns
- : Returning state honours in protest.
- Armed rebellion ground
- : Only armed revolt can trigger rule.
- Written advice rule
- : Written cabinet note needed for rule.
- Public interest litigation
- : Court guard of poor citizens' rights.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask who resisted and how.
- Discuss why most stayed quiet.
- Ask what each fix prevents.
- Judge whether voters forgave or punished.
Try at home. Ask elders where they were when Emergency was lifted.
Janata Rises and Falls
Part of: Aftermath and Verdict
Released leaders fused into Janata under JP, fought on save democracy and non-divided votes, and won 295 of 330 seats while Congress sank to 154, losing every seat in Bihar, UP, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab yet sweeping the south where Emergency bit less. Desai, Charan Singh and Jagjivan Ram tussled for the crown; Desai's 1979 fall, Charan Singh's brief term and the 1980 Congress return ended the experiment. Shah probed excesses, Janata shifted idiom to backward castes and proved polls could unseat giants.
Why it matters. Unity wins, rivalry ruins. Learners weigh mandates, splits and the power of the vote.
Key words
- Janata Party
- : 1977 united opposition party.
- Save democracy slogan
- : Save-democracy poll cry.
- Split verdict
- : 1977 north wipeout, south sweep.
- Janata split
- : 1979 Janata breakup.
- Shah Commission
- : 1978 Shah probe of excesses.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask how unity stopped vote splits.
- Discuss why the south voted apart.
- Ask why three premiers quarrelled.
- Judge Janata's brief gains.
Try at home. Compare a united front with a divided one in school elections.
What your child will practise
- Emergency Proclaimed and Practiced: Candy Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Emergency Proclaimed and Practiced: Ocean Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Janata Rises and Falls: Desert Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Resistance, Lessons and Referendum: Ocean Quest (Flip and Match)
- Road to Emergency: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Quiz: Emergency Proclaimed and Practiced (8 questions)
- Quiz: Janata Rises and Falls (8 questions)
- Quiz: Resistance, Lessons and Referendum (8 questions)
- Quiz: Road to Emergency (8 questions)