Bihar Board Class 10 · Social Science · Matric exam 2027
Chapter 2: Working of Power Sharing — notes
The chapter’s 8 parts in the book’s order — the first idea of each and the points Medha Ma’am writes on the board — and the summary at the end. The full lesson and a check question for each part are in the app.
1. Why power must be shared
Okay, so — look around you.
- • Power sharing = basic idea of democratic politics
- • Old belief: power cannot be divided, must stay with one group
- • Democracy: public is source of power, rules through self-government
- • Belgium: shared power between French and Dutch -> peace
- • Sri Lanka: Sinhalese excluded Tamils -> civil war
2. Diversity, conflict and the need for an agreement system
Okay, so let's talk about diversity.
- • Diversity = caste, colour, religion groups with different interests
- • Conflict solved by force -> strong wins, weak suffers, no lasting peace
- • Needed: system of power sharing, no permanent winner or loser
- • Democracy: all citizens share power
- • Non-democracy: groups neglected or suppressed
3. Different ways democracy shares power
See, in a democracy, power is shared among linguistic, religious and other social groups.
- • Social groups share power: e.g. Belgium's French-Dutch ministers equal
- • Target groups (traders, farmers, workers) share via committees
- • Political parties = liveliest form of power sharing
- • Coalition government = most modern form of power sharing
- • Movements: Nepal monarchy end, Bolivia Water war, RTI movement
4. Horizontal and vertical sharing of power
Okay, so power isn't kept with just one part of government.
- • Horizontal sharing: legislature, executive, judiciary at one level
- • -> system of control and balance (e.g. America, India)
- • Vertical sharing: power at different levels of government
- • Vertical sharing = federalism
- • Federalism = most popular modern form of power sharing
5. What a federal system looks like
In a federal system, power is distributed between the central government and its associate units, giving a dual government: the centre handles subjects of national importance while state or regional governments handle subjects of local importance, and each…
- • Federal system: power divided between centre and units
- • Dual government: centre = national subjects, states = local subjects
- • Citizens have dual recognition: region + nation
- • Written constitution; changes need consent of both levels
- • Independent judiciary solves centre-state conflicts
- • Two ways of formation: (1) states unite (USA, Switzerland, Australia) (2) country divides (India, Belgium, Spain)
6. Federalism in India: lists, special states and why it was formed
Okay, so — why did India become a federation at all?
- • Why federalism in India: huge diversity + 563 princely states (1947)
- • Union list: defence, foreign policy, currency -> centre legislates
- • State list: jail, health, education, police -> states legislate
- • Concurrent list: both legislate; centre's law wins in conflict
- • Remaining subjects -> centre
- • Special states: J&K, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim
- • Territorial states (centre governs): Chandigarh, Lakshadweep
7. How federalism actually worked: successes and failures
Written provisions alone are not enough; a federal system needs mutual belief, cooperation and respect between units to work well, and political parties' attitude toward power sharing also decides its success.
- • Federalism needs trust, cooperation, not just written rules
- • Soviet Union broke 1989: Russian dominance (52% pop but 85-88% of key posts)
- • Also disintegrated: Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Pakistan
- • Nigeria: conflict among Aruba, Ibo, Hansa Fulani
- • India: survived via democracy; states like Nagaland, Jharkhand formed for language
- • Hindi + English both allowed as official language after Tamil Nadu protest
- • After 1990: coalition politics + Supreme Court ruling -> states harder to dismiss
8. Decentralization: Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies in Bihar
Since a vast country like India cannot be run by decentralization at only two levels, power was further decentralized to a third, local level so people could decide on issues affecting their daily life, which they understand better than distant state or…
- • Decentralization = power to local/third level
- • Balwant Rai Mehta Committee: 3-tier Panchayati Raj
- • 1. Gram Panchayat (village) 2. Panchayat Samiti (block) 3. Zila Parishad (district)
- • 73rd amendment (1992): constitutional status, 11th schedule, 29 subjects
- • Bihar Gram Panchayat: ~7000 population, Mukhia head, 50% seats for women
- • Urban bodies (74th amendment, 1992): Nagar Panchayat, Nagar Parishad, Municipal Corporation
Summary
You learned that power sharing began as the main idea of democratic politics, needed because diverse groups with different interests must live together without one permanently winning and the other losing, as the contrast between Belgium's shared power and Sri Lanka's civil war showed. You then saw the many ways democracy shares power: among social groups, through target groups and committees, through political parties, and through coalition governments and movements. Next you learned the two patterns of sharing within government — horizontal sharing among legislature, executive and judiciary, and vertical sharing between levels of government, called federalism. You studied how India built its federal system with union, state and concurrent lists, special states, and reasons rooted in its diversity and history, and you saw from the Soviet Union, Nigeria and other countries how federalism can succeed or fail depending on trust and power sharing attitudes. Finally, you learned how power is decentralized further in India through the three-tier Panchayati Raj and Bihar's Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad, as well as urban bodies like Nagar Panchayat, Nagar Parishad and Municipal Corporation.
AskMedha · Medha Ma’am — Bihar Board Class 10 Social Science, Chapter 2. Written from the textbook, checked twice.
Questions parents and students ask
- How do I get the "Working of Power Sharing" notes as a PDF?
- Press "Save as PDF" — the phone’s print sheet opens; choose "Save as PDF" there. The PDF holds the notes only.
- Where are these notes written from?
- From the chapter’s own textbook text, part by part, in the book’s own terms; a second, independent model then checked every part against the book. The full lesson, a check question for each part and the practice are in the AskMedha app.
The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone
Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 60 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.
Medha Ma’am is an AI teacher, not a live tutor. Every answer is checked twice; a person takes responsibility.