Forms of Government — Class 9 Social Science (Samacheer Kalvi)
TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 9 Social Science, Civics — Chapter 4. Unitary vs Federal, Parliamentary vs Presidential.
1. About this lesson
Governments can be classified based on how power is distributed (unitary/federal) and the relationship between the executive and legislature (parliamentary/presidential). This chapter compares these forms with special reference to India.
2. Unitary and Federal Government
| Feature | Unitary | Federal |
|---|---|---|
| Power concentration | Central government holds all power | Power divided between centre and states |
| Constitution | May or may not be written | Written, rigid constitution |
| Citizenship | Single citizenship | Dual citizenship (in some, e.g., USA) |
| Examples | UK, France, Japan, China | India, USA, Canada, Australia |
- India is a federal system with a strong unitary bias (quasi-federal).
- India has single citizenship despite being federal.
3. Parliamentary and Presidential System
| Feature | Parliamentary | Presidential |
|---|---|---|
| Head of State | President (nominal) | President (real executive) |
| Head of Government | Prime Minister | President |
| Executive responsible to | Legislature (Lok Sabha) | Not responsible to legislature |
| Ministers | From among MPs | Appointed from outside legislature |
| Tenure | Not fixed (can be dissolved) | Fixed term |
| Examples | India, UK, Japan, Canada | USA, Brazil, South Korea |
- India follows the parliamentary system (Westminster model).
- The Prime Minister and Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
4. Features of the Indian Parliamentary System
- Nominal and Real Executive: President = nominal head; PM = real head.
- Majority party rule: PM is the leader of the majority party in Lok Sabha.
- Collective responsibility: Council of Ministers collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.
- Dissolution of Lok Sabha: PM can recommend dissolution; fresh elections held.
- Bicameral legislature: Lok Sabha (lower house) and Rajya Sabha (upper house).
5. Worked examples
Example 1. Is India unitary or federal? Federal with a strong unitary bias (quasi-federal).
Example 2. Which system does India follow — parliamentary or presidential? Parliamentary system (Westminster model).
Example 3. Give an example of a unitary state. United Kingdom (UK).
6. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)
I. Choose the correct answer
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In a unitary government, power is concentrated in the — (a) State governments / (b) Central government / (c) Local bodies / (d) Judiciary. Ans: (b) Central government.
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India follows the — (a) Presidential system / (b) Parliamentary system / (c) Monarchical system / (d) Unitary system only. Ans: (b) Parliamentary system.
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Which country has a presidential system? — (a) India / (b) UK / (c) USA / (d) Japan. Ans: (c) USA.
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In a parliamentary system, the executive is responsible to the — (a) Judiciary / (b) President / (c) Legislature / (d) Military. Ans: (c) Legislature.
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The real executive head in India is the — (a) President / (b) Prime Minister / (c) Chief Justice / (d) Speaker. Ans: (b) Prime Minister.
II. Fill in the blanks
- In a unitary government, all powers are vested in the central government.
- India has a parliamentary form of government.
- The Prime Minister is the real executive head in India.
- The USA follows the presidential system.
- India is a federal state with a unitary bias.
III. Match the following
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| Unitary | UK, France |
| Federal | India, USA |
| Parliamentary | India, UK |
| Presidential | USA, Brazil |
| Prime Minister | Real executive in India |
IV. Answer briefly
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Unitary vs Federal — Unitary: central government holds all power (UK, France). Federal: power divided between centre and states (India, USA).
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Parliamentary vs Presidential — Parliamentary: executive responsible to legislature, PM is real head (India, UK). Presidential: president is real head, fixed term, not responsible to legislature (USA).
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Features of Indian parliamentary system — Nominal (President) and real (PM) executive, collective responsibility to Lok Sabha, majority party rule, bicameral legislature, dissolution of Lok Sabha.
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Why is India called quasi-federal? — India has federal features (division of powers, written constitution) but also unitary features (single citizenship, strong centre, emergency powers).
V. Answer in detail
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Compare unitary and federal forms of government.
- Unitary: All power with centre; may not have written constitution; single citizenship; examples: UK, France, China.
- Federal: Power divided centre-states; written rigid constitution; dual citizenship (in some); examples: India, USA, Canada.
- India: federal with unitary bias — strong centre, single citizenship, states created/dissolved by Parliament.
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Compare parliamentary and presidential systems.
- Parliamentary: Executive from legislature (MPs as ministers); PM is real head; collective responsibility to lower house; tenure not fixed; India, UK.
- Presidential: Executive separate from legislature; President is real head; fixed tenure; no collective responsibility to legislature; USA, Brazil.
7. Common mistakes
- Mistake: India is fully unitary. Fix: India is federal with unitary bias (quasi-federal).
- Mistake: India follows the presidential system. Fix: India follows the parliamentary (Westminster) system.
- Mistake: President is the real executive in India. Fix: Prime Minister is the real executive; President is the nominal head.
8. Quick revision
- Civics Ch 4 · Forms of Government.
- Unitary (power with centre: UK, France) vs Federal (centre-states: India, USA).
- Parliamentary (executive from legislature, PM real head: India, UK) vs Presidential (president real head, fixed term: USA).
- India: Federal with unitary bias, parliamentary system, PM = real executive, collective responsibility to Lok Sabha.
