SPI Polity · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations
Forms of Government and Political Parties
The State and the ways it can be governed, the one-party, two-party and multi-party systems, and what a political party is made of, what it does and where it falls short, with India's main parties.
Why this matters
Eleven questions in the bank, all from the LWS mock tests: four EASY, six MODERATE and one HARD. Most of them come straight from the NCERT Class 10 chapter Political Parties, often as a "which is NOT" question, so you need the whole list of functions, components and weaknesses, not one item from it. The rest ask the name of a form of government or the party system of a country.
Concept 1 of 4: The State and forms of government
The State is the whole political unit: its people, its land, its government and its freedom to decide for itself. The government is only the machinery that runs the State. Forms of government differ in one question: who holds the power?
Definition
- The four elements of the State: population, territory, government and sovereignty.
- The government is the machinery through which the State is organised and its decisions carried out.
- Democracy: the people choose their rulers in elections. Monarchy: a king or queen rules, usually by birth. Oligarchy: power rests with a small group. Dictatorship: one person holds all power without being elected.
- Federal and unitary describe how power is shared: in a federal system between the centre and the states, in a unitary system it stays with one central government.
- Parliamentary and presidential describe the executive: in a parliamentary system (India, the United Kingdom) it answers to the legislature; in a presidential system (the United States) the President is elected separately.
| Form | Who holds power |
|---|---|
| Democracy | The people, through elected representatives |
| Monarchy | A king or queen, usually by birth |
| Oligarchy | A small group of people |
| Dictatorship | One person, not elected |
| Federal | Shared between the centre and the states |
| Unitary | One central government |
The State has four elements: population, territory, government and sovereignty.
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionEasy
Example 1 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · Forms of Government and Political Parties
In which type of government are citizens most likely to choose their leader?
Federal is not a form of rule by the people
Federal and unitary say how power is divided between levels of government. Parliamentary says how the executive relates to the legislature. Only democracy says the people choose their leaders.
Government and State are not the same
The government is one of the four elements of the State. A government can change at an election; the State goes on.
A few is oligarchy, one is dictatorship
Power with a small group of people is an oligarchy. Power with one person who was not elected is a dictatorship, and power with a king or queen is a monarchy.
Concept 2 of 4: One-party, two-party and multi-party systems
Count the parties that can really win power. If only one is allowed to run the government, it is a one-party system. If power usually moves between two big parties, it is a two-party system. If many parties compete and often share power, it is multi-party.
Definition
- One-party system: one single party controls and runs the government. Example: China (the Communist Party).
- Two-party system: power usually changes between two main parties. Examples: the United States (the Democratic and the Republican Party) and the United Kingdom (mainly the Conservative and the Labour Party).
- Multi-party system: several parties compete and can come to power alone or in a coalition. Example: India.
- When several parties join to fight elections and form a government together, the group is an alliance or a front.
- Parties abroad are asked by founder too: Forza Italia, an Italian party, was founded in 1993 by Silvio Berlusconi.
| System | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One-party | One single party runs the government | China |
| Two-party | Power moves between two main parties | United States, United Kingdom |
| Multi-party | Many parties; coalitions are common | India |
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionEasy
Example 2 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · Forms of Government and Political Parties
Which one of the following countries has two party system?
India is multi-party
India has many parties and coalition governments are common, so it is a multi-party system. The two-party example is the United States.
One party, not one person
A one-party system means one party runs the government. One person ruling is a dictatorship, and a king ruling is a monarchy.
Concept 3 of 4: What a party is made of, what it does, and where it falls short
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power. The NCERT chapter lists its parts, its jobs and its weaknesses, and the bank asks which item does not belong to a list.
Definition
- A party has three components: the leaders, the active members and the followers.
- Its functions: contest elections and choose candidates; put forward policies by grouping similar opinions; make laws; form and run governments; play the opposition; shape public opinion; give people access to government machinery and welfare schemes.
- Signs of a lack of internal democracy: power with one or a few leaders at the top; no membership registers; no organisational meetings; no regular internal elections.
- Other challenges: dynastic succession, the growing role of money and muscle power, and a lack of meaningful choice between parties.
| List | Items |
|---|---|
| Components | Leaders, active members, followers |
| Functions | Contest elections, offer policies, make laws, run governments, act as opposition, shape public opinion, give access to welfare schemes |
| Lack of internal democracy | Power at the top, no membership registers, no meetings, no regular internal elections |
| Other challenges | Dynastic succession, money and muscle power, lack of meaningful choice |
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionModerate
Example 3 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · Forms of Government and Political Parties
Which one of the following is the component of a political party?
Public opinion, not private
Parties raise issues and run campaigns to shape public opinion. An option saying they shape private opinion is the one that is not a function.
Registers are a good sign
Parties that do not keep membership registers lack internal democracy. Keeping them is what a healthy party does, so it is the odd one out in that list.
Citizens are not a component
The three components are the leaders, the active members and the followers. Citizens in general are not a part of any party.
Concept 4 of 4: India's main national parties
Each national party in the NCERT chapter is asked by its founding year, its founder or one idea it stands for. Learn one line for each.
Definition
- Indian National Congress (INC): founded in 1885; the oldest party.
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): founded in 1980. Cultural nationalism (Hindutva) is an important element in its idea of Indian nationhood and politics.
- Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI(M): founded in 1964.
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP): founded in 1984 under Kanshi Ram.
- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): formed in 1999 after a split in the Congress; NCERT describes it as a member of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) since 2004.
- The Election Commission recognises parties and gives each a symbol.
| Party | Founded | One line |
|---|---|---|
| Indian National Congress | 1885 | The oldest party |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 1980 | Cultural nationalism in its idea of the nation |
| CPI(M) | 1964 | A communist party |
| Bahujan Samaj Party | 1984 | Founded under Kanshi Ram |
| Nationalist Congress Party | 1999 | Formed after a split in the Congress; in the UPA from 2004 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionModerate
Example 4 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · Forms of Government and Political Parties
____ is an important element in BJP's conception of Indian nationhood and politics.
Nationalism, not secularism
The NCERT line on the BJP names cultural nationalism as the important element in its idea of the nation. Options built from the word secularism are the distractors.
Led by the Congress, joined by the NCP
The Congress led the United Progressive Alliance from 2004, and the NCP was a member of it. The BJP leads a different alliance, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (4)
The State and forms of government6 rows
| Form | Who holds power |
|---|---|
| Democracy | The people, through elected representatives |
| Monarchy | A king or queen, usually by birth |
| Oligarchy | A small group of people |
| Dictatorship | One person, not elected |
| Federal | Shared between the centre and the states |
| Unitary | One central government |
The State has four elements: population, territory, government and sovereignty.
One-party, two-party and multi-party systems3 rows
| System | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One-party | One single party runs the government | China |
| Two-party | Power moves between two main parties | United States, United Kingdom |
| Multi-party | Many parties; coalitions are common | India |
What a party is made of, what it does, and where it falls short4 rows
| List | Items |
|---|---|
| Components | Leaders, active members, followers |
| Functions | Contest elections, offer policies, make laws, run governments, act as opposition, shape public opinion, give access to welfare schemes |
| Lack of internal democracy | Power at the top, no membership registers, no meetings, no regular internal elections |
| Other challenges | Dynastic succession, money and muscle power, lack of meaningful choice |
India's main national parties5 rows
| Party | Founded | One line |
|---|---|---|
| Indian National Congress | 1885 | The oldest party |
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 1980 | Cultural nationalism in its idea of the nation |
| CPI(M) | 1964 | A communist party |
| Bahujan Samaj Party | 1984 | Founded under Kanshi Ram |
| Nationalist Congress Party | 1999 | Formed after a split in the Congress; in the UPA from 2004 |
Watch out for (10)
- Federal is not a form of rule by the people→ The State and forms of government
- Government and State are not the same→ The State and forms of government
- A few is oligarchy, one is dictatorship→ The State and forms of government
- India is multi-party→ One-party, two-party and multi-party systems
- One party, not one person→ One-party, two-party and multi-party systems
- Public opinion, not private→ What a party is made of, what it does, and where it falls short
- Registers are a good sign→ What a party is made of, what it does, and where it falls short
- Citizens are not a component→ What a party is made of, what it does, and where it falls short
- Nationalism, not secularism→ India's main national parties
- Led by the Congress, joined by the NCP→ India's main national parties
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SPI paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.