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Politics of Social Divisions (Outcomes of Politics in Social Divisions…
Politics of Social Divisions
Intro
Democracy involves competition among various political parties
This competition tends to divide any society
If the political parties compete based on some existing social divisions, then social divisions can become political divisions leading to conflict, violence & disintegration of the country
Outcomes of Politics in Social Divisions
Take the example of Northern Ireland that has had a history of conflict & violence
It is a part of the United Kingdom and most of its people are Christians
53% of the Christians are Protestants & 44% are Catholics & generally poor
The Catholics were represented by the Nationalist party & the Protestants were represented by the Unioinists
The Nationalist party wanted Northern Ireland to be joined to Ireland, a mostly Catholic country
The Unionists wanted to remain with UK, which is mainly Protestant
Hundreds of civilians & security forces were killed due to the fight between the Nationalists & the Unionists
In 1998, a peace treaty was signed between the UK & the Nationalists after which the Nationalists stopped their armed struggle
Political competition along religious & ethnic lines led to the breaking of Yugoslavia into 6 independent countries
Is Politics in Social Division Good/Bad?
The examples of Yugoslavia & Northern Island make many people feel that politics & social divisions must not be allowed to mix
They feel that there should be no social divisions in a country
If there are social divisions, political parties should not take it up
But the reality is that social divisions of one kind or another exist in most countries of the world
The involvement of political parties in social divisions does not lead to disaster all the time
In a democracy, it is natural for political parties to talk about these divisions, make promises to different communities & try to solve the problems of disadvantaged communities
In many countries people from one community prefer one political party more than the others
But all this does not lead to the disintegration of the country