RBSE Class 11 Political Science Notes Chapter 3 Equality

These comprehensive RBSE Class 11 Political Science Notes Chapter 3 Equality will give a brief overview of all the concepts.

RBSE Class 11 Political Science Chapter 3 Notes Equality

→ Meaning of Equality
Equality does not mean that all persons may be treated equally, in all respects. Equality stands for the absence or removal of special privileges to some and denied to others. The state should grant equal civil and political rights to all people, making no discrimination on the grounds of race, colour or income. All persons should be regarded as equal before the eyes of law. Equality also means that all men should be given adequate opportunities to develop their abilities. The State should provide suitable opportunities for everyone to develop his own genius.

→ Features of Equality
1. Absence of Special Privileges. An important feature of equality is that no individual or section of people is given special privileges in society. Nobody is given special privileges on the basis of caste, colour, creed, religion and blood. All the members of the State and society should get equal opportunities on equal basis. Equality does not offer any special privileges in society to treat every member equal.

2. Provision for Adequate Opportunities of Development. Equality means that every man in the State should get adequate opportunities for realising his/her best self. The state should pass such laws that no one in the State should be denied the opportunity of developing his own genius. No one can be deprived of the opportunity to make progress on the basis of caste, colour, creed and religion. The right to vote and the right to be elected should be given to all equally so that everybody gets the chance to participate in the I administration. Merit should be the main criterion to enter government service.

3. Provision for Minimum Standard of Living for Every Individual. Another important feature of I equality is that all the basic needs of every individual should be satisfied in the society. The things without which life is meaningless must be accessible to all.

→ Social Equality
Social equality implies that no distinction is made in the social status of the people on the ground of  race, class, caste, sex, religion, etc. It implies that all members of society are socially equal and no man is recognised as socially superior or inferior to any other member of the community.

→ Economic Equality
Properly understood, economic equality implies to the elimination of excessive inequalities of material  resources. Economic equality does not mean that everybody should have equal income. But it does ; mean that all citizens should have the means to meet their needs. Economic equality also implies absence of exploitation of man by man or of one class by another.

→ Political Equality:
Political equality means that all citizens should be i treated equally in the political sphere. According to Laski, political equality means the equal access of everyone to  the avenue of authority. All the citizens should get equal political rights. Every citizen should get the right to vote, right to contest elections, right to get government jobs, right to criticise the government and right to address petitions. Nobody should be discriminated against on the basis of caste, colour, sex, creed, religion and blood. Certain qualifications can be laid down for getting the right to vote but these conditions should not be laid down on the basis of caste, colour, creed, sex and religion.

→ Liberty and Equality:
Most of the thinkers do not accept the viewpoint that liberty and equality are opposed to each other. It is said that liberty in the absence of equality is meaningless. Prof. Laski, Prof. Tawny, Pollard and Maclver are the thinkers who support this view point. According to Prof. Tawny, “A large measure of equality, so far from being inimical to liberty, is essential to it.” According to Pollard, “There is only one solution of problem of liberty. It lies in equality.” Those who think that liberty and equality are opposed to each other misunderstand the meaning of these words. The imposition of reasonable and moral restrictions instead of unjust and immoral restrictions on the actions of man is called liberty. The aim of liberty is to create a comfortable atmosphere which can be conducive to the development of individual personality.

→ Political Equality and Economic Equality:
Political equality and economic equality are inter-related. Political equality in the absence of economic equality is a myth. Laski says, “where there are rich and poor....we find always masters and servants” and consequently no ‘genuine democracy’.

A multi-millionaire and a poor man, may in a formal sense, have the same political rights. But the question is whether they make equal use of their rights. And the answer is no. Political rights, such as freedom of expression or right to vote, are useless for a starving man. A starving man can easily sell his vote and mortgage his political equality. Political equality is insignificant in the absence of economic equality. Poverty can never breed democracy.