1.9.2

**Objective**: Students should be able to understand the structure of the Indian government and the driving forces for Indian unity and division. 1. How can unity in India exist despite its great racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity? 2. Explain how the Indian caste system acts as both a dividing and unifying force. 3. Describe the "pluralistic society" and explain how it is evident in India.
 * Chapter 9 Section 2** Pages: 205-209 Grace Gangel and Blake Starnes
 * Homework Assignment **
 * Questions**

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 * Slideshow**

Blake's Link on Indian Economy and Government This article focuses on the Indian democracy, and many of the changes it has brought about, or rather lack of changes. The author supports these claims with a multitude of sources and studies. This article is quite analytic and really focuses on delving deeper into the Indian democracy. This article is definitely intended for a formal and educated audience, and is filled with complex words and terms. The authors purpose is to inform the audience with information related to the creation of a democracy in India, specifically how it differs from the rest of the world and a description of some of the economic issues India faces. This text provided a lot of background information, as well as information on democracy as a unifying force. The article really challenged my previous conceptions on the Indian democracy, and introduced many points to consider. The author does provide a list of references at the end, and I believe they would be worth investigating for further information regarding this topic.
 * Links**

Grace's Link on Indian National Congress Party The article linked above is an excellent source of information for a deeper understand of the Indian National Congress Party. It mentions how the party helped India gain independence as well as reasons for the party's decline. It also includes various political leaders and their contributions to the party. These people include Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, and many more. In addition to this information, the party's structure is thoroughly addressed on the last page to help the reader understand how the party functions. Having a deeper understanding of India's National Congress Party is crucial into the understand of how the government of India has functioned and changed over a period of time. This article is aimed towards any reader who wishes to understand the origins and stance of one of India's most historical parties. Through using fairly easy language and inserting dates of important events in history, the article gives the reader a mental timeline of the Indian National Congress Party and how it has progressed. Text features such as embedded links to other pages provide the reader with an opportunity for further research on a related topic. Overall, the article does an effective job of showing the progression of the Indian National Congress Party, as well as any other related points of interest.

media type="youtube" key="LD3HrIRPVhw" width="420" height="315" This video is recommended to any person who requires further knowledge on untouchables in the caste system. The video gives a general overview of the caste system as a whole but is mainly focused on the untouchables. It includes specific information such as things being done to prevent discrimination of lower castes as well as a firsthand look into the life of people considered to be an untouchable. A family that is known as untouchable s express their daily hardships as well as their experience with sexual harassment and poverty. Viewers get an inside look at the living conditions and daily jobs of people in a lower caste. Firsthand information from those considered to be untouchable will provide any viewer with crucial information into understanding the economic and social affects the caste system has had on the people of India. Attempts to eradicate discrimination from the caste system are mentioned briefly such as attempts to provide government jobs for untouchables, and how they are not very effective in providing change. A viewer who has no prior knowledge on the Indian caste system will have no trouble in acquiring a basic understanding of the system along with a more detailed description of the untouchables. This video on the caste system and the untouchables contributes to the objective as a dividing force in India as well as the role it has played in putting pressure on India's government for more rapid change for those who are suffering.
 * Video**


 * Bibliography**