Popular Struggles and Movements.................Part I

SUMMARY OF THE TOPICS  ON WHICH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ARE GIVEN:
 
Popular struggles in Nepal and Bolivia
Mobilisation and organisations
Pressure groups and movements

I. Answer the following questions : 

Q1.Who are Maoists? 

Maoists:

1. They are the communists who believe in the ideology of Mao, the leader of the Chinese revolution. 
2. They seek to overthrow the government through an armed revolution so as to establish the rule of the peasants and workers.

Q2. What is SPA in Nepal? Mention the aim of April 2006 movement in Nepal.

1. All the major political parties in the parliament formed a Seven Party Alliance Known as SPA.
2. They demanded for restoration of parliament, 
3. Power to an all-party government and a new constituent assembly.

Q3.Who was the first Prime minister of Nepal?

1. Girija Prasad Koirala was the first  Prime Minister of Nepal.

Q4.Write a short note on Bolivia's water war.

1. Bolivia is a poor country in Latin America. 
2. The World Bank pressurised the government to give up its control of municipal water supply. 
3. The government sold these rights for the city of Cochabamba to a multi-national company (MNC). 
4. The company immediately increased the price of water by four times. 
5. Many people received monthly water bill of Rs 1000 in a country where average income is around Rs 5000 a month. 
6. This led to a spontaneous popular protest.
7. In January 2000, a new alliance of labour, human rights and community leaders organised a successful four-day general strike in the city. 
8. The government agreed to negotiate and the strike was called off but nothing happened. 
9. The police resorted to brutal repression when the agitation was started again in February.
10. Another strike followed in April and the government imposed martial law. 
11. But the power of the people forced the officials of the MNC to flee the city and made the government concede to all the demands of the protesters. 
12. The contract with the MNC was cancelled and water supply was restored to the municipality at old rates. 
13. This came to be known as Bolivia’s water war.