Bangladesh became one of the large nation states in 1971 when it seceded from Pakistan. Prior to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, modern-day Bangladesh was part of ancient, classical, medieval and colonial India.
Since independence, the government has experienced periods of
democratic and military rule. The founding leader of the country and its
first president was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. His daughter Sheikh Hasina Wazed is currently the prime minister, as leader of the Awami League. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party is led by Begum Khaleda Zia, who is the widow of the revered freedom fighter and former president Ziaur Rahman.
Etymology of Bengal
See also: History of Bengal
The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang/Banga that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE. Other accounts speculate that the name is derived from Vanga (Bôngo), which came from the Austric word “Bonga” meaning the Sun-god. According toMahabharata, Purana, Harivamsha Vanga was one of the adopted sons of king Vali who founded the Vanga kingdom. The Muslim Accounts refer that “Bong”, a son of Hind (son of Hām who was a son of Prophet Noah/Nooh) colonized the area for the first time.[3] The earliest reference to “Vangala” (Bôngal) has been traced in the Nesari plates (805 AD) of Rashtrakuta Govinda III which speak of Dharmapala as the king of Vangala. Shams-ud-din Ilyas Shah took the title “Shah-e-Bangalah” and united the whole region under one government for the first time.
Ancient period
See also: Anga, Gangaridai, Magadha, Pundra Kingdom, Suhma Kingdom, and Vanga KingdomPre-historic Bengal
Stone tools provide the earliest evidence of human settlements.
Prehistoric stone implements have been discovered in various parts of
West Bengal in the districts of Midnapur, Bankura and Burdwan. But it is
difficult to determine, even approximately, the time when people using
them first settled in Bengal. It might have taken place ten thousand
years (or even more) ago. The original settlers spoke non-Aryan languages—they may have spoken Austric or Austro-Asiatic languages like the languages of the present-day Kola, Bhil,Santal, Shabara and Pulinda peoples. At a subsequent age, peoples speaking languages from two other language families—Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman—seem
to have settled in Bengal. Archaeological discoveries during the 1960s
furnished evidence of a degree of civilisation in certain parts of
Bengal as far back as the beginning of the first millennium BC, perhaps even earlier. The discoveries at Pandu Rajar Dhibi in the valley of the Ajay River (near Bolpur) in Burdwan district and in several other sites on the Ajay, Kunar and Kopai Rivers have thrown fresh light on Bengal’s prehistory. Pandu Rajar Dhibi
represents the ruins of a trading township, which carried on trade not
only with the interior regions of India, but also—possibly
indirectly—with the countries of the Mediterranean.
Some references indicate that the early people in Bengal were
different in ethnicity and culture from the Vedic beyond the boundary of
Aryandom and who were classed as ‘Dasyus‘.
The Bhagavata Purana classes them as sinful people while Dharmasutra of
Bodhayana prescribes expiatory rites after a journey among the Pundras
and Vangas.Mahabharata speaks of Paundraka Vasudeva
who was lord of the Pundrasand who allied himself with Jarasandha
against Krishna. Mahabharata also speaks of Bengali kings called
Chitrasena and Sanudrasena who were defeated by Bhima, Kalidas mentions
Raghu defeated a coalition of Vanga kings who were defeated by Raghu and
Raghu established a victory column in the Gangetic delta.
Mahasthangarh is the oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh. It dates back to 700 BCE and was the ancient capital of the Pundra Kingdom.
Hindu scriptures such as the Mahabharata say that Bangladesh was divided among various tribes or kingdoms, including theNishadas and kingdoms known as the Janapadas: Vanga (southern Bengal), Pundra (northern Bengal), and Suhma (western Bengal) according to their respective totems. These Hindu sources, written by Indo-Aryans in what is now Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, say that the peoples of Bangladesh were not Indo-Aryans. However, Jain scriptures identify Vanga and Anga in Bangladesh as Indo-Aryan. While western Bangladesh, as part of Magadha, became part of the Indo-Aryan civilization by the 7th century BCE, the Nanda Dynasty was the first historical state to unify all of Bangladesh under Indo-Aryan rule.
The Vanga Kingdom was a powerful seafaring nation of Ancient India. They had overseas trade relations with Java, Sumatra andSiam (modern day Thailand). According to Mahavamsa, the Vanga prince Vijaya Singha conquered Lanka (modern day Sri Lanka) in 544 BC and gave the name “Sinhala” to the country. Bengali people migrated to the Maritime Southeast Asia and Siam (in modern Thailand), establishing their own colonies there.
Gangaridai Empire
Main article: Gangaridai
Asia in 323BC, the Nanda Empire and Gangaridai Empire in relation to Alexander‘s Empire and neighbors.
Though north and west Bengal were part of the Magadhan empire
southern Bengal thrived and became powerful with her overseas trades. In
326 BCE, with the invasion of Alexander the Great
the region again came to prominence. The Greek and Latin historians
suggested that Alexander the Great withdrew from India anticipating the
valiant counter attack of the mightyGangaridai empire that was located in the Bengal region. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer, Coenus, was convinced that it was better to return. Diodorus Siculus
mentions Gangaridai to be the most powerful empire in India whose king
possessed an army of 20,000 horses, 200,000 infantry, 2,000 chariots and
4,000 elephants trained and equipped for war. The allied forces of Gangaridai Empire and Nanda Empire
(Prasii) were preparing a massive counter attack against the forces of
Alexander on the banks of Ganges. Gangaridai according to the Greek
accounts kept on flourishing at least up to the 1st century AD.
Early Middle Ages
The pre-Gupta period of Bengal is shrouded with obscurity. Before the conquest of Samudragupta Bengal was divided into two kingdoms: Pushkarana and Samatata. Chandragupta II had defeated a confederacy of Vanga kings resulting in Bengal becoming part of the Gupta Empire.
Gauda Kingdom
By the 6th century, the Gupta Empire ruling over the northern Indian subcontinent was largely broken up. Eastern Bengal became the Vanga Kingdom while the Gauda kings rose in the west with their capital at Karnasuvarna (Murshidabad). Shashanka,
a vassal of the last Gupta Empire became independent and unified the
smaller principalities of Bengal (Gaur, Vanga, Samatata) and vied for
regional power with Harshavardhana
in northern India. But this burst of Bengali power did not last beyond
his death, as Bengal descended afterwards into a period marked by
disunity and foreign invasion.
The Pala dynastyMain article: Pala Empire
| Pala Empire underDharmapala | Pala Empire under Devapala |
Pala dynasty were the first independent Buddhist dynasty of Bengal. The name Pala (Modern Bengali: পাল pal) meansprotector and was used as an ending to the names of all Pala monarchs. The Palas were followers of the Mahayanaand Tantric schools of Buddhism. Gopala was the first ruler from the dynasty. He came to power in 750 in Gaur by ademocratic election. This event is recognized as one of the first democratic elections in South Asia since the time of theMahā Janapadas. He reigned from 750-770 and consolidated his position by extending his control over all of Bengal. The Buddhist dynasty lasted for four centuries (750-1120 AD) and ushered in a period of stability and prosperity inBengal. They created many temples and works of art as well as supported the Universities of Nalanda and Vikramashila.Somapura Mahavihara built by Dharmapala is the greatest Buddhist Vihara in the Indian Subcontinent.
Somapura Mahavihara in Bangladesh is the greatest BuddhistVihara in the Indian Subcontinent, built by Dharmapala.
The empire reached its peak under Dharmapala and Devapala. Dharmapala extended the empire into the northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent. This triggered once more for the control of the subcontinent. Devapala, successor of Dharmapala, expanded the empire to cover much of South Asia and beyond. His empire stretched from Assam and Utkala in the east, Kamboja (modern dayAfghanistan) in the north-west and Deccan
in the south. According to Pala copperplate inscription Devapala
exterminated the Utkalas, conquered the Pragjyotisha (Assam), shattered
the pride of the Huna, and humbled the lords of Gurjara, Pratiharas and the Dravidas.
The death of Devapala ended the period of ascendancy of the Pala
Empire and several independent dynasties and kingdoms emerged during
this time. However, Mahipala
I rejuvenated the reign of the Palas. He recovered control over all of
Bengal and expanded the empire. He survived the invasions of Rajendra Chola and the Chalukyas. After Mahipala I the Pala dynasty again saw its decline untilRamapala, the last great ruler of the dynasty, managed to retrieve the position of the dynasty to some extent. He crushed the Varendra rebellion and extended his empire farther to Kamarupa, Orissa and Northern India.
The Pala Empire can be considered as the golden era of Bengal. Never
had the Bengali people reached such height of power and glory to that
extent. Palas were responsible for the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet, Bhutan and Myanmar. The Pala had extensive trade as well as influence in south-east Asia. This can be seen in the sculptures and architectural style of the Sailendra Empire (present-day Malaya, Java, Sumatra).Sena dynasty
Main article: Sena Empire
The Palas were followed by the Sena dynasty who brought Bengal under one ruler during the 12th century. Vijay Sen the second ruler of this dynasty defeated the last Pala emperor Madanapala and established his reign. Ballal Sena introduced caste system in Bengal and made Nabadwip the capital. The fourth king of this dynasty Lakshman Sen expanded the empire beyond Bengal to Bihar.
Lakshman fled to eastern Bengal under the onslaught of the Muslims
without facing them in battle. The Sena dynasty brought a brief period
of revival ofHinduism in bengal. A popular myth comprehended by some Bengali authors about Jayadeva, the famous Sanskrit poet of Odisha(then known as the Kalingan Empire)and author of Gita Govinda, was one of the Pancharatnas (meaning 5 gems) in the court of Lakshman Sen (although this may be disputed by some).
Late Middle Ages – arrival of Islam
Islam made its first appearance in Bengal during the 12th century when Sufi missionaries arrived. Later occasional Muslim raiders reinforced the process of conversion by buildingmosques, madrassas and Sufi Khanqah. Beginning in 1202 a military commander from the Delhi Sultanate, Bakhtiar Khilji, overran Bihar and Bengal as far east as Rangpur, Bograand the Brahmaputra River. The defeated Laksman Sen and his two sons moved to a place then called Vikramapur (present-day Munshiganj District), where their diminished dominion lasted until the late 13th century.
Hindu states continued to exist in the Southern and the Eastern parts of Bengal till the 1450s such as the Deva dynasty. Also, the Ganesha dynasty began with Raja Ganesha in 1414, but his successors converted to Islam. There were several independent Hindu states established in Bengal during the Mughal period like those of Maharaja Pratapaditya ofJessore and Raja Sitaram Ray of Burdwan.
These kingdoms contributed a lot to the economic and cultural landscape
of Bengal. Extensive land reclamations in forested and marshy areas
were carried out and intrastate trade as well as commerce were highly
encouraged. These kingdoms also helped introduce new music, painting,
dancing and sculpture into Bengali art-forms as well as many temples
were constructed during this period. Militarily, these served as
bulwarks against Portuguese and Burmese attacks. Many of these kingdoms
are recorded to have fallen during the late 1700s. While Koch Bihar Kingdom
in the North, flourished during the period of 16th and the 17th
centuries as well as weathered the Mughals also and survived till the
advent of the British.
Khilji maliks
The period after Bakhtiar Khilji’s death in 1207 devolved into
infighting among the Khiljis – representative of a pattern of succession
struggles and intra-empire intrigues during later Turkic regimes.
Ghiyasuddin Iwaz Khalji prevailed and extended the Sultan’s domain south
to Jessore and made the eastern Bang province a tributary. The capital was made atLakhnauti on the Ganges near the older Bengal capital of Gaur. He managed to make Kamarupa and Trihut pay tribute to him. But he was later defeated by Shams-ud-DinIltutmish.
The weak successors of Iltutmish encouraged the local governors to
declare independence. Bengal was sufficiently remote from Delhi that its
governors would declare independence on occasion, styling themselves as
Sultans of Bengal. It was during this time that Bengal earned the name
“Bulgakpur” (land of the rebels). Tughral Togun Khan added Oudh and Bihar
to Bengal. Mughisuddin Yuzbak also conquered Bihar and Oudh from Delhi
but was killed during an unsuccessful expedition in Assam. Two Turkic
attempts to push east of the broad Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers were repulsed, but a third led by Mughisuddin Tughral conquered the Sonargaon area south of Dhaka to Faridpur,
bringing the Sen Kingdom officially to an end by 1277. Mughisuddin
Tughral repulsed two massive attacks of the sultanate of Delhi before
finally being defeated and killed byGhiyas ud din Balban.
Mahmud Shahi dynasty started when Nasiruddin Bughra Khan declared
independence in Bengal. Thus Bengal regained her independence back.
Nasiruddin Bughra Khan and his successors ruled Bengal for 23 years
finally being incorporated into Delhi Sultanate by Ghyiasuddin Tughlaq.
Ilyas Shahi dynasty
Sixty Dome Mosque in Mosque city of Bagerhat was built in the 15th century and is the largest historical mosque in Bangladesh, as well as aWorld Heritage site.
Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah
founded an independent dynasty that lasted from 1342-1487. The dynasty
successfully repulsed attempts by Delhi to conquer them. They continued
to reel in the territory of modern-day Bengal, reaching to Khulna in the south and Sylhet
in the east. The sultans advanced civic institutions and became more
responsive and “native” in their outlook and cut loose from Delhi.
Considerable architectural projects were completed including the
massive Adina Mosque and the Darasbari Mosque which still stands in Bangladesh near the border. The Sultans of Bengal were patrons of Bengali literature
and began a process in which Bengali culture and identity would
flourish. The Ilyas Shahi Dynasty was interrupted by an uprising by the
Hindus under Raja Ganesha. However the Ilyas Shahi dynasty was restored by Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. The dynasty was finally overthrown by the Habshi (Abyssinian) slaves of the sultanate.
Hussain Shahi dynasty
The Habshi rule gave way to the Hussain Shahi dynasty that ruled from 1494-1538. Alauddin Hussain Shah,
considered as the greatest of all the sultans of Bengal for bringing
cultural renaissance during his reign. He extended the sultanate all the
way to the port ofChittagong, which witnessed the arrival of the first Portuguese merchants. Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah gave refuge to the Afghan lords during the invasion of Babur
though he remained neutral. However Nusrat Shah made a treaty with
Babur and saved Bengal from a Mughal invasion. The last Sultan of the
dynasty, who continued to rule from Gaur,
had to contend with rising Afghan activity on his northwestern border.
Eventually, the Afghans broke through and sacked the capital in 1538
where they remained for several decades until the arrival of the
Mughals.
Suri dynasty
Sher Shah Suri established the Sur dynasty
in Bengal. After the battle of Chausa he declared himself independent
Sultan of Bengal and Bihar. Sher Shah was the only Muslim Sultan of
Bengal to establish an empire in northern India. The Delhi Sultanate
Islam Shah appointed Muhammad Khan Sur as the governor of Bengal. After
the death of Islam Shah, Muhammad Khan Sur became independent. Muhammad
Khan Sur was followed by Ghyiasuddin Bahadur Shah and Ghyiasuddin Jalal
Shah. The Pashtun rule in Bengal remained for 44 years. Their most
impressive achievement was Sher Shah’s construction of the Grand Trunk Road connecting Sonargaon, Delhi and Peshawar.
The Sur dynasty was followed by the Karrani dynasty. Sulaiman Khan Karrani annexed Orissa to the Muslim sultanate permanently. Daoud Shah Karrani
declared independence from Akbar which led to four years of bloody war
between the Mughals and the Pashtuns. The Mughal onslaught against the
Pashtun Sultan ended with the battle of Rajmahal in 1576, led by Khan Jahan. However, the Pashtun and the local landlords (Baro Bhuyans) led by Isa Khan resisted the Mughal invasion.
Mughal period
The Lalbagh Fort was developed byShaista Khan.
Bengal came once more under the control of Delhi as the Mughals conquered it in 1576. At that time Dhaka
became a Mughal provincial capital. But it remained remote and thus a
difficult to govern the region especially the section east of the Brahmaputra
River remained outside the mainstream of Mughal politics. The Bengali
ethnic and linguistic identity further crystallized during this period,
since the whole of Bengal was united under an able and long-lasting
administration. Furthermore its inhabitants were given sufficient
autonomy to cultivate their own customs and literature.
In 1612, during Emperor Jahangir‘s reign, the defeat of Sylhet completed the Mughal conquest of Bengal with the exception of Chittagong.
At this time Dhaka rose in prominence by becoming the provincial
capital of Bengal. Chittagong was later annexed in order to stifle
Arakanese raids from the east. A well-known Dhaka landmark, Lalbagh Fort, was built during Aurangzeb’s sovereignty.
History repeated itself as the frontier Bengal province broke off
from a Delhi-based empire around the time Aurangzeb’s death in 1707.Murshid Quli Khan ended Dhaka’s century of grandeur as he shifted the capital to Murshidabad ushering in a series of independent Bengal Nawabs. Nawab Alivardi Khan showed military skill during his wars with the Marathas.
He completely routed the Marathas from Bengal. He crushed an uprising
of the Afghans in Bihar and made the British pay 150,000 Tk for blocking
Mughal and Armenian trade ships.
Europeans in Bengal
Portuguese traders and missionaries were the first Europeans to reach Bengal in the latter part of the 15th century. They were followed by representatives from the Netherlands,France, and the British East India Company. The Mughal Subahdar of Bengal Kasim Khan Mashadi completely destroyed the Portuguese forces in the Battle of Hoogly (1632). About 10,000 Portuguese men and women died in the battle and 4,400 were sent captive to Delhi.
During Aurangzeb‘s reign, the local Nawab sold three villages, including one then known as Calcutta,
to the British. Calcutta was Britain’s first foothold in Bengal and
remained a focal point of their economic activity. The British gradually
extended their commercial contacts and administrative control beyond
Calcutta to the rest of Bengal. Job Charnock
was one of the first dreamers of a British empire in Bengal. He waged
war against the Mughal authority of Bengal which led to the Anglo-Mughal
war for Bengal (1686–1690). Shaista Khan, the Nawab of Bengal, defeated the British in the battles of Hoogly as well as Baleshwar and expelled the British from Bengal. Captain William Heath with a naval fleet moved towards Chittagong but it was a failure and he had to retreat to Madras.
British rule
The Bengal Presidency of British India at its greatest extent in 1858.
The British East India Company gained official control of Bengal following the Battle of Plassey
in 1757. This was the first conquest, in a series of engagements that
ultimately lead to the expulsion of other European competitors. The
defeat of the Mughals and the consolidation of the subcontinent under
the rule of a corporation was a unique event in imperialistic history. Kolkata (Anglicized as “Calcutta”) on the Hooghly became a major trading port for bamboo, tea, sugar cane, spices, cotton, muslin and jute produced in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Kushtia.
Scandals and the bloody rebellion known as the Sepoy Mutiny prompted the British government to intervene in the affairs of the East India Company.
In 1858, authority in India was transferred from the Company to the
crown, and the rebellion was brutally suppressed. Rule of India was
organized under a Viceroy
and continued a pattern of economic exploitation. Famine racked the
subcontinent many times, including at least two major famines in Bengal.
The British Raj
was politically organized into seventeen provinces of which Bengal was
one of the most significant. For a brief period in the early 20th
century, an abortive attempt was made to divide Bengal into two zones, West Bengal and East Bengal & Assam.
Bengal Renaissance
Main article: Bengal Renaissance| Raja Ram Mohan Roy is regarded as the “Father of the Bengal Renaissance.” | Rabindranath Tagore isAsia‘s first Nobel laureateand composer of Jana Gana Mana the national anthem of India as well asAmar Shonar Bangla thenational anthem ofBangladesh. |
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early 20th centuries in Bengal during the period of British rule. The Bengal renaissance can be said to have started with Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1775–1833) and ended with Rabindranath Tagore
(1861–1941). Nineteenth century Bengal was a unique blend of religious
and social reformers, scholars, literary giants, journalists, patriotic
orators and scientists, all merging to form the image of a renaissance,
and marked the transition from the ‘medieval’ to the ‘modern’
Creation of Pakistan
Main article: East Pakistan
As the independence movement throughout British-controlled India
began in the late 19th century gained momentum during the 20th century,
Bengali politicians played an active role in Mohandas Gandhi‘s Congress Party and Mohammad Ali Jinnah‘s Muslim League, exposing the opposing forces of ethnic and religious nationalism.
By exploiting the latter, the British probably intended to distract the
independence movement, for example by partitioning Bengal in 1905 along
religious lines. The split only lasted for seven years.
At first the Muslim League sought only to ensure minority rights in the future nation. In 1940 the Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution
which envisaged one or more Muslim majority states in South Asia.
Non-negotiable was the inclusion of the Muslim parts of Punjab and
Bengal in these proposed states. The stakes grew as a new Viceroy Lord Mountbatten of Burma was appointed expressly for the purpose of affecting a graceful British exit. Communal violence in Noakhali and Calcutta
sparked a surge in support for the Muslim League, which won a majority
of Bengal’s Muslim seats in the 1946 election. Accusations have been
made that Hindu and Muslim nationalist instigators were involved in the
latter incident. At the last moment Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Sarat Chandra Bose came up with the idea of an independent and unified Bengal state, which was endorsed by Jinnah. This idea was vetoed by the Indian National Congress.
British India was partitioned and the independent states of India and Pakistan
were created in 1947; the region of Bengal was divided along religious
lines. The predominantly Muslim eastern half of Bengal became the East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan) state of Pakistan and the predominantly Hindu western part became the Indian state of West Bengal.
Pakistan’s history from 1947 to 1971 was marked by political
instability and economic difficulties. In 1956 a constitution was at
last adopted, making the country an “Islamic republic within the
Commonwealth”. The nascent democratic institutions foundered in the face
of military intervention in 1958, and the government imposed martial
law between 1958 and 1962, and again between 1969 and 1971.
Almost from the advent of independent Pakistan in 1947, frictions
developed between East and West Pakistan, which were separated by more
than 1,000 miles of Indian territory. East Pakistanis felt exploited by
the West Pakistan-dominated central government. Linguistic, cultural,
and ethnic differences also contributed to the estrangement of East from
West Pakistan.
When Mohammad Ali Jinnah died in September 1948, Khwaja Nazimuddin became the Governor General of Pakistan while Nurul Amin
was appointed the Chief Minister of East Bengal. Nurul Amin continued
as the Chief Minister of East Bengal until 2 April 1954. The abolition
of the Zamindari system in East Bengal (1950) and the Language Movementwere two most important events during his tenure.
The Bengali Language Movement
Main article: Bengali Language MovementProcession march held on 21 February 1952 in Dhaka
The Bengali Language Movement, also known as the Language Movement Bhasha Andolon, was a political effort inBangladesh (then known as East Pakistan), advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as an official language of Pakistan. Such recognition would allow Bengali to be used in government affairs.
When the state of Pakistan was formed in 1947, its two regions, East Pakistan (also called East Bengal) and West Pakistan, were split along cultural, geographical, and linguistic lines. In 1948, the Government of Pakistan ordained Urdu
as the sole national language, sparking extensive protests among the
Bengali-speaking majority of East Pakistan. Facing rising sectarian
tensions and mass discontent with the new law, the government outlawed
public meetings and rallies. The students of the University of Dhaka
and other political activists defied the law and organised a protest on
21 February 1952. The movement reached its climax when police killed
student demonstrators on that day. The deaths provoked widespread civil
unrest led by the Awami Muslim League, later renamed the Awami League.
After years of conflict, the central government relented and granted
official status to the Bengali language in 1956. In 2000, UNESCO declared 21 February International Mother Language Day for the whole world to celebrate,[7] in tribute to the Language Movement and the ethno-linguistic rights of people around the world.
The Language Movement catalysed the assertion of Bengali national
identity in Pakistan, and became a forerunner to Bengali nationalist
movements, including the 6-point movement and subsequently the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. In Bangladesh, 21 February is observed as Language Movement Day, a national holiday. The Shaheed Minar monument was constructed near Dhaka Medical College in memory of the movement and its victims.
Politics: 1954 – 1970
Main article: History of Bangladesh (1947-1971)
The first election for East Bengal Provincial Assembly was held between 8 March and 12 March 1954. The Awami Muslim League, Krishak-Sramik Party and Nezam-e-Islamformed the United Front, on the basis of 21-points agenda.
Notable pledges contained in the 21-points were:- making Bengali one of the main state languages
- autonomy for the province
- reforms in education
- independence of the judiciary
- making the legislative assembly effective
The United Front won 215 out of 237 Muslim seats in the election. The ruling Muslim League got only nine seats. Khilafat-E-Rabbani Party
got one, while the independents got twelve seats. Later, seven
independent members joined the United Front while one joined the Muslim
League.
There were numerous reasons for the debacle of the Muslim League.
Above all, the Muslim League regime angered all sections of the people
of Bengal by opposing the demand for recognition of Bangla as one of the
state languages and by ordering the massacre of 1952.
The United Front got the opportunity to form the provincial
government after winning absolute majority in the 1954 election. Of the
222 United Front seats, the Awami Muslim League had won 142,
Krishak-Sramik Party 48, Nezam-i-Islam 19, and Ganatantri Dal 13.
The major leaders of the United Front were Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani of Awami Muslim League and A. K. Fazlul Huq
of Krishak-Sramik Party. Suhrawardy and Bhasani did not take part in
the election and Fazlul Huq was invited to form the government. But a
rift surfaced at the very outset on the question of formation of the
cabinet. The unity and solidarity among the component parties of the
United Front soon evaporated. Finally, on 15 May, Fazlul Huq arrived at an understanding with the Awami Muslim League and formed a 14-member cabinet with five members from that party.
But this cabinet lasted for only fourteen days. The Muslim League
could not concede defeat in the elections in good grace. So, they
resorted to conspiracies to dismiss the United Front government. In the
third week of May, there were bloody riots between Bengali and
non-Bengali workers in different mills and factories of East Bengal. The
United Front government was blamed for failing to control the law and
order situation in the province.
Fazlul Huq was then quoted in an interview taken by The New York Times
correspondent John P Callaghan and published in a distorted form that
he wanted the independence of East Bengal. Finally, on 29 May 1954, the
United Front government was dismissed by the central government and
Governor’s rule was imposed in the province, which lasted till 2 June
1955.
Curiously enough within two months of his sacking, Fazlul Huq was
appointed the central Home Minister. As Home Minister, Fazlul Huq
utilised his influence to bring his party to power in East Bengal.
Naturally, the United Front broke up. The Muslim members of the United
Front split into two groups. In 1955 the Awami Muslim League adopted the
path of secularism and non-communalism, erased the word ‘Muslim’ from
its nomenclature and adopted the name “Awami League”.
Great differences began developing between the two wings of Pakistan.
While the west had a minority share of Pakistan’s total population, it
had the largest share of revenue allocation, industrial development,
agricultural reforms and civil development projects. Pakistan’s military
and civil services were dominated by the fair-skinned, Persian-cultured
Punjabis and Afghans.
Only one regiment in the Pakistani Army was Bengali. And many Bengali
Pakistanis could not share the natural enthusiasm for the Kashmir issue, which they felt was leaving East Pakistan more vulnerable and threatened as a result.
Independence
Main article: Bangladesh Liberation War
Illustration showing military units and troop movements during the war.
After the Awami League won all the East Pakistan seats of the
Pakistan’s National Assembly in the 1970-71 elections, West Pakistan
opened talks with the East on constitutional questions about the
division of power between the central government and the provinces, as
well as the formation of a national government headed by the Awami
League.
On March 2, 1971, a group of students, led by A S M Abdur Rob,
student leader & VP of DUCSU (Dhaka University Central Students
Union) raised the new (proposed) flag of Bangla under the direction of Swadhin Bangla Nucleus.
On March 3, 1971, student leader Sahjahan Siraj read the Sadhinotar
Ishtehar (Declaration of independence) at Paltan Maidan in front of
Bangabandhu Shaikh Mujib along with student and public gathering under
the direction of Swadhin Bangla Nucleus
On March 7, there was a historical public gathering in Paltan Maidan
to hear the guideline for the revolution and independence from Shaikh
Mujib, the frontier leader of movement that time. Although he avoided
the direct speech of independence as the talks were still underway, he
influenced the mob to prepare for the separation war. The speech is
still considered a key moment in the war of liberation, and is
remembered for the phrase, “Ebarer Shongram Muktir Shongram, Ebarer
Shongram Shadhinotar Shongram….” (“This time, the revolution is for
freedom; this time, the revolution is for liberation….”).
Formal Declaration of Independence
After the military crackdown by the Pakistan army began during the early hours of March 26, 1971 Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
was arrested and the political leaders dispersed, mostly fleeing to
neighboring India where they organized a provisional government
afterwards. Before being held up by the Pakistani Army Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman gave a hand note of the declaration of the independence of
Bangladesh and it was circulated amongst people and transmitted by the
then East Pakistan Rifles’ wireless transmitter. Bengali Army Major
Zia-Ur-Rahman captured Kalurghat Radio Station in Chittagong and read
the declaration of independence of Bangladesh. Later that day, Major Zia
read the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman,
“I, Major Zia-ur-Rahman,on behalf of our great national leader and
supreme commandar Sheikh Mujibur Rahman do hereby proclaim the
independence of Bangladesh.”
The Provisional Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was formed in Meherpur, (later renamed as Mujibnagar a place adjacent to the Indian border). Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was announced to be the head of the state. Tajuddin Ahmed
became the prime minister of the government. There the war plan was
sketched with armed forces established named “Muktibahini” (freedom
fighters).M. A. G. Osmani
was assigned as the Chief of the force. The land sketched into 11
sectors under 11 sector commanders. Along with this sectors on the later
part of the war three Special Forces were formed namely Z Force, S
Force and K Force. These three forces name were derived from the initial
letter of the commandar’s name. The training and most of the arms and
ammunitions were arranged by the Meherpur government which were
supported by India. As fighting grew between the Pakistan Army and the
Bengali Mukti Bahini, an estimated ten million Bengalis, mainly Hindus, sought refuge in the Indian states of Assam, Tripura and West Bengal.
The crisis in East Pakistan produced new strains in Pakistan’s
troubled relations with India. The two nations had fought a war in 1965,
mainly in the west, but the pressure of millions of refugees escaping
into India in autumn of 1971 as well as Pakistani aggression
reignited hostilities with Pakistan. Indian sympathies lay with East
Pakistan, and on December 3, 1971, India intervened on the side of the
Bangladeshis. On December 16, 1971, Pakistani forces surrendered, and
the nation of Bangla Desh (“Country of Bengal”) was finally established
the following day. The new country changed its name to Bangladesh on
January 11, 1972 and became a parliamentary democracy under a
constitution. Shortly thereafter on March 19 Bangladesh signed a
friendship treaty with India.
Swadhin Bangla Nucleus
Serajul Alam Khan, Abdur Razzak, Kazi Arif Ahmed formed Swadhin Bangla Nucleus (1962); a secret organisation, which spearheaded the war of independence in 1971.
Post-independence
Main article: History of Bangladesh after independence
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 1972-75
Main articles: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Awami League
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
came to office with immense personal popularity but had difficulty
transforming this popular support into the political strength needed to
function as head of government. The 1972 constitution adopted as state
policy the Awami League (AL) four basic principles of nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy.
The first parliamentary elections were held in March 1973, with the
Awami League winning a massive majority. The new Bangladesh government
focused on relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the economy and
society. In December 1974, in the face of continuing economic
deterioration and mounting civil disorder, Mujib proclaimed a state of
emergency, limited the powers of the legislative and judicial branches,
banned all the newspaper except four government supported papers, and
introduced one-party system baning all the other parties.
Despite some improvement in the economic situation during the first
half of 1975, criticism of Mujib grew. In August 1975, Mujib, and most
of his family, were assassinated by mid-level army officers. A new
government, headed by former Mujib associate Khandakar Moshtaque Ahmed,
was formed.
Main articles: Ziaur Rahman and Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Successive military coups resulted in the emergence of Army Chief of
Staff Gen. Ziaur Rahman (“Zia”) as strongman. In the historic 7 November
1975, “Jatiyo Biplob O Shanghoti Dibosh” the army captured the power
freed Major Zia. He pledged the army’s support to the civilian
government headed by President Chief Justice Sayem. Acting at Zia’s
behest, Sayem dissolved Parliament, and instituted the Martial Law
Administration (MLA).
In November 1976, Zia became Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA)
and assumed the presidency upon Sayem’s forced retirement five months
later, promising national elections in 1978.
As President, Zia announced a 19-point program of economic reform and
began dismantling the MLA. Zia won a five-year term in June 1978
elections, with 76% of the vote. Democracy and constitutional order were
fully restored when the ban on political parties was lifted, new
parliamentary elections were held in February 1979. The AL and theBangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), founded by Zia, emerged as the two major parties.
In May 1981, Zia was assassinated in Chittagong by dissident elements
of the military. The conspirators were either taken into custody or
killed. Vice President Justice Abdus Sattar was sworn in as acting
president, and elected president as the BNP’s candidate six months
later. Sattar followed the policies of his predecessor and retained
essentially the same cabinet.[9]
Abu Taher
Lieutenant Colonel Abu Taher BU (Retired)(1938–1976)
Hussain Mohammed Ershad, 1982-90
Main articles: Hussain Mohammed Ershad and Jatiya Party
In March 1982 Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. H.M. Ershad suspended the constitution and declared martial law citing pervasive corruption, ineffectual government, and economic mismanagement. The following year, Ershad assumed the presidency, and won overwhelming public support for his regime in a national referendum in March 1985, although turnout was small. Political life was liberalized through 1985 and 1986, and the Jatiya (National) Party was established as Ershad’s vehicle for the transition back to democracy.
Parliamentary elections were held in May 1986, but were boycotted by
the BNP, now led by President Zia’s widow, Begum Khaleda Zia. The Jatiya Party
won a modest majority of the 300 elected seats in the National
Assembly. The participation of the Awami League—led by the late
President Mujib’s daughter, Sheikh Hasina Wajed—lent the elections some
credibility, despite widespread charges of voting irregularities.
Ershad retired from military service in preparation for the
presidential elections in October 1986, and won 84% of the vote.
Protesting that martial law was still in effect, both the BNP and the AL
refused to put up opposing candidates. In November 1986, martial law
was lifted, and the opposition parties took their elected seats in the
National Assembly.
In July 1987, after the government hastily pushed through a bill to
include military representation on local administrative councils, the
opposition walked out of Parliament. As the opposition organized protest
marches and nationwide strikes, the government arrested scores of
opposition activists. After declaring a state of emergency, Ershad
dissolved Parliament and scheduled fresh elections for March 1988.
The elections were held despite an opposition boycott, and the ruling
Jatiya Party won 251 of the 300 seats. The Parliament passed a large
number of bills, including in June 1988 a controversial constitutional
amendment making Islam Bangladesh’s state religion.
On December 6, 1990, following general strikes, increased campus
protests, public rallies, and a general disintegration of law and
order, Ershad resigned. On February 27, 1991, an interim government
headed by Acting President Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed oversaw what
most observers believed to be the nation’s most free and fair elections
to that date.
Main article: Khaleda Zia
BNP won a plurality of seats and formed a government with Khaleda
Zia, widow of Ziaur Rahman, becoming prime minister. The electorate
approved changes to the constitution, formally re-creating a \In March
1994, controversy over a parliamentary by-election, which the opposition
claimed the government had rigged, led to general strikes and an
indefinite boycott of Parliament by the opposition. In late December
1994, the opposition resigned en masse from Parliament, and pledged to
boycott national elections scheduled for February 15, 1996.
In February, Khaleda Zia was re-elected by a landslide in voting
boycotted by the three main opposition parties. In March 1996, following
escalating political turmoil, the Parliament amended the constitution
to allow a neutral caretaker government to assume power and conduct new
parliamentary elections.
Sheikh Hasina, 1996-2001
Main article: Sheikh Hasina
Elections were held in June 1996 which was found by international and
domestic election observers to be free and fair. The Awami League won a
plurality of the seats, and formed the government with support from the
Jatiya Party of deposed president Ershad. AL leader Sheikh Hasina
became Prime Minister.
In June 1999, the BNP and other opposition parties again began to
boycott Parliament, and stage nationwide general strikes. A four-party
opposition alliance formed at the beginning of 1999 announced that it
would boycott parliamentary by-elections and local government.
Four Party Aliiance led by BNP, 2001-2006
The four-party alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP) won over a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Begum Khaleda Zia
was sworn in on October 10, 2001, as Prime Minister for the third time.
An grenade attack on a rally of Sheikh Hasina killed 23 people on August 21, 2004. On August 17, 2005, near-synchronized blasts
of improvised explosive devices in 63 out of 64 administrative
districts targeted mainly government buildings and killed two persons.
An extremist Islamist group named Jama’atul Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB)
claimed responsibility for the blasts, which aimed to press home JMB’s
demand for a replacement of the secular legal system with Islamic sharia
courts. Hundreds of senior and mid-level JMB leaders were arrested.
In February 2006, after sporadic boycotts, the AL returned to
Parliament, demanded early elections and requested significant changes
in the electoral and caretaker government systems to stop alleged moves
by the ruling coalition to rig the next election. Dialogue between the
Secretaries General of the main ruling and opposition parties failed to
sort out the electoral reform issues.
In July 2001, the Awami League government stepped down to allow a
caretaker government to preside over parliamentary elections. In August,
Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina agreed to respect the results of the
election, join Parliament win or lose, forswear the use of hartals
(violently enforced strikes) as political tools, and if successful in
forming a government allow for a more meaningful role for the opposition
in Parliament. The caretaker government was successful in containing
the violence, which allowed a parliamentary end
Caretaker Government, Oct 2006-Jan 2009
See also: Fakhruddin Ahmed
On January 3, 2007, the Awami League announced it would boycott the January 22 parliamentary elections. The AL planned a series of country-wide general strikes and transportation blockades.
On January 11, 2007, President Iajuddin Ahmed
declared a state of emergency, resigned as Chief Adviser, and
indefinitely postponed parliamentary elections. On January 12, 2007,
former Bangladesh Bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed
was sworn in as the new Chief Adviser, and ten new advisers (ministers)
were appointed. Under emergency provisions, the government suspended
certain fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and detained a
large number of politicians and others on suspicion of involvement in
corruption and other crimes. The government announced elections would
occur in late 2008. As of November 19, 2008, elections were scheduled
for December 8, 2008.
In the summer of 2007 the government arrested Sheikh Hasina and
Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s two most influential political leaders, on
charges of corruption. Hasina and Zia have challenged the cases filed
against them under the Emergency Power Rules, which deny the accused the
right to bail. While the cases are under judicial review, the two
leaders continue to be imprisoned as of March 2008.
Grand Alliance January 2009-present
On 19 November 2008 Awami League & Jatiya Party
agreed to contest the elections jointly under the Caretaker Government
to be held on 29 December 2008. Out of the 300 Constituencies in the
Parliament, Ershad’s Jatiya Party will contest from 49 seats and Awami
League and members of a leftist wing Fourteen Party Coalition from the rest 250 seats. Thus the Grand Alliance emerged in Bangladesh; known as Mohajote in Bangla
On December 29, 2008 Bangladesh went to the polls and the nation elected the Grand Alliance which was led by Sheikh Hasina‘s Awami League and backed by Hussain Mohammed Ershad‘s Jatiya Party. On the other hand Khaleda Zia‘s BNP-led Four Party Alliance plagued by allegations of Khaleda Zia’s and her infamous son Tareq Rahman‘s corruption allegations, suffered the most embarrassing defeat ever in Bangladesh’s history.
Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister and formed the government and a
cabinet which included ministers from Jatiya Party although any post
for Hussain Mohammed Ershad, is yet to be decided as the earlier agreed Presidency seems elusive.
The mutiny of borderguards (BDR)
took place from 25 to 27 February 2009. More than a thousand BDR
soldiers took over the BDR headquarters, and held many of their officers
hostage. By the second day fighting spread to 12 other towns and
cities. The mutiny ended as the mutineers surrendered their arms and
released the hostages after a series of discussions and negotiations
with the government. 52 army died in the incident.
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