Bangladesh came to
today's shape through a long history of political evolution. Bengal was
probably the wealthiest part of the subcontinent up till the 16th century.
The area's early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal
squabbling, and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. All of
this was just a prelude to the unstoppable tide of Islam which washed over
northern India at the end of the 12th century. Mohammed Bakhtiar Khalzhi from
Turkistan captured Bengal in 1199 with only 20 men.
Under the Mughal
viceroys, art and literature flourished, overland trade expanded and Bengal
was opened to world maritime trade - the latter marking the death knell of
Mughal power as Europeans began to establish themselves in the region. The Portuguese
arrived as early as the 15th century but were ousted in 1633 by local
opposition. The East India Company negotiated terms to establish a fortified
trading post in Calcutta in 1690.
The decline of
Mughal power led to greater provincial autonomy, heralding the rise of the
independent dynasty of the nawabs of Bengal. Humble
East India Company clerk Robert Clive ended up effectively ruling Bengal when
one of the impetuous nawabsattacked the
thriving British enclave in Calcutta and stuffed those unlucky enough not to
escape in an underground cellar. Clive retook Calcutta a year later and the
British Government replaced the East India Company following the Indian
Mutiny in 1857.
The Britons
established an organizational and social structure unparalleled in Bengal,
and Calcutta became one of the most important centers for commerce, education
and culture in the subcontinent. However, many Bangladeshi historians blame
the British dictatorial agricultural policies and promotion of the
semi-feudal zamindar system for draining
the region of its wealth and damaging its social fabric. The British presence
was a relief to the minority Hindus but a catastrophe for the Muslims. The
Hindus cooperated with the Brits, entering British educational institutions
and studying the English language, but the Muslims refused to cooperate, and
rioted whenever crops failed or another local product was rendered
unprofitable by government policy.
At the closure of
World War II it was clear that European colonialism had run its course and
Indian independence was inevitable. Independence was attained in 1947 but the
struggle was bitter and divisive, especially in Bengal where the fight for
self-government was complicated by internal religious conflict. The British,
realizing any agreement between the Muslims and Hindus was impossible,
decided to partition the subcontinent. That Bengal and Punjab, the two
overwhelmingly Muslim regions, lay on opposite sides of India was only one
stumbling block. The situation was complicated in Bengal where the major cash
crop, jute, was produced in the Muslim-dominated east, but processed and
shipped from the Hindu-dominated city of Calcutta in the west.
Inequalities
between the two regions i.e. East and West Pakistan soon stirred up a sense
of Bengali nationalism that had not been reckoned with during the push for
Muslim independence. When the Pakistan government declared that `Urdu and
only Urdu' would be the national language, the Bangla-speaking Bengalis
decided it was time to assert their cultural identity. The drive to reinstate
the Bangla language metamorphosed into a push for self-government and when
the Awami League, a nationalistic party, won a majority in the 1971 national
elections, the president of Pakistan, faced with this unacceptable result,
postponed opening the National Assembly. Riots and strikes broke out in East
Pakistan, the independent state of Bangladesh was unilaterally announced, and
Pakistan sent troops to quell the rebellion.
The ensuing war was
one of the shortest and bloodiest of modern times, with the Pakistan army
occupying all major towns, using napalm against villages, and slaughtering
and raping villagers. Bangladeshis refer to Pakistan's brutal tactics as
attempted genocide. Border clashes between Pakistan and India increased as
Indian-trained Bangladeshi guerrillas crossed the border. When the Pakistani
air force made a pre-emptive attack on Indian forces, open warfare ensued.
Indian troops crossed the border and the Pakistani army found itself being
attacked from the east by the Indian army, the north and east by guerrillas
and from all quarters by the civilian population. In 11 days it was all over
and Bangladesh, the world's 139th country, officially came into existence.
Sheikh Mujib, one of the founders of the Awami League, became the country's
first prime minister in January 1972 ; he was assassinated in 1975 during a
period of crisis
The ruined and
decimated new country experienced famine in 1973-74, followed by martial law,
successive military coups and political assassinations. In 1979, Bangladesh
began a short-lived experiment with democracy led by the overwhelmingly
popular President Zia, who established good relationships with the West and
the oil-rich Islamic countries. His assassination in 1981 ultimately returned
the country to a military government that periodically made vague
announcements that elections would be held `soon'. While these announcements
were rapturously greeted by the local press as proof that Bangladesh was
indeed a democracy, nothing came of them until 1991. That year the military
dictator General Ershad was forced to resign by an unprecedented popular
movement led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Awami League.
Democracy was
re-established and the economy ticked along at a 4.5% growth rate, which
hardly made it an 'Asian tiger' but was at least respectable. Political
dog-fighting between the BNP and the Awami League became acrimonious in the
run up to national elections in February 1996 leaving the country
strike-ridden and rudderless. The election was marred by violence and
boycotted by the three main opposition parties, resulting in a BNP shoo-in.
However, low voter turnout and reports of ballot-box stuffing by polling
officials raised serious questions about the government's legitimacy and in
April 1996 Prime Minister Begum Khaleda agreed to stand down and appointed an
interim caretaker administration, pending new elections scheduled for 12 June
1996.In the elections Awami League got the largest number of seats.
Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the leader of the Awami League, was sworn in as
the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Government.
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Friday, April 26, 2013
Bangladesh history
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