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Bangladesh1971Flagpng
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East Bengal Mapgif
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Dhaka
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144,000
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Bengali
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3rd July 1946
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14th October 1955
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was the name used during two periods in the
20th Century for a territory that roughly included the modern state of
Bangladesh . Both instances involved the violent partition of
Bengal .
See Also: 1905 Partition of Bengal
Also see
Indian Independence Movement
The first instance of the name was during the British rule of
India . British governance of large swathes of Indian territory began with
Robert Clive 's victory over the nawab of
Bengal ,
Siraj-ud-Daula , at the
Battle Of Plassey in 1757. The victory gave the
British East India Company dominion over Bengal, which became the headquarters of British administration in the sub-continent. After the
Indian Rebellion Of 1857 (known as the "Mutiny"), the British government took direct control away from the East India Co., and established its imperial capital at
Calcutta , the city founded by the Company. By 1900, the British province of Bengal constituted a huge territory, stretching from the Burmese border to deep into the
Ganges valley.
With the assumption of
Lord Curzon to the office of
Governor-General Of India , British India was finally put under the charge of a man who considered himself an expert in Indian affairs. Curzon, seeing the logistical problems of adminstering such a large province, proposed to divide Bengal. henceforth, would encompass Calcutta and the western territories, roughly comprising modern
West Bengal ,
Bihar , and
Orissa . '''East Bengal''', the new province, would roughly encompass modern Bangladesh and the northeastern states of India (then all grouped under the heading of
Assam ).
While Curzon claimed the action was one merely founded upon administrative principles, the growing nationalist movement, which originated with the educated elite of Calcutta and the Bengali aristocracy, took the action as an attempt to cut off Bengal's Hindu intellectual leaders (based in Calcutta) from the majority Muslim agriculturalists of the east, dividing the nationalist movement along lines of class and religion. The partition of Bengal, effected in July 1905, sparked a firestorm in the nationalist movement. The partition was revoked in 1912, but it was accompanied by slicing off the non-Bengali portions of the province -- creating two additional provinces,
Assam and
Bihar and
Orissa (both themselves further subdivided after Indian independence) -- and the shifting of the capital from Calcutta to
Delhi .
In the now divided Bengal, East Bengal comprised an area of 196,540 sq. miles that included 18 million Muslims and 12 million Hindus. The (old) Bengal area had 141,580 sq miles with a majority of 42 million Hindus and 9 million Muslims.
Bengal was divided into
Two Provinces on 3rd July 1946 in preparation for the
Partition Of India - the Hindu-majority
West Bengal and the Muslim-majority . The two provinces each had their own
Chief Minister . In August 1947 West Bengal became part of India and East Bengal became part of Pakistan. Tensions between East Bengal and the western wing of Pakistan led to the One-Unit policy. In 1955, most of the western wing was combined to form a new '''
West Pakistan ''' province while East Bengal became the new province of '''
East Pakistan '''. This system lasted until 1971 when East Pakistan declared independence during the
Liberation War Of Bangladesh and the new nation of '''
Bangladesh ''' was formed. However Pakistan did not recognise Bangladesh until diplomatic relations were established in 1974.
The province of East Bengal was administered by ceremonial
Governor and an indirectly-elected
Chief Minister . During the year from May 1954 to August 1955, executive powers were exercised by the Governor and there was no Chief Minister.
