IndexA History of BangladeshPrehistory and AntiquityEuropean InfluencePakistani Conflict and Early IndependenceIndependent BangladeshFuture PromisesA History of BangladeshPrehistory and AntiquityHumans probably migrated from the Indus Valley to modern Bangladesh around The year 700 BC This year marks the earliest known pottery from the Ganges Delta. This culture grew and evolved into a state called Anga Mahajanpada, one of the 16 Mahajanpadas, or kingdoms, in the Indian subcontinent. Anga had trade relations with Java, Sumatra and Siam. Anga also conquered Sri Lanka, giving it the Sinhala name. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Anga, however, did not last very long. It was conquered and absorbed into the Magadha Empire, which changed hands and grew until under the Maurya dynasty it had control over all of India. The empire eventually fractured into four states, one of which was the Sunga state of Bengal. The region governed by the Sunga state continued to change hands until the Mughal Empire conquered it in the 16th century. The Mughal Empire was an Islamic state descended from the Mongols. The founder, Babur, was descended from the second son of Genghis Khan. They attempted to convert their Hindu and Buddhist subjects to Islam, and their efforts were successful in Bengal. In 1717, Murshid Quli Khan declared independence from the collapsing Mughal Empire, forming an independent Islamic state of Bengal. European InfluenceThe first Europeans to reach Bengal were the Portuguese, in the 15th century. The Mughal Kasim Khan Mashadi did not want the Europeans to challenge his rule and destroyed a Portuguese fleet, killing 10,000 people. The Mughal ruler Aruangzeb, however, was more accommodating towards foreign traders and sold three Bengali villages to the British. After the fall of the Mughals, the British took advantage of the disorder in the subcontinent. The British East India Company declared war on Bengal, annexing it after the decisive Battle of Plassey, despite France's aid to the Bengals. The Company used the area's fertile land to produce bamboo, tea, sugar cane, spices, cotton, muslin and jute to send back to Europe. The Company's harsh treatment eventually sparked violent revolutions, forcing the British government to intervene. They repelled the rebels and in 1858 ownership of Bengal was transferred to the crown. (The viceroy of the British Raj, mind you, was probably even harsher than the Company. The British were probably just looking for an excuse to control Bengal directly.) When the movement for independence across British-controlled India finally began 19th Century After gaining momentum throughout the 20th century, Bengali politicians played an active role in the protests, unmasking the opposing forces of ethnic and religious nationalism. The British wrote a Parition of Bengal in 1905, dividing the Bengal presidency into a Hindu-majority west (including present-day Bihar and Odisha) and a Muslim-majority east (including Assam). Dhaka became the capital of the new province of East Bengal and Assam. But the split lasted only seven years. The protests led to reunification in 1911. Pakistan conflict and early independence During the dissolution of British India, there was much discussion about where the borders of the Muslim and Hindu states should lie. It was decided that the Muslim state should control Pakistan along with Bengal. Despite the peaceful agreement between the states, there was a lot of violence on the borders with about 50-50 inhabitants, where Muslims wanted to be Pakistanis and Hindus wanted to be Indians.Eventually the situation calmed down with West Bengal being absorbed into India and East Bengal absorbed into Pakistan. Starting in the late 1940s, there was an increase in Bengali nationalism and friction with West Pakistan, which is modern day.Pakistan. An East Pakistani man named Sheik Mujibur Rahman formed a political party, called the Awami League. This party sought independence from West Pakistan and the restoration of an independent Bengali state. The West Pakistan government launched an attack on the Awami League after a cyclone disorganized their forces, imprisoning Mujibur Rahman and killing many civilians. The Awami League fled to India and gained support for the war of independence. They began to fight Pakistan using guerrilla warfare, while Pakistan proceeded to impose severe martial law on Bangladeshi citizens. Pakistan began randomly killing Bangladeshi citizens to suppress dissent. This was a really stupid idea, because for obvious reasons Bengali citizens joined the rebellion. They also took India on their side and proceeded to recapture many cities. Pakistan finally surrendered on December 16, 1971. The newly independent state of Bangladesh (i.e. the nation of Bengal) passed its constitution on November 4, 1972. The first part specifies that the state religion is Islam (although the other religions are tolerated), that there must be a three-branch system (the same branches as the United States), and what the capital, flag, etc. will be. The second part of the constitution details the rights Bangladeshi (no longer Bangladeshi, difference between ethnic and national groups) citizens have. These rights include things like: Protection of the working class from abuse Inclusion of women in everyday life Universal suffrage Free and compulsory education Right to own private property and use public property Apparently Bengalis were pretty damn liberal back then. Clean. Too bad it didn't last. Independent Bangladesh's ideals of citizens' rights did not last long. The citizens placed a lot of trust in the Awami League (and not for nothing, they were the ones who won independence) and in the 1973 elections they obtained an absolute majority in the parliament led by Mujibur Rahman. Bangladesh experienced a famine in 1974 and Mujibur, with his newfound power, reformed Bangladesh into a one-party socialist state. Mujibur had very Hobbesian thinking (look at me, I'm so smart), believing that the Revolutionary War had left the nation disorganized and weak; therefore a controlling government was needed to rebuild from the rubble. All other parties were outlawed, making the Socialist Party (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League or BAKSAL) the only party. All independent press was abolished, leaving only four state newspapers. Citizens were understandably quite angry at the government for this. Even the army was not free from dissent. A group of army officers stole a tank and stormed Mujibur's residence, killing him and his family. The only surviving relatives were his two daughters, Wehana and Hasina Wajed (interestingly, the latter is actually the current Prime Minister), who were in West Germany at the time. While its vice president briefly held the presidency, he was forced to resign and the state was placed under an intermediary government. The intermediary government was dissolved when General Ziaur Rahman assumed the presidency in 1977. President Ziaur restored multiparty politics, introduced free markets, and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Apparently these people.