Everything about East Bengal totally explained
East Bengal (
Bengali: পূর্ববঙ্গ
Purbobôngo) was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of
Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent
partition of
Bengal.
First partition, 1905–1912
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-Daulah, 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 administering such a large province, proposed to divide Bengal.
Bengal, henceforth, would encompass Calcutta and the western territories, roughly comprising modern
West Bengal,
Bihar, and
Orissa.
Eastern Bengal and Assam, the new province, would roughly encompass modern Bangladesh and the northeastern states of India (then all grouped under the heading of
Assam, with its capital at
Dacca).
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 The partition was revoked in 1912, but it was accompanied by slicing off the non-Bengali portions of the province – creating two additional provinces,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 with a majority of 42 million Hindus and 9 million Muslims.
Second partition, 1947–present
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
East Bengal. 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 didn't recognise Bangladesh until 1974, and diplomatic relations were established in 1976.
Government
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.
| Tenure |
overnor of East Bengal |
| 15th August 1947 - 31st March 1950 |
Sir Frederick Chalmers |
| 31st March 1950 - 31st March 1953 |
Sir Feroz Khan Noon |
| 31st March 1953 - 29th May 1954 |
Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman |
| 29th May 1954 - May 1955 |
Iskandar Ali Mirza |
| May 1955 - June 1955 |
Muhammad Shahabuddin (acting) |
| June 1955 - 14th October 1955 |
Amiruddin Ahmad |
| 14th October 1955 |
Province of East Bengal dissolved |
| Tenure |
hief Minister of East Bengal |
olitical Party |
| 3rd July 1946 - 15th August 1947 |
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy |
Bengal Province Muslim League |
| 15th August 1947 - 14th September 1948 |
Khawaja Nazimuddin |
Muslim League |
| 14th September 1948 - 3rd April 1954 |
Nurul Amin |
Muslim League |
| 3rd April 1954 - 29th May 1954 |
A. K. Fazlul Huq |
United Front |
| 29th May 1954 - August 1955 |
Governor's Rule |
|
| August 1955 - 14th October 1955 |
Abu Hussain Sarkar |
Krishan Sramik Party |
| 14th October 1955 |
Province of East Bengal dissolved |
|
Further Information
Get more info on 'East Bengal'.
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