The may 1947 plan was rejected out of hand by the congress and by the majority of the politically conscious hindu middle class in bengal. The western part with predominantly hindu population became a part of india west bengal, while the predominantly muslim eastern part east bengal became a part of pakistan. Upon independence, the partition of bengal 1947 split the region into india and pakistan. The provinces of bengal and assam were reconstituted to form two provinces of manageable sizewest bengal, with a population of 54 million 42 million hindus and 18. It takes you through the minds and hearts of bhadralok, thr bengali babu and their political charades. Violent punjab, quiescent bengal, and the partition of india.
Though there is plenty literature in bengali on the partition, a concerning issue is the dearth of work done by scholars on the effects of partition on the lives of women or. Jun 06, 2002 whereas previous studies of the end of british rule in india have concentrated on the negotiations of the transfer of power at the allindia level or have considered the emergence of separatist politics amongst indias muslim minorities, this study provides a reevaluation of the history of bengal focusing on the political and social processes that led to the demand for partition in bengal and. The primary aim of this book is to unravel the intricate socioeconomic and political processes that led up to partition, as hindus and muslims competed ferociously for the new power and privileges to be. I believe that the muslim middle class really did not exist in bengal. Dec 08, 1994 it takes you through the minds and hearts of bhadralok, thr bengali babu and their political charades. Jun 30, 2017 the partition of bengal in 1947, part of the partition of india, divided the british indian province of bengal based on the radcliffe line between india and pakistan. They usually did not speak bengali and did not identify with the masses of muslims in. The british recognized that bengal, with some 85 million people, was much too large for a single province and determined that it merited reorganization and intelligent division. Background background about bengal reason for bengal partition bengal partition repercussion of bengal partition muslim reaction on bengal. Communal violence in bengal and punjab in january and march 1947 further convinced patel of the soundness of partition.
Even recent scholarship on the bengal muslims primarily deals with the condition of the muslims in pre partition bengal and then concentrates on east bengal east pakistan after partition, which is now called bangladesh. The line drawn by lord curzons government, however, cut through the heart of. Again the partition of bengal in 1874 saw the bifurcation of the province to create the assam chief commissionership. Broadcast a was to be used if it appeared probable that bengal would be partitioned. We are dedicated to documenting the peoples history of the 1947 indiapakistan partition. Jan 27, 2010 partition of bengal 1947 27 01 2010 while the research about the partition of bengal, despite its relative recent occurence in 1947 is proving much more difficult than earlier anticipated, i have thoroughly managed to vet and critically assess the potential usefulness of three major specific sources in expanding wikipedias historical stub. Read the partition of bengal and assam, 19321947 contour of freedom by bidyut chakrabarty available from rakuten kobo. This article talks about the partition of bengal, 1905 and the causes, effects and outcomes of the partition. The first partition of bengal in 1905 brought that province to the brink of open rebellion. The partition involved the division of two provinces, bengal and punjab, based on district. The division of punjab in the west happened at one go and was sudden, cataclysmic and violent. Indias independence on 15 august 1947 ended over 150 years of british influence in the indian subcontinent.
Lord curzon was the viceroy of india from 1899 to 1905. Predominantly hindu west bengal became a state of india, and predominantly muslim east bengal now bangladesh became a province of pakistan contents. Read the partition of bengal and assam, 1932 1947 contour of freedom by bidyut chakrabarty available from rakuten kobo. Predominantly hindu west bengal became a province of india, and predominantly muslim east bengal now bangladesh became a province of pakistan. August 14, 1947 and august 15 1947, respectively upon the granting of independence to british india by the united kingdom. Within 36 years from the annulment of the first partition of bengal, in the year 1947 the province came to be divided into two halves along the.
The false premise of partition university of hawaii. Much refreshing for those whose understanding of partition is overwhelmed with the western borders. Our flagship oral history project has helped preserve. Home contribute memories read contributions major events pre1950 living through the 1947 partition of bengal 1. India and pakistan won independence in august 1947, following a nationalist struggle lasting nearly three decades. On 28 may 1947 the viceroy, lord, mountbatten, recorded two alternative broadcast statements in london. The partition of bengal 1905 study material exams daily.
This essay offers a counter narrative to the inevitability of the partition by focusing on bengali public discourse in. Our flagship oral history project has helped preserve over 7,500 memories of partition witnesses. On the other hand, the partition of bengal was a slower process, the displacement. In 1955, east bengal became east pakistan, and in 1971 became the independent state of bangladesh after a successful war of independence with west pakistan.
It began a transformation of the indian national congress from a middleclass pressure group into a nationwide mass movement. It was conquered by the british east india company in 1757 and became the bengal presidency, which experienced deindustrializationand famines under british rule. Figure 1 bengals partition of 1947 and pakistans partition of 1971. Till 1945, both congress and hindu mahasabha were demanding undivided bengal not to be partitioned. The plan called for pakistan to be carved out of india. Both the british indian provinces were divided as much through the actions. The years 1905 and 1947 have been selected as analytical boundaries because they constitute important landmarks in the history of modern bengalan unsuccessful attempt to divide the province in 1905 and its eventual partition in 1947. The partition and the muslim minorities of west bengal, 19471967. Partition violence, which viewed the largescale and cataclysmic riots in punjilb of 194 7 8 as standard, informed, and influenced policies with regard to both minority nationals and refugees. Since the smallscale ilnd chronic nature of violence in postpartition bengal remained outside this paradigm, the bengal partition became, in the. Pakistan is today the islamic republic of pakistan and the peoples republic of bangladesh. India, 194779, in low and brasted, freedom, trauma, continuities, 107109 1051. Even recent scholarship on the bengal muslims primarily deals with the condition of the muslims in pre partition bengal and then concentrates on east bengaleast pakistan after partition, which is now called bangladesh.
Partition of bengal 1947 wikimili, the free encyclopedia. There were three pa11itions in 1947of british india and of the provinces of bengal and punjabthat created the new nationstates of. Partition of bengal finding the bengal presidency too large for one governor to administer, in 1905, the british decided to redraw its boundaries and divide it into two parts. The partition of bengal in 1947, part of the partition of india, divided the british indian province of bengal based on the radcliffe line between india and pakistan. Finally, the paper will emphasize the impact of the 1947 partition by discussing. Predominantly hindu west bengal became a state of india, and predominantly muslim east bengal now bangladesh became a province of pakistan on 20 june 1947, the bengal legislative assembly meet to decide the future of the. Living through the 1947 partition of bengal 1 jessore kolkata muslim league. In 1955, east bengal became east pakistan, and in 1971 became the independent state of bangladesh. Meanings of freedom in postindependence west bengal, 194752. Patel, a fierce critic of jinnahs demand that the hindumajority areas of punjab and bengal be included in a muslim state, obtained the partition of those provinces, thus blocking any possibility of their inclusion in pakistan. In the first decade of the twentieth century, the partition of bengal started to create the strong national movement of the extremists in india. Again in 1892 in connection with the transfer of the south lushai hills from bengal to assam, officials suggested that certain other parts of bengal, viz.
Hill k 1, seltzer w2, leaning j 3, malik sj 3, russell ss 4 1 department of population and family health sciences, johns hopkins bloomberg school of public health. Bangladesh simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jun 28, 2018 the partition of india led to the partition of bengal 1947 dividing the british indian province of bengal into two. Bangladesh is part of the historic province of bengal which was. It set a vital precedent for the negotiated winding up of. Please be aware that the text in the supplied thesis pdf file may not be as clear as. She argues that the public demands for a separate homeland for bengali hindus on the eve of partition reflected the end result of a. In 1947, bengal was partitioned for the second time, solely on religious grounds, as part of the partition of india following the formation of the nations india and pakistan. The fragmentation of bengal and assam in 1947 was a crucial moment in indias sociopolitical history as a nation state. The hidden story of partition and its legacies bbc. The partition of bengal in 1947 divided bengal into the two separate entities of west bengal belonging to india, and east bengal belonging to pakistan. The fact that the partition of bengal in 1947 was not the result of a political mobilization long which had struggled for the creation of pakistan meant that the muslims of bengal, punjab, and the other areas constituting pakistan had not created a consistent or shared national ideology that pre. Bengals troubles did not end with the partition and there were continuous migrations till 1971, while also continuing after that at a smaller scale.
The partition library is presently under construction. Communal riots in bengal 19051947 the 1947 partition. The partition of bengal and assam, 19321947 rakuten kobo. He migrated to india in 1948, and joined the national defence. Jun 24, 2019 advertisement partition of bengal 1905 facts and general knowledge partition of bengal 1905 is also known as banga vanga andolon in india. Rather than being predetermined, the stands for a separate or a united bengal were contingent in nature. The studies on the aftermath of bengal partition rarely focus on the muslim minorities of west bengal. The historiography on the partition of bengal has tended to see it as a culmination of long term trends hindu and muslim communalism within the province. Predominantly hindu west bengal became a province of india, and predominantly muslim east bengal now bangladesh became a province of pakistan the partition enjoyed the support of most hindu legislators in the bengal. East bengal later became the independent country of. Tapas sen was born in kolkata 1934, and brought up in what now constitutes bangladesh. Partition of bengal, 1905, division of bengal carried out by the british viceroy in india, lord curzon, despite strong indian nationalist opposition. Jul 19, 2018 the partition of india was the division of the presidencies and provinces of british india conceived under the twonation theory that resulted in formation of two independent dominions, india and pakistan, in the british commonwealth of nations. Download partition of bengal 1905 notes pdf from the link given below.
Partition here refers also to the division of the bengal province of british india into the pakistani state of east bengal later east pakistan, now bangladesh and the indian state of west bengal. There were no massive movements across the bengal border in 1947 and no forced conversions. The partition of bengal the trauma of indias partition in 1947 played out differently in bengal than in punjab. Whereas previous studies of the end of british rule in india have concentrated on the negotiations of the transfer of power at the allindia level or have considered the emergence of separatist politics amongst indias muslim minorities, this study provides a reevaluation of the history of bengal focusing on the political and social processes that led to the demand for partition in bengal and. The largest number, mostly hindu bengalis, settled in west bengal with districts of 24 parganas, calcutta. The partition, with the power transferred to pakistan and india on 1415 august 1947, was done according to what has come to be known as the 3 june plan or mountbatten plan. Even in the parts of bengal that became east pakistan, there were large hindu and tribal populations chatterjee, 1947. A critical examination of these public debates for and against partition reveals the countdown to august 1947 as a period of multiple possibilities. Of the resenting east bengal, of the rising west bengal and of the blood and of faith.
In 1947 east bengal and the dominion of pakistan were separated from presentday republic of india and thus formed a new birth of country named pakistan. Advertisement partition of bengal 1905 facts and general knowledge partition of bengal 1905 is also known as banga vanga andolon in india. The partition of india was the division of the presidencies and provinces of british india conceived under the twonation theory that resulted in formation of two independent dominions, india and pakistan, in the british commonwealth of nations. Communal politics and the partition of bengal, 19321947. Bengal was one of the provinces for whom partition was demanded, but the newly formed coalition government of bengal have asked for their case to be. The partition of india of 1947 was the division of british india into two independent dominion states, india and pakistan by an act of the parliament of the united kingdom. The indian independence act 1947 partitioned british india bringing an end of the british raj. Please be aware that the text in the supplied thesis pdf file may not be as clear as text in a thesis that was born digital or digitised directly from paper, due to the conversion in format. Partition of bengal, 1947 latest major change in the political geography of bengal. Archival documents repository collectio n area reference title creation dates scope and content related persons related places of separate west bengal british library india office records and private papers lpo6123, pt 1 viceroys personal reports on conditions of india 02apr47. The western part with predominantly hindu population became a part of india west bengal, while the predominantly muslim eastern part east bengal became a. What was the reason behind the partition of bengal. The partition of india led to the partition of bengal 1947 dividing the british indian province of bengal into two. Myriad kingdoms and principalities of ancient eastern india had been always changing in their extent and influences until a transbengal political unity was achieved by the husain shahi rulers under the imperial banner of shahi.
International union for the scientific study of population xxv international population conference, tours, france, july 1823, 2005. Myriad kingdoms and principalities of ancient eastern india had been always changing in their extent and influences until a trans bengal political unity was achieved by the husain shahi rulers under the imperial banner of shahi bangala. Myriad kingdoms and principalities of ancient eastern india had been always changing in their extent and influences until a transbengal political unity was achieved by the husain shahi rulers under the imperial banner of shahi bangala. The partition and the muslim minorities of west bengal. Because of great calcutta killing, instigated by muslim league. Partition of bengal 1947 27 01 2010 while the research about the partition of bengal, despite its relative recent occurence in 1947 is proving much more difficult than earlier anticipated, i have thoroughly managed to vet and critically assess the potential usefulness of three major specific sources in expanding wikipedias historical stub. Once completed, the library will be a compilation of all known resources on partition managed by a team of volunteer staff and interns, and kept updated through your contributions. Defence implications of a partition of india into hindustan and pakistan.
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