North South University Department of History HIS103

North South
University
Department of History
HIS103
Student Name: Md. Ahanaf Thamid
ID- 1912802630
Sec - 23
Course name and code : HIS103
Course Instructor- Abdus Samad (ABS3)

1. Write a note on Bengali Nationalism.
Answer: Nationalism is an idea and action that promotes and supports the interests of a particular
nation especially to gain and maintain the nation's sovereignty over its motherland. In the year of
1904 to 1905, when Bengal people saw that a small country like Japan had defended Russia in
the Russo-Japanese war. That gives the Bengal people a hope for their freedom from foreign
rule. This was the beginning of Bengal nationalism. people of Bengal was inspire by japan and
that create nationalism for their motherland if they try they can free our country from foreign
rulers. Bengali nationalism: Is a form of nationalism that focuses on Bengalis as a single nation.
It is one of the four major laws according to the original Constitution of Bangladesh. It was the
main driving force behind the creation of the Independent nation-state of Bangladesh through the
1971 liberation war. The people of Bengali ethnicity speak Bengali Language. Apart from
Bangladesh, people of Bengali ethnicity live across the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura,
Assam and some parts of Jharkhand known as united Bengal during the British period. After the
19th century's Bengal Renaissance occurred in Bengal, it then was the four decades long Bengali
Nationalist Movement that shook the region led by Saifur Siddique, which included the Bengali
Language Movement, the Bangladesh Liberation War and the creation of Bangladesh in
1971.Bengali nationalism is rooted in the expression of pride in the history and cultural heritage
of Bengal. In what is described as the Bengal Renaissance, the introduction of Western culture,
science and education led to a major transformation and development of Bengali society.
2.What are the factors responsible for Communalism in Bengal ?
Answer: Communalism is a term used in the world to denote attempts to construct religious or
ethnic identity, incite strife between people identified as different communities, and to stimulate
communal violence between those groups. It derives from history, differences in beliefs, and
tensions between the communities.
The discord between Hindu and Muslim had arisen chiefly because of political rivalry and
economic competition of the aristocratic sections of the both. Another reason was the impact of
Hindu revivalist movement in the latter part of the 19th century when a section of Bengali Hindu
educated namely, Bhadralok had begun to treat the Muslims in a pompous manner.
The feared that the rise of educated middle-class Muslim will challenge Hindu hegemony that
was prevailed in India due to the growth of western education and nationalism and the
reformation movement all over India.
It was this feeling which was largely responsible for the growth of communalism which
embittered the relationship the two communities.
3. Write a short note on Two Nations Theory.
Answer: Two-Nation Theory is a decisive and ideological political ideology that divides India
politically through the formation of two independent nations and states called India and Pakistan.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah developed this concept of biracial theory in the 1940s, just before the end
of British rule in India. The doctrine has an election-related context. It was only after taking
power through a separate electoral system that Muslim leaders realized that the benefits of a
separate electoral system could provoke two separate nationalist ideologies, which could be
termed 'biracialism'. Because the Muslim population of India is able to form a nation that is
historically, culturally, intellectually and socially separate. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan first came up
with this idea to inspire Muslims to seek their identity as a nation. His idea gained the support of
the colonial rulers. Muhammad Ali Jinnah gave the final explanation of his biracialism in his
speech at the conference of the president of the ruling Muslim League in several provinces of
India, including Bengal, in Lahore on March 22-23, 1940. The concept of 'sovereignty and
sovereign state' was revised at the 1946 conference of the Muslim League in Calcutta and a
decision was taken to form a 'sovereign Pakistan state' based on biracialism.
4. What are the causes of the Partition of Bengal in 1947?
Answer: Partition means (especially with reference to a country with separate areas of
government) the action or state of dividing or being divided into parts.In the partition of Bengal
in 1947, it is to be noted that the partition of Bengal in 1905 was rejected by the Indian
nationalist Hindus and Muslims but the anti-Congress Muslims supported it, especially the
people of East Bengal. On the other hand, by accepting the proposal of the Hindu Mahasabha in
favor of the partition of Bengal, the Hindu masses made the partition of Bengal in 1947
inevitable. Muslim representation was predominant in the number of coalition governments
formed in Bengal between 1938 and 1947. There was frustration among the Hindu people. As a
result, there was a suspicion among the Hindus that if Bengal was undivided, it might be
dominated by Muslims. For this reason they were keen to see Bengal as a state of India, leaving
it intact, and did not want to accept Bengal as a separate or part of Pakistan. On the other hand,
the Muslims feared that if Bengal became part of a united India, the Hindus would dominate here
for various reasons. It was from these negative attitudes of both the communities that the division
of Bengal became inevitable and that also happened in the Partition of Bengal in 1947.
6. What is the significance of the Language Movement?
Answer: There was a growing sense of deprivation and exploitation in East Pakistan and a
realization that a new form of colonialism had replaced British imperialism. Under these
circumstances, the Language Movement got a new momentum in 1952. On 27 January 1952,
Karajan Nazimuddin came to Dhaka from Karachi The Language Movement not only laid the
foundations for ethnic nationalism in many of the Bengalis of East Pakistan but also heightened
the cultural animosity between the authorities of the two wings of Pakistan. Ekushey played an
important role in making Bengalis aware of their cultural and national heritage and ultimately led
to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Language movement was not only developed for language
dignity. In Pakistan, 7.2 per cent of the people were Urdu speakers. On the other hand, 54.6 per
cent of the population did not want to accept that their mother language will be neglected. Along
with this, the question of livelihood was also involved. In the beginning, Pakistan established in
the centre of the capital administration in West Pakistan, in violation of the multiplicity of the
population in East Pakistan. There is a possibility of further lagging in various fields due to
choosing Urdu as the only state language of Pakistan. It was associated with the Western
mentality to deprive Bengalis everywhere, including politics. Therefore, language movement
makes the Bengalis skeptical about the Muslim nationalism of the Muslim League and the two-
nation theory. They choose Bangla language as the first stage to establish their rights. This
Bengali nationalist spirit inspired the movement for anti-dictatorship and autonomy for the
sixties and independent wars.

North South University Department of History HIS103

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North South University Department of History HIS103

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North South

Student Name: Md. Ahanaf Thamid

Course name and code : HIS103

Course Instructor- Abdus Samad (ABS3)

2.What are the factors responsible for Communalism in Bengal ?

4. What are the causes of the Partition of Bengal in 1947?

6. What is the significance of the Language Movement?

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