History UsefulNotes / Bangladesh

As an interesting fact the border region with West Bengal is somewhat... confusing. In an arrangement dating back to the Princely states there are sections of Bangladesh surrounded entirely in West Bengal and parts of West Bengal entirely in Bangladesh. To make matters more confusing these enclaves can have enclaves within them. It gets so bad there are parts of Bangladesh, inside part of India, inside part of Bangladesh, inside India. Given that this causes problems for people living in these areas the two governments (as of late 2011) have decided to abolish these areas completely and allow those living there to either change citizenship or be given funds to relocate. The treaty putting most of this into affect was ratified in June 2015.

Bangladesh's history is a complex weaving of ethnicity and religion. The Bengali people have lived in Bengal, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the fertile valley and delta of the Ganges River, since the 7th century CE, and have shared a common (if changing) language and culture ever since. Starting in the twelfth century, Islam spread among the Bengali people (first spread by Sufi missionaries, and later encouraged by various Muslim dynasties), predominantly in the eastern region; the western region remained predominantly Hindu, but a common Bengali identity was still recognized by Muslim and Hindu Bengalis alike. Indeed, when, in 1905, the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj British authorities]] decided it would be a good idea to split Bengal, previously a single unit, into predominantly-Muslim East Bengal and predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (the idea being to distract the Bengalis from the Indian independence movement, in which they were quite active, by stoking religious division), the Bengalis protested vehemently and forced the reunification of Bengal within six years. (From this episode, Bangladesh got its national anthem, "''Amar Sonar Bangla''", written by the Hindu Bengali poet--and eventual first non-white Nobel laureate--Rabindranath Tagore to protest the division; Tagore incidentally also wrote "''Jana Gana Mana''", which ended up the national anthem of independent India, and yes, it's in Bengali). However, upon the end of British rule, the political decision was that predominantly Muslim regions of the now-former British India would be assigned to a new majority-Muslim country, and predominantly Hindu ones to the newly-independent India. Bengal was therefore partitioned--again--into predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (which was assigned to India), and predominantly-Muslim East Bengal, which along with the northwestern provinces of British India became the new country of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Bangladesh's history is a complex weaving of ethnicity and religion. The Bengali people have lived in Bengal, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the fertile valley and delta of the Ganges River, since the 7th century CE, and have shared a common (if changing) language and culture ever since. Starting in the twelfth century, Islam spread among the Bengali people (first spread by Sufi missionaries, and later encouraged by various Muslim dynasties), predominantly in the eastern region; the western region remained predominantly Hindu, but a common Bengali identity was still recognized by Muslim and Hindu Bengalis alike. Indeed, when, in 1905, the [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj British authorities]] decided it would be a good idea to split Bengal, previously a single unit, into predominantly-Muslim East Bengal and predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (the idea being to distract the Bengalis from the Indian independence movement, in which they were quite active, by stoking religious division), the Bengalis protested vehemently and forced the reunification of Bengal within six years. (From this episode, Bangladesh got its national anthem, "''Amar Sonar Bangla''", written by the Hindu Bengali poet--and eventual first non-white Nobel laureate--Rabindranath Tagore to protest the division; Tagore incidentally also wrote "''Jana Gana Mana''", which ended up the national anthem of independent India, and yes, it's in Bengali). However, upon the end of British rule, the political decision was that predominantly Muslim regions of the now-former British India would be assigned to a new majority-Muslim country, and predominantly Hindu ones to the newly-independent India. Bengal was therefore partitioned into predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (which was assigned to India), and predominantly-Muslim East Bengal, which along with the northwestern provinces of British India became the new country of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Bangladesh's history is a complex weaving of ethnicity and religion. The Bengali people have lived in Bengal, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the fertile valley and delta of the Ganges River, since the 7th century CE, and have shared a common (if changing) language and culture ever since. Starting in the twelfth century, Islam spread among the Bengali people (first spread by Sufi missionaries, and later encouraged by various Muslim dynasties), predominantly in the eastern region; the western region remained predominantly Hindu, but a common Bengali identity was still recognized by Muslim and Hindu Bengalis alike--it is not insignificant that the national anthems of both India ("''Jana Gana Mana''") and Bangladesh ("''Amar Sonar Bangla''") were written in Bengali by the same man, the (Hindu) Bengali poet (and first non-European Nobel laureate) Creator/RabindranathTagore. However, upon the end of UsefulNotes/TheRaj, the political decision was that predominantly Muslim regions of the now-former British India would be assigned to a new majority-Muslim country, and predominantly Hindu ones to the newly-independent India. Bengal, previously a single administrative unit, was therefore partitioned into predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (which was assigned to India), and predominantly-Muslim East Bengal, which along with the northwestern provinces of British India became the new country of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Bangladesh's history is a complex weaving of ethnicity and religion. The Bengali people have lived in Bengal, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the fertile valley and delta of the Ganges River, since the 7th century CE, and have shared a common (if changing) language and culture ever since. Starting in the twelfth century, Islam spread among the Bengali people (first spread by Sufi missionaries, and later encouraged by various Muslim dynasties), predominantly in the eastern region; the western region remained predominantly Hindu, but a common Bengali identity was still recognized by Muslim and Hindu Bengalis alike--it is not insignificant that the national anthems of both India (Jana Gana Mana) and Bangladesh (Amar Sonar Bangla) were written in Bengali by the same man, the (Hindu) Bengali poet (and first non-European Nobel laureate) Creator/RabindranathTagore. However, upon the end of UsefulNotes/TheRaj, the political decision was that predominantly Muslim regions of the now-former British India would be assigned to a new majority-Muslim country, and predominantly Hindu ones to the newly-independent India. Bengal, previously a single administrative unit, was therefore partitioned into predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (which was assigned to India), and predominantly-Muslim East Bengal, which along with the northwestern provinces of British India became the new country of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Bangladesh's history is a complex weaving of ethnicity and religion. The Bengali people have lived in Bengal, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the fertile valley and delta of the Ganges River, since the 7th century CE, and have shared a common (if changing) language and culture ever since. Starting in the twelfth century, Islam spread among the Bengali people (first spread by Sufi missionaries, and later encouraged by various Muslim dynasties), predominantly in the eastern region; the western region remained predominantly Hindu, but a common Bengali identity was still recognized by Muslim and Hindu Bengalis alike--it is not insignificant that the national anthems of both India (Jana Gana Mana) and Bangladesh (Amar Shona Bangla) were written in Bengali by the same man, the (Hindu) Bengali poet (and first non-European Nobel laureate) Creator/RabindranathTagore. However, upon the end of UsefulNotes/TheRaj, the political decision was that predominantly Muslim regions of the now-former British India would be assigned to a new majority-Muslim country, and predominantly Hindu ones to the newly-independent India. Bengal, previously a single administrative unit, was therefore partitioned into predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (which was assigned to India), and predominantly-Muslim East Bengal, which along with the northwestern provinces of British India became the new country of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Bangladesh's history is a complex weaving of ethnicity and religion. The Bengali people have lived in Bengal, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the fertile valley and delta of the Ganges River, since the 7th century CE, and have shared a common (if changing) language and culture ever since. Starting in the twelfth century, Islam spread among the Bengali people (first spread by Sufi missionaries, and later encouraged by various Muslim dynasties), predominantly in the eastern region; the western region remained predominantly Hindu, but a common Bengali identity was still recognized by Muslim and Hindu Bengalis alike--it is not insignificant that the national anthems of both India (Jana Gana Mana) and Bangladesh (Amar Shona Bangla) were written in Bengali by the same man, the (Hindu) Bengali poet (and first non-European Nobel laureate) Creator/RabindranathTagore. However, upon the end of UsefulNotes/TheRaj, the political decision was that predominantly Muslim regions would be assigned to Pakistan, and predominantly Hindu ones to India. Bengal, previously a single administrative unit, was therefore partitioned into predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (which was assigned to India), and predominantly-Muslim East Bengal, which along with the northwestern provinces of British India became the new country of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Bangladesh's history is a complex weaving of ethnicity and religion. The Bengali people have lived in Bengal, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent, in the fertile valley and delta of the Ganges River, since the 7th century CE, and have shared a common (if changing) language and culture ever since. Starting in the twelfth century, Islam spread among the Bengali people (first spread by Sufi missionaries, and later encouraged by various Muslim dynasties), predominantly in the eastern region; the western region remained predominantly Hindu, but a common Bengali identity was still recognized by Muslim and Hindu Bengalis alike. However, upon the end of UsefulNotes/TheRaj, the political decision was that predominantly Muslim regions would be assigned to Pakistan, and predominantly Hindu ones to India. Bengal, previously a single administrative unit, was therefore partitioned into predominantly-Hindu West Bengal (which was assigned to India), and predominantly-Muslim East Bengal, which along with the northwestern provinces of British India became the new country of UsefulNotes/{{Pakistan}}. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Initially part of India, it was partitioned along with the northwestern provinces of British India to become Pakistan because of religious differences with the rest of the subcontinent. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by... all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when the West imposed Urdu as the official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of the East, which was also the more populous of the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all political, martial and economic power was located in the West, leaving the East powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

As an interesting fact the border region with West Bengal is somewhat... confusing. In an arrangement dating back to the Princely states there are sections of Bangladesh surrounded entirely in West Bengal and parts of West Bengal entirely in Bangladesh. To make matters more confusing these enclaves can have enclaves within them. It gets so bad there are parts of Bangladesh, inside part of India, inside part of Bangladesh, inside India. Given that this causes problems for people living in these areas the two governments (as of late 2011) have decided to abolish these areas completely and allow those living there to either change citizenship or be given funds to relocate.

Obviously that didn’t do too well with the Bengalis, and they began demanding autonomy by requesting that Pakistan become a loose confederation rather than the unitary republic that it was at the time. After a great deal of negotiation, this was agreed to and in 1970, the general elections put the pro-Bengali Awami League in power. The West did not accept the result, however, and soon Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the Awami League, was arrested. [[FromBadToWorse And as if that's not enough, a typhoon hit the country around the same time]]. Angered by political betrayal as well as Islamabad's incompetent relief efforts, resulting in ''hundreds of thousands'' of flood deaths, a popular movement seeking complete autonomy from West Pakistan gained momentum. In retaliation, West Pakistan cracked down on East Pakistan in an infamous attack on the capital city, Dhaka and other centers of population. The Pakistani Army rolled into the city and began massacring people by the thousands, key target the army and police headquarters and the campus of the University of Dhaka, a focal point of political activity. East Pakistan declared independence in response and became Bangladesh, striking off the Liberation War of 1971. The Pakistani Army began a reign of terror and tried to paint the conflict as a religious one, targeting religious minorities. A mass exodus of refugees uprooted by Pakistani atrocities began, moving towards the neighboring Indian province of West Bengal. India, fearing a mass influx of Bengalis into West Bengal, but also for humanitarian and strategic reasons, originally provided shelter for many refugees and training camps for Bengali guerrilla troops, the Mukti Bahini (literally, Freedom Fighters). Towards the end of 1971, India entered the war in force, with Indian forces joining in with the Bangladeshi troops. Often the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (which had a front on the western borders of India and Pakistan) and the Bangladesh Liberation War are conflated, some believing that India fought the war for Bangladesh. As it stands, India supported the Bangladeshi efforts with equipment and a safe location for the majority of the war, only committing their military forces when the international situation demanded it, some seven months after the War had started.

The country that inspired the [[GeorgeHarrison Concert For Bangla Desh]]. The reasons for this concert were less cool than the concert, though.

Bangladesh ('''Bengali:''' বাংলাদেশ), officially known as the People's Republic of Bangladesh ('''Bengali:''' গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônôprôjātôntrī Bāṅlādeś), (Harrison wrote it separately since that was how it was spelt at the time, but it’s only one word) can be considered the [[CrapsackWorld]] of South Asia and rightly so, having endured some of the worst stuff nature and humanity has to throw to us.

Bangladesh is rather poor (but not so poor now, the UN says that it is a lower-middle class state, unlike its rival [[Pakistan]] which is still down there with the lower-class countries) and fairly corrupt. This changes based on who is on power. Generally, the Awami League, lead by Sheikh Hasina-- who is the current PM, tends to be less corrupt, but the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islam (which incidentally, despite being Muslim, has a legendary affinity for alcohol) take corruption [[UpToEleven to the next level.]] It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th most populous country! (that's more people than [[Russia]].) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan. For one thing, it has become a favored country for cheap manufacturing especially by western clothing companies, but because of extremely low wages considering any union organizing is viciously attacked. Furthermore, work and safety standards are dangerously lax with no meaningful enforcement that contributed to tragedies like the 2013 factory collapse that forced some Western consumers to ponder the true price at the cheap goods made there.

Bangladesh is rather poor (but not so poor now, the UN says that it is a lower-middle class state, unlike its rival [[Pakistan]] which is still down there with the lower-class countries) and fairly corrupt. This changes based on who is on power. Generally, the Awami League, lead by Sheikh Hasina-- who is the current PM, tends to be less corrupt, but the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islam (which incidentally, despite being Muslim, has a legendary affinity for alcohol) take corruption [[UpToEleven to the next level.]] It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th most populous country! (that's more people than [[''Russia'']].) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan. For one thing, it has become a favored country for cheap manufacturing especially by western clothing companies, but because of extremely low wages considering any union organizing is viciously attacked. Furthermore, work and safety standards are dangerously lax with no meaningful enforcement that contributed to tragedies like the 2013 factory collapse that forced some Western consumers to ponder the true price at the cheap goods made there.

Bangladesh ('''Bengali:''' বাংলাদেশ), officially known as the People's Republic of Bangladesh ('''Bengali:''' গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônôprôjātôntrī Bāṅlādeś), (Harrison wrote it separately since that was how it was spelt at the time, but it’s only one word) can be considered the CrapsackWorld of South Asia and rightly so, having endured some of the worst stuff nature and humanity has to throw to us.

Obviously that didn’t do too well with the Bengalis, and they began demanding autonomy by requesting that Pakistan become a loose confederation rather than the unitary republic that it was at the time. After a great deal of negotiation, this was agreed to and in 1970, the general elections put the pro-Bengali Awami League in power. The West did not accept the result, however, and soon Sheikh Mujibur Rahmar, leader of the Awami League, was arrested. [[FromBadToWorse And as if that's not enough, a typhoon hit the country around the same time]]. Angered by political betrayal as well as Islamabad's incompetent relief efforts, resulting in ''hundreds of thousands'' of flood deaths, a popular movement seeking complete autonomy from West Pakistan gained momentum. In retaliation, West Pakistan cracked down on East Pakistan in an infamous attack on the capital city, Dhaka and other centers of population. The Pakistani Army rolled into the city and began massacring people by the thousands, key target the army and police headquarters and the campus of the University of Dhaka, a focal point of political activity. East Pakistan declared independence in response and became Bangladesh, striking off the Liberation War of 1971. The Pakistani Army began a reign of terror and tried to paint the conflict as a religious one, targeting religious minorities. A mass exodus of refugees uprooted by Pakistani atrocities began, moving towards the neighboring Indian province of West Bengal. India, fearing a mass influx of Bengalis into West Bengal, but also for humanitarian and strategic reasons, originally provided shelter for many refugees and training camps for Bengali guerrilla troops, the Mukti Bahini (literally, Freedom Fighters). Towards the end of 1971, India entered the war in force, with Indian forces joining in with the Bangladeshi troops. Often the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (which had a front on the western borders of India and Pakistan) and the Bangladesh Liberation War are conflated, some believing that India fought the war for Bangladesh. As it stands, India supported the Bangladeshi efforts with equipment and a safe location for the majority of the war, only committing their military forces when the international situation demanded it, some seven months after the War had started.

Bangladesh is rather poor (but not so poor now, the UN says that it is a lower-middle class state, unlike its rival ''Pakistan'' which is still down there with the lower-class countries) and fairly corrupt. This changes based on who is on power. Generally, the Awami League, lead by Sheikh Hasina-- who is the current PM, tends to be less corrupt, but the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islam (which incidentally, despite being Muslim, has a legendary affinity for alcohol) take corruption [[UpToEleven to the next level.]] It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th most populous country! (that's more people than ''Russia''.) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan. For one thing, it has become a favored country for cheap manufacturing especially by western clothing companies, but because of extremely low wages considering any union organizing is viciously attacked. Furthermore, work and safety standards are dangerously lax with no meaningful enforcement that contributed to tragedies like the 2013 factory collapse that forced some Western consumers to ponder the true price at the cheap goods made there.

Bangladesh is rather poor (but not so poor now, the UN says that it is a lower-middle class state, unlike its rival Pakistan) and fairly corrupt. This changes based on who is on power. Generally, the Awami League, lead by Sheikh Hasina-- who is the current PM, tends to be less corrupt, but the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islam (which incidentally, despite being Muslim, has a legendary affinity for alcohol) take corruption [[[UpToEleven to the next level.]]] It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th most populous country! (that's more people than ''Russia''.) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan. For one thing, it has become a favored country for cheap manufacturing especially by western clothing companies, but because of extremely low wages considering any union organizing is viciously attacked. Furthermore, work and safety standards are dangerously lax with no meaningful enforcement that contributed to tragedies like the 2013 factory collapse that forced some Western consumers to ponder the true price at the cheap goods made there.

Bangladesh is still very poor and fairly corrupt. It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th most populous country! (that's more people than ''Russia''.) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan. For one thing, it has become a favored country for cheap manufacturing especially by western clothing companies, but because of extremely low wages considering any union organizing is viciously attacked. Furthermore, work and safety standards are dangerously lax with no meaningful enforcement that contributed to tragedies like the 2013 factory collapse that forced some Western consumers to ponder the true price at the cheap goods made there.

Bangladesh is still very poor and fairly corrupt. It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th biggest country! (that's more people than ''Russia''.) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan. For one thing, it has become a favored country for cheap manufacturing especially by western clothing companies, but because of extremely low wages considering any union organizing is viciously attacked. Furthermore, work and safety standards are dangerously lax with no meaningful enforcement that contributed to tragedies like the 2013 factory collapse that forced some Western consumers to ponder the true price at the cheap goods made there.

Bangladesh is still very poor and fairly corrupt. It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th biggest country! (That's more people than RUSSIA.) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan. For one thing, it has become a favored country for cheap manufacturing especially by western clothing companies, but because of extremely low wages considering any union organizing is viciously attacked. Furthermore, work and safety standards are dangerously lax with no meaningful enforcement that contributed to tragedies like the 2013 factory collapse that forced some Western consumers to ponder the true price at the cheap goods made there.

Bangladesh (Harrison wrote it separately since that was how it was spelt at the time, but it’s only one word) can be considered the CrapsackWorld of South Asia and rightly so, having endured some of the worst stuff nature and humanity has to throw to us.

Obviously that didn’t do too well with the Bengalis, and they began demanding autonomy by requesting that Pakistan become a loose confederation rather than the unitary republic that it was at the time. After a great deal of negotiation, this was agreed to and in 1970, the general elections put the pro-Bengali Awami League in power. The West did not accept the result, however, and soon Sheikh Mujibur Rahmar, leader of the Awami League, was arrested. [[FromBadToWorse And as if that's not enough, a typhoon hit the country around the same time]]. Angered by political betrayal as well as Islamabad's incompetent relief efforts, resulting in ''hundreds of thousands'' of flood deaths, the Bengalis declared independence. In retaliation, West Pakistan cracked down on East Pakistan and began executing intellectuals and minorities. The Bengalis fled in terror into the neighboring Indian province of West Bengal. India, fearing a mass influx of Bengalis into West Bengal, but also for humanitarian and strategic reasons, intervened, eventually leading to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the liberation of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is still very poor and fairly corrupt. It also has a ridiculously high population for its size - 164 million and counting, making it the world's most densely peopled region and the 7th biggest country! (That's more people than RUSSIA.) However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan.

Bangladesh (Harrison wrote it separately since that was how it was spelt at the time, but it’s only one word) can be seen as the {{Woobie}} of the region and rightly so, having endured some of the worst stuff nature and humanity has to throw to us.

Initially part of India, it was partitioned along with the northwestern provinces of British India to become Pakistan because of religious differences with the rest of the subcontinent. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated geographically from West Pakistan by… all of India. This awkward federation was off to a bad start from the beginning when West Pakistan imposed Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan, which irked the Bengali-speaking population of East Pakistan, who were also the most populous ethnic group of all within the two Pakistans. Not only that, but all the political, martial, and economic power was located in West Pakistan, leaving the eastern part powerless and relatively expendable, as was made clear in 1965 when Pakistan's then-dictator, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, declared that "the best defense of East Pakistan laid in West Pakistan".

Obviously that didn’t do too well with the Bengalis of East Pakistan and they began demanding their autonomy by requesting that Pakistan become a loose confederation rather than the unitary republic that it was at the time. After a great deal of negotiation, this was agreed to and in 1970, the general elections showed that the pro-Bengali Awami League had won. The West Pakistanis did not accept the result however and soon the Awami League leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was arrested. To make things worse, [[CrapsackWorld a typhoon hit the country around the same time]]. Angered by the political betrayal as well as the incompetant job of the central government to give relief to the province (hundreds of thousands died from the hurricane), the Bengalis declared themselves independent. In retaliation, West Pakistan cracked down on East Pakistan and began the execution of intellectuals and minorities. The Bengalis fled in terror into the neighboring Indian province of West Bengal. India, which feared having its lands adjacent to East Pakistan overrun with East Pakistanis, as well as for humanitarian and strategic reasons, began to intervene, eventually leading to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the liberation of Bangladesh.

In the newly independant state, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was its founder as well as first President. He ruled for the first few years but was soon deposed in a military coup that led to his death. Two counter-coups later, General Ziaur Rahman (no relation to Mujib) became the military ruler of Bangladesh, a position he held from 1976 to 1981 before he too was assassinated. The military continued its control over the state until the 1990s, when the widow of General Rahman and the daughter of Mujib became the leaders of the two largest parties in the country, and setting up a rivalry that continues to the present.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/125px-Flag_of_Bangladesh_svg_7855.png

Obviously that didn’t do too well with the Bengalis of East Pakistan and they began demanding their autonomy by requesting that Pakistan become a loose confederation rather than the unitary republic that it was at the time. After a great deal of negotiation, this was agreed to and in 1970, the general elections showed that the pro-Bengali Awami League had won. The West Pakistanis did not accept the result however and soon the Awami League leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was arrested. To make things worse, [[CrapsackWorld a typhoon hit the country around the same time]]. Angered by the political betrayal as well as the incompetant job of the central government to give relief to the province (hundreds of thousands died from the hurricane), the Bengalis declared themselves independent. In retaliation, West Pakistan cracked down on East Pakistan and began the execution of intellectuals and minorities. The Bengalis fled in terror into the neighboring Indian province of West Bengal. India, which feared having its lands adjacent to East Pakistan overrun with East Pakistanis, as well as for humanitarian and strategic reasons, began to intervene, eventually leading to the IndoPakistaniWarOf1971 and the liberation of Bangladesh.

The country that inspired the [[GeorgeHarrison Concert For Bangla Desh]]. The reasons for this concert were [[{{Understatement}} less cool]] than the concert, though.

[[quoteright:125:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/125px-Flag_of_Bangladesh_svg_7855.png]]

It lies at the intersection of two of the world's great rivers, the Ganga and Brahmaputra, which create a lush, very fertile delta. This rich farmland supports said huge population, although its low elevation also makes it highly vulnerable to cyclones and floods. It also boasts a history as one of India's artistic and cultural hotspots, though it shares that honor with neighboring West Bengal (the two were one region, Bengal, before Partition).

Bangladesh is still very poor, very overpopulated, and fairly corrupt. However, it has been making strides as of late and now seems to be better off in many respects from Pakistan.

Bangladesh (Harrison wrote it separately, but technically it’s only one word) can be seen as the {{Woobie}} of the region and rightly so, having endured some of the worst stuff nature and humanity has to throw to us.

Initially part of India, it parted off along with Pakistan because of religious differences. Bangladesh became East Pakistan, separated by West Pakistan by… all of the India. Not only that sucks, but also all the political and economical power laid in West Pakistan, leaving the east part to rot in poverty. Obviously that didn’t do too well with the Bangladeshi and they decided to become independent. The West Pakistani, with some help from good old America, proceeded to slaughter hundreds of Bangladeshis, especially intellectuals and those of Hindi religion, prompting India to help the eastern neighbor. To worsen things up, [[CrapsackWorld a typhoon hit the country around the same time]]. Since the independence, however, it hasn’t fared much better, with a lot of political instability.

Expect to see a lot of [[WetSariScene saris]] in here.

In America you may know it from the [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Blood Telegram]]. [[http://www.culturechange.org/ArcherBloodBangladesh.html Or maybe not]].