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Map showing the modern day nation of Bangladesh and Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Nagaland and Manipur within the Province before division into Bihar and Orissa and East Bengal and Assam

The decision to effect the Partition of Bengal (Bengali: বঙ্গভঙ্গ) was announced on 19 July 1905 by the Viceroy of India, Curzon. The partition took place on 16 October 1905 and separated the largely Muslim eastern areas from the largely Hindu western areas. The Hindus of West Bengal who dominated Bengal's business and rural life complained that the division would make them a minority in a province that would incorporate the province of Bihar and Orissa. Hindus were outraged at what they saw as a "divide and rule" policy^[1]^[2] (where the colonisers turned the native population against itself in order to rule), even though Curzon stressed it would produce administrative efficiency. The partition animated the Muslims to form their own national organization on communal lines. In order to appease Bengali sentiment, Bengal was reunited by Lord Hardinge in 1911, in response to the Swadeshi movement's riots in protest against the policy and the growing belief among Hindus that east Bengal would have its own courts and policies.

Background

The Bengal Presidency encompassed Bihar, Orissa and Assam.^[3] With a population of 78.5 million it was British India's largest province.^[4] For decades British officialdom had maintained that the huge size created difficulties in effective management^[5]^[6] and had caused neglect of the poorer eastern region.^[7] The idea of the partition had been brought up only for administrative reasons.^[8] Therefore,^[9] Curzon planned to split Orissa and Bihar and join fifteen eastern districts of Bengal with Assam. The eastern province held a population of 31 million, most of which was Muslim, with its centre at Dhaka.^[10] Once the Partition was completed Curzon pointed out that he thought of the new province as Muslim.^[11] Lord Curzon's intention was to divide Bengalis, not Hindus from Muslims.^[12] The Western districts formed the other province with Orissa and Bihar.^[13] The union of western Bengal with Orissa and Bihar reduced the speakers of the Bengali language to a minority.^[14] Muslims led by the Nawab of Dhaka supported the partition and Hindus opposed it.^[15]

Partition

The middle class of Bengal saw this as the rupture of their dear motherland as well as a tactic to diminish their authority. ^[16] In the six month period before the partition was to be effected the Congress arranged meetings where petitions against the partition were collected and given to impassive authorities. Surendranath Banerji admitted that the petitions were ineffective and as the date for the partition drew closer began advocating tougher approaches such as boycotting British goods. He preferred to label this move as "swadeshi" instead of boycott.^[17] The boycott was led by the moderates but minor terrorist groups also sprouted under its cause.^[18]

Banerji believed that other targets ought to be included. Government schools were spurned and on 16 October 1905, the day of partition, schools and shops were blockaded. The demonstrators were cleared off by units of the police and army. This was followed by violent confrontations, due to which the older leadership in the Congress became anxious and convinced the younger Congress members to stop boycotting the schools. The president of the Congress, G.K. Gokhale, Banerji and others stopped supporting the boycott when they found that John Morley had been appointed as Secretary of State for India. Believing that he would sympathise with the Indian middle class they trusted him and anticipated the reversal of the partition through his intervention.^[19]

Political crisis

The partition triggered radical nationalism. Bengali Hindus were upset with their minority status in the new province. They began an angry agitation, featuring terrorism, as younger members adopted the use of bombings, shootings^[20] and assassinations in a blend of religious and political feelings.^[21] Bande Mataram, praising the goddess who represented India, Bengal and Kali, was a rallying cry. Bengal was interpreted as the goddess which had been victimised by the British.^[22] Hindu resistance exploded as the Indian National Congress began the Swadeshi movement, which included boycotting British goods and institutions, organizing meetings and processions, and applying diplomatic pressure.^[23] Although there were prominent Muslim speakers the Muslims were indifferent to the movement.^[24] The British would have been spared from many complications had they not split Bengal. With each case of suppression, terrorism increased in Bengal. Indian nationalism would have been more liberal in the absence of this partition.^[25]

Nationalists all over India supported the Bengali cause and were shocked at the British disregard for opinion and ostensible divide and rule strategy. The protest spread to Bombay, Poona and Punjab. Curzon had believed that the Congress was no longer an effective force but provided it with a cause to rally the public around and gain fresh strength from.^[26] The partition also caused embarrassment to the Indian National Congress.^[27] Gokhale had earlier met prominent British Liberals, hoping to obtain constitutional reforms for India. ^[28] The radicalisation of Indian nationalism because of the partition would drastically lower the chances for the reforms. However, Gokhale successfully steered the more moderate approach in a Congress meeting and gained support for continuing talks with the government. In 1906 Gokhale again went to London to hold talks with Morley about the potential constitutional reforms. While the anticipation of the liberal nationalists increased in 1906 so did tensions in India. The "Moderates" were challenged by the Congress meeting in Calcutta, which was in the middle of the radicalised Bengal.^[29] The moderates countered this problem by bringing Dadabhai Naoroji to the meeting. He rescued the "Moderates" in the Calcutta session and thus the unity of the Congress was maintained. The 1907 Congress was to be held at Nagpur. The 'Moderates' were worried that the "Extremists" would dominate the Nagpur session. The venue was shifted to the "Extremist" free Surat. The resentful 'Extremists' flocked to the Surat meeting. There was an uproar and both factions held separate meetings. The "Extremists' had Aurobindo and Tilak as leaders. They were isolated while the Congress was under the control of the 'Moderates.' The 1908 Congress Constitution formed the All-India Congress Committee, made up of elected members. Thronging the meetings would no longer work for the 'Extremists.'^[30]

Re-unification

The authorities, not able to end the protest, assented to reversing the partition and did so in 1911.^[31] King George announced in December 1911 that eastern Bengal would be assimilated into the Bengal Presidency.^[32] Districts, where Bengali was spoken, were once again unified and Assam, Bihar and Orissa were separated. The capital was shifted to New Delhi, clearly intended to provide the British Empire with a stronger base.^[33] Muslims were shocked because despite the Bengali terrorism they had seen the Muslim majority eastern Bengal as an indicator of the government's enthusiasm for protecting Muslim interests. They saw this as the government compromising Muslim interests for Hindu protests and administrative ease.^[34]

The partition had not initially been supported by Muslim leaders. ^[35] After the Muslim majority province of Eastern Bengal and Assam had been created prominent Muslims started seeing it as advantageous. Muslims, especially in Eastern Bengal, had been backward in the period of United Bengal. The Hindu protest against the partition was seen as interference in a Muslim province.^[36] With the move of the capital to a Mughal site, the British aimed to satisfy Bengali Muslims who were disappointed with losing hold of eastern Bengal.^[37]

Aftermath

The uproar, that had greeted Curzon's contentious move of splitting Bengal, as well as the emergence of the 'Extremist' faction in the Congress became the final motive for separatist Muslim politics.^[38] In 1909, separate elections were established for Muslims and Hindus. Before this, many members of both communities had advocated national solidarity of all Bengalis. With separate electorates, distinctive political communities developed, with their own political agendas. Muslims, too, dominated the Legislature, due to their overall numerical strength of roughly twenty two to twenty eight million. Nationally, Hindus and Muslims began to demand the creation of two independent states, one to be formed in majority Hindu and one in majority Muslim areas.^[39]

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.^[40] In 1947, East Bengal became East Pakistan, and in 1971 became the independent state of Bangladesh after a successful war of independence with West Pakistan.^[41]

Notes

^ "Indian history: Partition of Bengal". Encyclopædia Britannica. 4 February 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
^ Chandra, Bipan. History of Modern India, ISBN 978-81-250-3684-5, pp. 248–249
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.
^ Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwell. p. 280.
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 156.
^ Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 156.
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 156-157.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 280.
^ Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 156.
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 280.
^ Hardy; Thomas Hardy (7 December 1972). The Muslims of British India. CUP Archive. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-521-09783-3.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 280.
^ Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwell. p. 280.
^ Craig Baxter (1997). Bangladesh: from a nation to a state. WestviewPress. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8133-3632-9.
^ Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 156.
^ Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwellpage=280.
^ Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 157.
^ Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwellpage=280.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289.
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.
^ Johnson, Gordon (May 1973). "Partition, Agitation and Congress: Bengal 1904 To 1908". Modern Asian Studies. 7 (3): 533–588. JSTOR 311853.
^ Ian Talbot (2016). A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas. Yale University Press. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289.
^ Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 157.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289-290.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 290.
^ Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 291.
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 158.
^ Francis Robinson (1974). Separatism Among Indian Muslims: The Politics of the United Provinces' Muslims, 1860-1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 203.
^ David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 158.
^ Francis Robinson (1974). Separatism Among Indian Muslims: The Politics of the United Provinces' Muslims, 1860-1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 203.
^ Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 159.
^ Hardy; Thomas Hardy (7 December 1972). The Muslims of British India. CUP Archive. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-521-09783-3.
^ "India - The first partition of Bengal". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
^ Ian Talbot; Gurharpal Singh (23 July 2009). The Partition of India. Cambridge University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-521-85661-4.
^ Judith M. Brown, Modern India (1985), pp. 184, 366
^ Haimanti Roy, "Partition of Contingency? Public Discourse in Bengal, 1946–1947," Modern Asian Studies, (November 2009), 43#6, pp. 1355–1384
^ Judith M. Brown, Modern India (1985), p. 366

Bibliography

David Ludden, (2013) India and South Asia: A Short History Oneworld Publications
Burton Stein, (2010) A History of India, (2nd ed) Wiley-Blackwell
Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (2nd ed.) Cambridge University Press
Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (4th ed.) Routledge
Ian Talbot; Gurharpal Singh (23 July 2009). The Partition of India Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85661-4
Peter Hardy (7 December 1972). The Muslims of British India CUP Archive. ISBN 978-0-521-09783-3.
Francis Robinson (1974). Separatism Among Indian Muslims: The Politics of the United Provinces' Muslims, 1860-1923. Cambridge University Press.
Ian Talbot (2016) A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas Yale University Press
Craig Baxter (1997) Bangladesh: from a nation to a state Westview Press

External resources

Ahmed, Sufia (2012). "Partition of Bengal, 1905". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

[1] "Indian history: Partition of Bengal". Encyclopædia Britannica. 4 February 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2018.

[2] Chandra, Bipan. History of Modern India, ISBN 978-81-250-3684-5, pp. 248–249

[3] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.

[4] Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwell. p. 280.

[5] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 156.

[6] Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 156.

[7] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 156-157.

[8] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 280.

[9] Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 156.

[10] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.

[11] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 280.

[12] Hardy; Thomas Hardy (7 December 1972). The Muslims of British India. CUP Archive. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-521-09783-3.

[13] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 280.

[14] Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwell. p. 280.

[15] Craig Baxter (1997). Bangladesh: from a nation to a state. WestviewPress. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-8133-3632-9.

[16] Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 156.

[17] Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwellpage=280.

[18] Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 157.

[19] Burton Stein (2010). A History of India (2nd ed.). Wiley Blackwellpage=280.

[20] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289.

[21] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.

[22] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 157.

[23] Johnson, Gordon (May 1973). "Partition, Agitation and Congress: Bengal 1904 To 1908". Modern Asian Studies. 7 (3): 533–588. JSTOR 311853.

[24] Ian Talbot (2016). A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas. Yale University Press. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8.

[25] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289.

[26] Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 157.

[27] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289.

[28] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 289-290.

[29] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 290.

[30] Hermanne Kulke; Dietmar Rothermund. A History of India (PDF) (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 291.

[31] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 158.

[32] Francis Robinson (1974). Separatism Among Indian Muslims: The Politics of the United Provinces' Muslims, 1860-1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 203.

[33] David Ludden (2013). India and South Asia : a short history. Oneworld Publications. p. 158.

[34] Francis Robinson (1974). Separatism Among Indian Muslims: The Politics of the United Provinces' Muslims, 1860-1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 203.

[35] Barbara Metcalf; Thomas Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (PDF) (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 159.

[36] Hardy; Thomas Hardy (7 December 1972). The Muslims of British India. CUP Archive. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-521-09783-3.

[37] "India - The first partition of Bengal". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 December 2018.

[38] Ian Talbot; Gurharpal Singh (23 July 2009). The Partition of India. Cambridge University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-521-85661-4.

[39] Judith M. Brown, Modern India (1985), pp. 184, 366

[40] Haimanti Roy, "Partition of Contingency? Public Discourse in Bengal, 1946–1947," Modern Asian Studies, (November 2009), 43#6, pp. 1355–1384

[41] Judith M. Brown, Modern India (1985), p. 366

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 ==Background==
-The Bengal Presidency was made up of Bihar, Orissa and Assam.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=157}}</ref> With a population of 78.5 million it was British India's largest province.<ref>{{cite book|author=Burton Stein|title=A History of India|edition=2nd|year=2010|publisher=Wiley Blackwellpage=280}}</ref> For decades British officialdom had maintained that the huge size created difficulties in effective management<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=156}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Barbara Metcalf|author2=Thomas Metcalf|title=A Concise History of Modern India|url=http://apnaorg.com/books/english/concise-history-india/concise-history-india.pdf|edition=2nd|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=156}}</ref> and had caused neglect of the poorer eastern region.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=156-157}}</ref> The idea of the partition had been brought up only for administrative reasons.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hermanne Kulke|author2=Dietmar Rothermund|title=A History of India|url=http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/A%20History%20of%20India_Kulke.pdf|edition=4th|publisher=Routledge|page=280}}</ref> Therefore,<ref>{{cite book|author1=Barbara Metcalf|author2=Thomas Metcalf|title=A Concise History of Modern India|url=http://apnaorg.com/books/english/concise-history-india/concise-history-india.pdf|edition=2nd|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=156}}</ref> Curzon planned to split Orissa and Bihar and join fifteen eastern districts of Bengal with Assam. The eastern province held a population of 31 million, most of which was Muslim, with its centre at Dhaka.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=157}}</ref> Once the Partition was completed Curzon pointed out that he thought of the new province as Muslim.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hermanne Kulke|author2=Dietmar Rothermund|title=A History of India|url=http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/A%20History%20of%20India_Kulke.pdf|edition=4th|publisher=Routledge|page=280}}</ref> Lord Curzon's intention was to divide Bengalis, not Hindus from Muslims.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hardy|author2=Thomas Hardy|title=The Muslims of British India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDw4AAAAIAAJ|date=7 December 1972|publisher=CUP Archive|isbn=978-0-521-09783-3|page=148}}</ref> The Western districts formed the other province with Orissa and Bihar.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hermanne Kulke|author2=Dietmar Rothermund|title=A History of India|url=http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/A%20History%20of%20India_Kulke.pdf|edition=4th|publisher=Routledge|page=280}}</ref> The union of western Bengal with Orissa and Bihar reduced the speakers of the Bengali language to a minority.<ref>{{cite book|author=Burton Stein|title=A History of India|edition=2nd|year=2010|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|page=280}}</ref> Muslims led by the Nawab of Dhaka supported the partition and Hindus opposed it.<ref>{{cite book|author=Craig Baxter|title=Bangladesh: from a nation to a state|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjBuAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=WestviewPress|isbn=978-0-8133-3632-9|page=39}}</ref>
+The Bengal Presidency encompassed Bihar, Orissa and Assam.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=157}}</ref> With a population of 78.5 million it was British India's largest province.<ref>{{cite book|author=Burton Stein|title=A History of India|edition=2nd|year=2010|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|page=280}}</ref> For decades British officialdom had maintained that the huge size created difficulties in effective management<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=156}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Barbara Metcalf|author2=Thomas Metcalf|title=A Concise History of Modern India|url=http://apnaorg.com/books/english/concise-history-india/concise-history-india.pdf|edition=2nd|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=156}}</ref> and had caused neglect of the poorer eastern region.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=156-157}}</ref> The idea of the partition had been brought up only for administrative reasons.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hermanne Kulke|author2=Dietmar Rothermund|title=A History of India|url=http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/A%20History%20of%20India_Kulke.pdf|edition=4th|publisher=Routledge|page=280}}</ref> Therefore,<ref>{{cite book|author1=Barbara Metcalf|author2=Thomas Metcalf|title=A Concise History of Modern India|url=http://apnaorg.com/books/english/concise-history-india/concise-history-india.pdf|edition=2nd|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=156}}</ref> Curzon planned to split Orissa and Bihar and join fifteen eastern districts of Bengal with Assam. The eastern province held a population of 31 million, most of which was Muslim, with its centre at Dhaka.<ref>{{cite book|author=David Ludden|title=India and South Asia : a short history|year=2013|publisher=Oneworld Publications|page=157}}</ref> Once the Partition was completed Curzon pointed out that he thought of the new province as Muslim.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hermanne Kulke|author2=Dietmar Rothermund|title=A History of India|url=http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/A%20History%20of%20India_Kulke.pdf|edition=4th|publisher=Routledge|page=280}}</ref> Lord Curzon's intention was to divide Bengalis, not Hindus from Muslims.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hardy|author2=Thomas Hardy|title=The Muslims of British India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDw4AAAAIAAJ|date=7 December 1972|publisher=CUP Archive|isbn=978-0-521-09783-3|page=148}}</ref> The Western districts formed the other province with Orissa and Bihar.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Hermanne Kulke|author2=Dietmar Rothermund|title=A History of India|url=http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/documents/A%20History%20of%20India_Kulke.pdf|edition=4th|publisher=Routledge|page=280}}</ref> The union of western Bengal with Orissa and Bihar reduced the speakers of the Bengali language to a minority.<ref>{{cite book|author=Burton Stein|title=A History of India|edition=2nd|year=2010|publisher=Wiley Blackwell|page=280}}</ref> Muslims led by the Nawab of Dhaka supported the partition and Hindus opposed it.<ref>{{cite book|author=Craig Baxter|title=Bangladesh: from a nation to a state|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjBuAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=WestviewPress|isbn=978-0-8133-3632-9|page=39}}</ref>
 ==Partition==

v t e Indian independence movement
History	Colonisation Porto Grande de Bengala Dutch Bengal East India Company British Raj French India Portuguese India Battle of Plassey Battle of Buxar Anglo-Mysore Wars First Second Third Fourth Anglo-Maratha Wars First Second Third Gwalior Polygar Wars Vellore Mutiny First Anglo-Sikh War Second Anglo-Sikh War Sannyasi rebellion Rebellion of 1857 Radcliffe Line more
Philosophies and ideologies	Ambedkarism Gandhism Hindu nationalism Indian nationalism Khilafat Movement Muslim nationalism in South Asia Satyagraha Socialism Swadeshi movement Swaraj
Events and movements	Partition of Bengal (1905) Partition of Bengal (1947) Revolutionaries Direct Action Day Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy The Indian Sociologist Singapore Mutiny Hindu–German Conspiracy Champaran Satyagraha Kheda Satyagraha Rowlatt Committee Rowlatt Bills Jallianwala Bagh massacre Noakhali riots Non-cooperation movement Christmas Day Plot Coolie-Begar movement Chauri Chaura incident, 1922 Kakori conspiracy Qissa Khwani massacre Flag Satyagraha Bardoli 1928 Protests Nehru Report Fourteen Points of Jinnah Purna Swaraj Salt March Dharasana Satyagraha Vedaranyam March Chittagong armoury raid Gandhi–Irwin Pact Round table conferences Act of 1935 Aundh Experiment Indian Legion Cripps Mission Quit India Bombay Mutiny Royal Air Force strikes Coup d'état of Yanaon Provisional Government of India Independence Day Praja Mandala movement Lucknow Pact
Organisations	All India Kisan Sabha All-India Muslim League Anushilan Samiti Arya Samaj Azad Hind Berlin Committee Ghadar Movement Hindustan Socialist Republican Association Indian National Congress India House Indian Home Rule movement Indian Independence League Indian National Army Jugantar Khaksar movement Khudai Khidmatgar Swaraj Party more
Social reformers	Ashfaqulla Khan A. Vaidyanatha Iyer Ayya Vaikundar Ayyankali B. R. Ambedkar Baba Amte Bal Gangadhar Tilak Dayananda Saraswati Dhondo Keshav Karve G. Subramania Iyer Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty Gopal Ganesh Agarkar Gopal Hari Deshmukh Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar J. B. Kripalani Jyotirao Phule Kandukuri Veeresalingam Mahadev Govind Ranade Mahatma Gandhi Muthulakshmi Reddy Narayana Guru Niralamba Swami Pandita Ramabai Periyar Ram Mohan Roy Rettamalai Srinivasan Sahajanand Saraswati Savitribai Phule Shahu Sister Nivedita Sri Aurobindo Syed Ahmad Khan Vakkom Moulavi Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vinoba Bhave Vitthal Ramji Shinde Vivekananda
Independence activists	Abul Kalam Azad Accamma Cherian Achyut Patwardhan A. K. Fazlul Huq Alluri Sitarama Raju Annapurna Maharana Annie Besant Ashfaqulla Khan Babu Kunwar Singh Bagha Jatin Bahadur Shah II Bakht Khan Bal Gangadhar Tilak Basawon Singh Begum Hazrat Mahal Bhagat Singh Bharathidasan Bhavabhushan Mitra Bhikaiji Cama Bhupendra Kumar Datta Bidhan Chandra Roy Bipin Chandra Pal C. Rajagopalachari Chandra Shekhar Azad Chetram Jatav Chittaranjan Das Dadabhai Naoroji Dayananda Saraswati Dhan Singh Dukkipati Nageswara Rao Gopal Krishna Gokhale Govind Ballabh Pant Har Dayal Hemu Kalani Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi Jatindra Mohan Sengupta Jatindra Nath Das Jawaharlal Nehru K. Kamaraj Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Khudiram Bose Shri Krishna Singh Lala Lajpat Rai M. Bhaktavatsalam M. N. Roy Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi Mahadaji Shinde Mahatma Gandhi Mangal Pandey Mir Qasim Mithuben Petit‎ Mohammad Ali Jauhar Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari Nagnath Naikwadi Nana Fadnavis Nana Saheb P. Kakkan Prafulla Chaki Pritilata Waddedar Purushottam Das Tandon R. Venkataraman Rahul Sankrityayan Rajendra Prasad Ram Prasad Bismil Rani Lakshmibai Rash Behari Bose Sahajanand Saraswati Sangolli Rayanna Sarojini Naidu Satyapal Dang Shuja-ud-Daula Shyamji Krishna Varma Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi Siraj ud-Daulah Subhas Chandra Bose Subramania Bharati Subramaniya Siva Surya Sen Syama Prasad Mukherjee Tara Rani Srivastava Tarak Nath Das Tatya Tope Tiruppur Kumaran Ubaidullah Sindhi V. O. Chidamabaram V. K. Krishna Menon Vallabhbhai Patel Vanchinathan Veeran Sundaralingam Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Virendranath Chattopadhyaya Yashwantrao Holkar Yogendra Shukla more
British leaders	Wavell Canning Cornwallis Irwin Chelmsford Curzon Ripon Minto Dalhousie Bentinck Mountbatten Wellesley Lytton Clive Outram Cripps Linlithgow Hastings
Independence	Cabinet Mission Constitution Republic of India Indian annexation of Goa Indian Independence Act Partition of India Political integration Simla Conference

v t e Pakistan Movement
History of Pakistan (timeline: 1947–present)
History	East India Company Indian Rebellion of 1857 Deobandi Movement Barelvi Movement Aligarh Movement Urdu movement Partition of Bengal Lucknow Pact Khilafat Movement Shuddhi movement Nehru Report Fourteen Points of Jinnah Allahabad Address Now or Never pamphlet World War II Two nation theory Round Table Conferences Lahore Resolution Direct Action Day Muslim nationalism in South Asia Cabinet Mission Indian Independence Act Partition of India Radcliffe Line Durand Line Objectives Resolution Independence Pakistani monarchy Republic Day Kashmir conflict National symbols Constitution of Pakistan British heritage Protestant Islam	The leaders of the Muslim League, 1940. Jinnah is seated at centre. Flag of Pakistan State emblem of Pakistan
Organisations	Muslim League Punjab Branch Bengal Branch Unionist Student Federations Khaksars Renaissance Society Philosophical Congress Print media Dawn Daily Jang Nawa-i-Waqt Contractor
Leaders	Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Aga Khan III Khwaja Salimullah (Nawab Salimullah) Syed Ameer Ali Mohammad Ali Jauhar Maulana Shaukat Ali Hakim Ajmal Khan Muhammad Iqbal Muhammad Ali Jinnah Fatima Jinnah Liaquat Ali Khan Sadeq Mohammad Khan V Mian Muhammad Shafi Mian Abdul Rashid Nawab Waqar-ul-Mulk Kamboh Mohsin-ul-Mulk Bahadur Yar Jung Baba-e-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq Abdul Qayyum Khan Abdur Rab Nishtar Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman Choudhary Rahmat Ali A. K. Fazlul Huq Jamaat Ali Shah G. M. Syed Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Jafar Khan Jamali Ghulam Bhik Nairang Hasrat Mohani Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Jogendra Nath Mandal K. H. Khurshid Khawaja Nazimuddin Mahmud Husain Mohammad Amir Ahmed Khan Muhammad Zafarullah Khan Qazi Mohammad Isa Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan Ashraf Ali Thanwi Shabbir Ahmad Usmani Zafar Ali Khan more
Activists	Hamid Nizami Abdullah Haroon Yusuf Haroon Mahmoud Haroon Altaf Husain Adamjee Haji Dawood Muhammad Shafi Deobandi Zafar Ahmad Usmani Ahmed Ali Lahori Malik Barkat Ali Aslam Khattak Yusuf Khattak Mian Iftikharuddin Shahnawaz Khan Mamdot Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot Sikandar Hayat Khan Shaukat Hayat Khan Muhammad Asad Ziauddin Ahmad Abu Bakr Ahmad Haleem Maulana Ghulam Rasool Mehr Hakeem Mohammad Saeed Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas Muhammad Abdul Qayyum Khan Sardar Ibrahim Khan Fida Mohammad Khan Sheikh Sir Abdul Qadir M. M. Sharif Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Jalaludin Abdur Rahim Z. A. Suleri G. Allana Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi Jalal Baba of NWFP Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari Amin ul-Hasanat (Pir of Manki Sharif) Syed Wajid Ali Hafeez Jalandhari Jahanara Shahnawaz Lady Abdullah Haroon Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh Fatima Begum Naseer Ahmad Malhi Ahmed Saeed Nagi Niaz Ali Khan Amir Habibullah Khan Saadi Habib Rahimtoola Sharif al Mujahid Fatima Sughra Begum Abdul Sattar Khan Niazi Viqar-un-Nisa Noon Amir Abdullah Khan Rokhri Abdul Hamid Qadri Badayuni Sardar Aurang Zeb Khan Abdullah Ropari Muhammad Ibrahim Mir Sialkoti more
Literature	Idea of Pakistan Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence Notes on Afghanistan and Baluchistan Pakistan: A Personal History The Myth of Independence Pakistan: A Hard Country Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever? Causes of Indian Mutiny of 1857
Architecture	Minar-e-Pakistan Bab-e-Pakistan Pakistan Monument Mazar-e-Quaid Ziarat Residency Iqbal's Tom' Wazir Mansion National Library Deena Public Hall Bab-e-Khyber Jinnah Terminal
In Memory	Youm-e-Pakistan (23 March) Youm-e-Dastur (10 April) Youm-e-Takbir (28 May) Youm-e-Azadi (14 August) Youm-e-Difah (6 September) Youm-e-Tasees (24 October) Youm-e-Iqbal (9 November) Youm-e-Viladat (25 December)

v t e University of Dhaka
History	Partition of Bengal in 1905 1971 Dhaka University massacre
Culture	Teacher-Student Center Film Society Students' Union Debating Society Dhaka Viswavidyalay Patrika Madhur Canteen Aparajeyo Bangla Doel Square Shoparjito Shadhinota Mangal Shobhajatra Raju Memorial Sculpture
Institutes	Institute of Business Administration Institute of Information Technology Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology Institute of Modern Languages Institute of Social Welfare and Research Institute of Statistical Research and Training
Facilities	Library Bureaus and Research Centers Dhaka University metro station
Residential halls	Salimullah Muslim Hall Jagannath Hall Shahidullah Hall Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall and more
Related	Curzon Hall List of alumni and faculty List of Constituent Colleges/Institutes
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