It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with East Pakistan. (Discuss)

East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly included the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved the violent partition of Bengal. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that East Bengal (province) be merged into this article or section. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ...

First Partition, 1905–1912

Also see Indian independence movement#Partition of Bengal The Indian Independence Movement was a series of revolutions empowered by the people of India put forth to battle the British Empire for complete political independence, beginning with the Rebellion of 1857, reaching its climax with Mahatma Gandhis Quit India Movement (1942-1945), and Subhash Chandra Boses Indian...

The first instance of the name was during the British rule of India. British governance of large swathes of Indian territory began with Robert Clive's victory over the nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula, at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The victory gave the British East India Company dominion over Bengal, which became the headquarters of British administration in the sub-continent. After the Indian rebellion of 1857 (known as the "Mutiny"), the British government took direct control away from the East India Co., and established its imperial capital at Calcutta, the city founded by the Company. By 1900, the British province of Bengal constituted a huge territory, stretching from the Burmese border to deep into the Ganges valley. Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey (September 29, 1725 - November 22, 1774) was the statesman and general who established the empire of British India. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... Mîrzâ Mah. ... The Battle of Plassey was a battle that took place on June 23, 1757, near Palashi (পলাশী in Bengali) (anglicised to Plassey), a small village on the Bhagirathi River (a distributary of the Ganga) located about 150 km north of Kolkata, and south of town of Murshidabad (then capital of the... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company of investors, which was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ... 1857–1858 was a period of armed uprising as well as rebellions in mostly northern and central India against British occupation of the subcontinent. ... Kolkata (Bangla: কলকাতা, Hindi: कोलकता, alternate English Calcutta), is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and was capital of British India until 1912. ... Early morning on the Ganges The River Ganges (Ganga in Indian languages) (Devanagiri गंगा) is a major river in northern India. ...

With the assumption of Lord Curzon to the office of Governor-General of India, British India was finally put under the charge of a man who considered himself an expert in Indian affairs. Curzon, seeing the logistical problems of adminstering such a large province, proposed to divide Bengal. Bengal, henceforth, would encompass Calcutta and the western territories, roughly comprising modern West Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. East Bengal, the new province, would roughly encompass modern Bangladesh and the northeastern states of India (then all grouped under the heading of Assam). George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (January 11, 1859 - March 20, 1925), was a conservative British statesman and sometime Viceroy of India. ... The Governor-General of India (or Governor-General and Viceroy of India) was the head of the British administration in India. ... West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Pościm Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... Bihar (बिहार in Devanagari) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... Orissa (2001 provisional pop. ... Assam (অসম) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur. ...

While Curzon claimed the action was one merely founded upon administrative principles, the growing nationalist movement, which originated with the educated elite of Calcutta and the Bengali aristocracy, took the action as an attempt to cut off Bengal's Hindu intellectual leaders (based in Calcutta) from the majority Muslim agriculturalists of the east, dividing the nationalist movement along lines of class and religion. The partition of Bengal, effected in July 1905, sparked a firestorm in the nationalist movement. The partition was revoked in 1912, but it was accompanied by slicing off the non-Bengali portions of the province -- creating two additional provinces, Assam and Bihar and Orissa (both themselves further subdivided after Indian independence) -- and the shifting of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. Assam (অসম) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur. ... Bihar (बिहार in Devanagari) is a state of the Indian union situated in the eastern part of the country. ... Orissa (2001 provisional pop. ... This article deals with the metropolis of Delhi. ...

In the now divided Bengal, East Bengal comprised an area of 196,540 sq. miles that included 18 million muslims and 12 million hindus. The (old) bengal area had 141,580 sq miles with a majority of 42 million hindus and 9 million muslims.

Second Partition, 1947–present

In 1947, as part of the Partition of India, Bengal was divided into two states -- the majority-Hindu portion became the Indian state of West Bengal, and the majority-Muslim portion became the Pakistani province of East Bengal. In 1955, the government of Pakistan eliminated the provinces and changed the name of East Bengal to East Pakistan. The Liberation War of Bangladesh resulted in creation of the independent state of Bangladesh from the province of East Pakistan. Britains holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948, becoming four new independent states: India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan (including East Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh). ... It has been suggested that East Bengal (province) be merged into this article or section. ... The Bangladesh Liberation War (two other names are also used occasionally) refers to an approximately nine month long armed conflict between current day Pakistan and Bangladesh. ...