Discover Bengal · Unfolded
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Total results: 168
Language, autonomy, and liberation
1971
High
Pakistan Period and National Awakening
Old Dhaka experienced targeted killings and mass violence during the 1971 crackdown and war. Including this event helps represent urban civilian suffering within the broader military history of the conflict.
State power and democratic transition
1972
Major
Post-Liberation State and Democracy
In 1972, Bangladesh moved from wartime victory to the difficult work of state formation. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned in January to lead the new government, the Constituent Assembly began work in April, and the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was adopted on 4 November before taking effect on 16 December. The year linked liberation to institution-building through parliamentary government, fundamental rights, and the four state principles of nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism.
State, society, and political change
1973
High
Historical Transitions
First Parliamentary Election in Bangladesh was a significant turning point in the political and social trajectory of Bengal/Bangladesh.
State power and democratic transition
1974
Major
Post-Liberation State and Democracy
In 1974, Bangladesh faced one of the most severe crises of its early independence period. Floods, food-market failures, wartime economic damage, inflation, and weak administration converged into the famine remembered as the famine of '74, with rural Bangladesh suffering the worst effects. The same year also saw the Special Powers Act and a broader tightening of state power, showing how post-liberation hopes were giving way to fear, scarcity, and coercive governance.
State, society, and political change
1974
High
Historical Transitions
Special Powers Act, 1974 was a significant turning point in the political and social trajectory of Bengal/Bangladesh.
State power and democratic transition
1975
High
Post-Liberation State and Democracy
On 15 August 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family were killed in a military-backed coup in Dhaka. The event marked a foundational rupture in post-independence politics and opened a prolonged period of military and quasi-military dominance.