SUGGESTION FOR MID EXAMINATION

SUMMER SEMESTER 2020

COURSE: EMERGENCE OF BANGLADESH, HIS 103

Short Questions: Answer any six out of ten 4x6=24

Fairness and Time management 1

Total Marks: 25
Time: 85 minutes
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1. What is colonialism?
=>Colonialism is a distinct form of imperialism in which a colonizing nation exerts direct controls
over a colonized state by military, economic, and political means. It is defined as “control by one
power over a dependent area or people.” The forceful widespread intrusion of a colonizing nation
naturally causes an irreversible change in all dimensions of the colonized state, the lives of the people,
and the social architecture. To achieve the primary objective of colonialism, creating wealth for the
colonizing nation and its people, many different groups, including women and children acting
synergistically, must contribute.

2. What is communalism?
=>Communalism is basically an ideology which belief that because a group of people follow a
particular religion, therefore, naturally they attain common social, political and economic
interests. Communal riots are only one consequence of the spread of this ideology. As a matter
of fact, a person’s mere affiliation to the social, cultural and service aspects of a religious
community would not amount to communalism. Communalism preaches the followers of a
particular religion to have hatred against the followers of other religious communities. It
assumes that the followers of a particular religion will have common interests that differ from
other religions. In essence, communalism is opposed to secularism and even humanism.

3. What is Nationalism?
=>Nationalism is an ideology that asserts that a nation is formed by a group of people with a common
identity, language, history, and set of customs. It is used to be recognized as an ideology of national
independence, an ideological movement for the attainment and maintenance of self-government .
According to nationalists, loyalty to one's nation is critical, and the people of a nation must band
together to promote the good of their country, to defend it, to extend its boundaries and culture, and to
fulfill its destiny. Nationalists further claim that a state must be independent and ruled by its own
people.
4. What is the benefit of studying history?
=>History helps us to understand people and societies, politics, culture and heritage. It offers a
storehouse of information about how people and societies behave. Only through studying history we
can grasp how things change; only through history we can begin to comprehend the factors that
cause change; and only through history we can understand what elements of an institution or a society
persist despite change. A study of history is essential for good citizenship. It offers evidence also
about how nations have interacted with other societies, providing international and comparative
perspectives essential for responsible citizenship.

5. What sources do modern historians use in interpreting contemporary history?

6. How did the birth of East India Company happen?
7. Write at least five negative impacts of British colonialism in India.
=> 1. Britain held most of the political and economic power.

2. Profitable industries such as cotton, salt, construction, tea were control by the British
industrialists.

3. Cash crops cultivation, deforestation, in some cases plantations and the construction
of nation-wide railway system caused a loss in self-sufficiency of Indian farmers and led
to a series of famines that ruin Indian economy.

4. Presence of Christian missionaries and the racial attitude of the British threaten the Indian
cultural heritage and also the religious tolerance of Indian society.

5. Bengal saw numerous number of famine in its colonial history. The place which was never
food insecure found itself as one of the famine prone region in India.

8. What is mercantilism and how did it work?

=> Mercantilism was an economic system of trade that spanned from the 16th century to the
18th century. Mercantilism is based on the principle that the world's wealth was static, and
consequently, many European nations attempted to accumulate the largest possible share of
that wealth by maximizing their exports and by limiting their imports via tariffs. Under
mercantilism, nations frequently engaged their military might to ensure local markets and
supply sources were protected, to support the idea that a nation's economic health heavily
relied on its supply of capital.

9. Point out at least five significant contributions of the Bengal Renaissance.

=> 1. A secular struggle for rational freethinking
2. Growth of modern Bengali literature
3. Spread of Western education and ideas
4. Passionate and diverse intellectual inquiry
5. Rise of nationalistic ideas

10. What is the Swadeshi movement and what was the aim of that movement?
=> The Swadeshi movement started with the partition of Bengal by the Viceroy of India, Lord
Curzon in 1905 and continued up to 1911. In this movement, Swadeshi leaders appeal to Indian
for boycotting of government service, courts, schools and colleges and of foreign goods,
promotion of Swadeshi goods, Promotion of National Education through the establishment of
national schools and colleges. Hence, it was not only political but economic movement as well.
It was the strongest in Bengal and was also called the Vandemataram movement in India.

11. Why did the British decide to divide Bengal into two parts?
=> The Partition of Bengal was the process of separating eastern parts of Bengal from rest of
Bengal. The British tried to break the growing nationalism in Bengal, to create strife between
Hindus and Muslims so that they cannot unite again and start a revolutionary movement like
1857. The motive behind the partition was to divide people on religious and caste lines as the
population of east Bengal had more Muslim than Hindus and vice versa for West Bengal.
However, reason given was to make administration possible in the large state of Bengal.

12. What factors led to the growth of nationalism in Bengal?

=>Several factors played important role in the growth of nationalism in Bengal. Some of them are:
1. Political and Administrative Unity:
One of the significant results of the British conquest of India was the establishment of a
centralized state. It brought about a political and administrative unification of the country
2. English Language and Western Education:
Introduction of western education was another important factor which paved the way for the
growth of nationalism.
3. Development of Transport and Means of Communication:
The establishment of railways, construction of roads, canals and organization of postal,
telegraph and wireless services all over India contributed in forging the people into a nation.
All these factors jointly, had promoted the growth of nationalism in India.

13. What factors encouraged the growth of communal politics in India?

=> 1.Bangabhango and Swadeshi Movement
2.Formation of Muslim League
3.Morley-Minto reform of 1909
4.Lakhnau Pact of 1916
5.Khilafat Movement
6.Lahore Resolution
14. What is the Two-Nation Theory?
=>According to Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s theory, Muslim and Hindus are two different nationals and
they cannot live under one sovereign state. He declared “they are (Hindus and Muslims) not religions
in the strict sense of the word, but are, in fact, different and distinct social orders, and it is a dream
that the Hindus and Muslims can ever evolve a common nationality”. The theory is known as the
Two-Nation Theory. It is the basis of the creation of Pakistan.

15. What is the 3rd June plan and what provisions were there in the plan?

16. What is Tamuddin Majlis and what role did the play in the language movement history?
=> Tamuddin Majlish is a literary and cultural organization oriented towards Islamic ideology. It
played a vital role at the first phase of the Bangla Language Movement. It had a pioneering role
in throwing the first protest against the attempt of making Urdu as the only state language of
Pakistan. It issued a booklet on 15 September 1947 titled “Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla
na Urdu” edited by Professor Abul Quasem. The authors of articles in this historic booklet made
a strong case in fovour of introducing Bangla as the only language of instruction, language of
offices and courts of East Bengal. They also forcefully articulated the demand for Bangla to be
one of the state languages of Pakistan.

17. What is United Front and what was there election agenda? Mention at least three points from
their election manifesto.
=> United Front was composed of mainly with four parties of East Bengal, namely Awami
League, Krishak Sramik Samajwadi Party, Nizam-e Islam and Ganatantri Dal. Their election
agenda was to overthrow Muslim League from East Bengal.
Three points from their election manifesto were:
1. To recognize Bangla as one of the State Languages of Pakistan;
2. To rehabilitate immediately all the poor refugees belonging to the artisan and technician
class;
3. To protect the country from flood and famine by means of digging canals and improving
irrigation system;
18. How did the Awami Muslim League win the election of 1954 in Bengal?

19. What is the Bogra formula?

=>The plan proposed for a Bicameral Legislature with equal representation for all the five provinces
of the country in the Upper House.
20. What is basic democracy?
=> Ayub Khan introduced the system of “basic democracies” in 1960. It consisted of a network
of local self-governing bodies to provide a link between the government and the people. Basic
democracies specified a provincial development advisory council for each wing. One-third of the
appointed members of the council had to be selected from union council chairmen. The council did
not have any power. Basic Democracies were concerned with no more than local government
and rural development. Apart from being the agent of local government, the basic democracies also
performed political and electoral functions to legitimize the government through popular support and
participation.