Muslim conversions and settlement in the
region now referred to as Bangladesh began in the 10th century,
primarily from Arab and Persian traders and preachers. Europeans began
to set up trading posts in the area in the 16th century. Eventually the
area known as Bengal, primarily Hindu in the western section and mostly
Muslim in the eastern half, became part of British India. Partition in
1947 resulted in an eastern wing of Pakistan in the Muslim-majority
area, which became East Pakistan. Calls for greater autonomy and
animosity between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan led to a
Bengali independence movement. That movement, led by the Awami League
(AL) and supported by India, won independence for Bangladesh in a brief
war in 1971, during which at least 300,000 civilians died.
The post-independence, AL government faced
daunting challenges and in 1975 was overthrown by the military,
triggering a series of military coups that resulted in a military-backed
government and subsequent creation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP) in 1978. That government also ended in a coup in 1981, followed by
military-backed rule until democratic elections in 1991. The BNP and AL
alternated in power between 1991 and 2013, with the exception of a
military-backed, emergency caretaker regime that suspended parliamentary
elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political
system and root out corruption. That government returned the country to
fully democratic rule in December 2008 with the election of the AL and
Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA. In January 2014, the incumbent AL won the
national election by an overwhelming majority after the BNP boycotted,
extending HASINA's term as prime minister. With the help of
international development assistance, Bangladesh has made great progress
in food security since independence, and the economy has grown at an
annual average of about 6% over the last two decades.
