State in the northeast of the South Asian subcontinent.
Territory - 142.7 thousand sq. km.
Population - about 87 million (1980 estimate); Bengalis - 98%, "bihari" (natives of the northern regions of India) - about 500 thousand, as well as Chakma, Santalas, Khasi and other small nationalities and tribes - over 500 thousand.
The capital is Dhaka (about 2 million inhabitants).
The state language is Bengali, English is also used.
85.4% of believers are Muslims, 13.5% are Hindus, over 1% are Buddhists, Christians, etc.
The first state formations on the territory of Bangladesh emerged in the 7th-6th centuries. BC NS. In the XIII century. the country was subdued by the Muslim conquerors. From 1757 to 1947 it was under British rule. The growth of the national liberation movement during the Second World War forced the British colonialists to leave South Asia. As a result of the section of the former. British colony of India into two dominions (on religious grounds) - India and Pakistan - in 1947 Bangladesh (then East Bengal) under the name East Pakistan was incorporated into Pakistan.
The socio-economic and political discrimination of East Bengal, the dominance in all spheres of life of the West Pakistani big bourgeoisie and landowners caused the growth of the Bengali national liberation movement.
In December 1970, the first general elections were held in Pakistan, in which the People's League party (leader - M. Rahman) won, which came up with a program of granting East Pakistan full regional autonomy. An attempt by the ruling circles of Pakistan to cross out the election results and suppress the Bengali national liberation movement by military force did not succeed. On March 26, 1971, an independent state was proclaimed on the territory of East Bengal - the People's Republic of Bangladesh. During the armed struggle that ended with the surrender of the Pakistani army on December 16, 1971, the East Bengal people finally defended their independence.
The USSR was one of the first states to recognize the People's Republic of Bangladesh. On 25 January 1972, the USSR established diplomatic relations with Bangladesh. In March 1972, a joint declaration of the USSR and the People's Republic of Bangladesh was signed , which determined a favorable prospect for cooperation between the two countries.
The leadership of the country that came to power, headed by M. Rahman, announced a program of radical socio-economic transformations that were anti-feudal and anti-imperialist. The main branches of Prometheus, banks, trading enterprises were nationalized, control over foreign trade was established, the tax on small-land peasants was abolished, the activities of right-wing religious-communal parties were banned, and a democratic constitution was adopted. In the field of foreign policy, the government of M. Rahman proclaimed the principles of non-alignment, peaceful coexistence and friendship with all peoples. In March 1973, parliamentary elections were held - the National Assembly, as a result of which the People's League received an overwhelming majority of mandates (307 out of 315).
The general economic backwardness of the country, the devastation and disorganization of economic life during the period of the armed struggle for independence, as well as a number of devastating natural disasters and other factors caused a deep crisis in Bangladesh. In this situation, M. Rahman at the beginning of 1975 restructured the state-political structure of the country: he introduced the presidential form of government, dissolved all political parties, announced the creation of a one-party system and took full power into his own hands.
15.VIII 1975 a group of army officers staged a coup d'etat, during which M. Rakhman was tragically killed. Over the next years, the regime in power pursued a course of discrediting the policy of M. Rahman, at rejecting the program of social and economic transformations proclaimed by him, at suppressing the left, democratic forces.
21. IV 1977, Major General Z. Rahman was appointed to the post of President of the country. Rahman is an active participant in the national liberation struggle. He declared the basis of his policy "a program of 19 points" (achieving self-sufficiency in the economy, comprehensive development of agriculture, etc.), the main principles of the constitution proclaimed adherence to the ideals of Islam, democracy, nationalism of TC socialism. In the field of foreign policy, a course was taken to "expand friendly cooperation with all countries on the basis of the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh."
In April 1979, the government lifted martial law, and in November 1979 - the state of emergency in the country, introduced in December 1974. In December 1979, the president announced the holding of the so-called. "Peaceful revolution", including measures to increase food production, eliminate illiteracy, reduce population growth, etc.
The highest legislative body is the National Assembly (330 members). In the elections of November 18, 1979, the Nationalist Party won the largest number of seats in the Assembly (249). The head of state is the president (since June 1978 - 3. Rahman).
Since July 1976, the activity of political parties has been allowed in the country. Nationalist Party - founded in 1978. The goal of the party is to fight for the implementation of the "19-point program". Leader - 3. Rahman.
The People's League - founded in 1949, advocates for the implementation of the basic principles of politics proclaimed after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.In 1976, the activities of the Muslim League and the Islamic Democratic League - right-wing religious and communal parties that spoke in 1971 were resumed • against the independence of Bangladesh and putting forward a program of "Islamization" of the country. National Socialist Party - founded in 1972, occupies left-wing extremist positions
The National People's Party (PNP) - formed in 1957, is fighting for the implementation of broad socio-economic transformations in the interests of the working people. President - M. Ahmed.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) - founded in 1948, from 1954 to 1971 worked underground, from October 1977 to November 1978 was banned by the authorities, since March 1980 it has been repressed again.
The basis of the CPB's activity is the struggle for the vital interests of the people, for the development of the country along the path of peace, democracy and social progress. General Secretary of the CPB Central Committee - M. Farhad, chairman - Moni Singh.
The country has a developed trade union, student, youth and women's movement.
Bangladesh is an agricultural country, over 80% of the population is employed in agriculture, which generates almost 60% of the GNP. More than 2/3 of peasant farms have plots of no more than 1 hectare. Over 50% of rural residents are landless. The main agricultural crops are jute (which provides almost 70% of foreign exchange earnings), rice (it occupies over 70% of the total cultivated area), sugar cane, and tea. In 1978/79 fin. produced: jute - 1150 thousand g (1st place in the world), rice - 12.62 million tons, wheat - 486 thousand tons, sugar cane - 6.9 million tons, tea - 34.1 thousand tons. The annual grain deficit is 1.6-2 million tons (in 1979 - about 3 million).
There are 3 sectors in the economy: state, cooperative and private. Industry gives 8-9% of the GNP. Jute, textile, sugar, tea, cement and pulp and paper enterprises prevail. There are also metallurgical (capacity - 250 thousand tons of steel and rolled products per year) and oil refining (capacity - 1.5 million tons) plants. Gas production is in progress. In 1978/79 fin. produced: jute products - 501 thousand tons, h.-b. fabrics - 38.3 million m, mineral fertilizers - 363 thousand tons, cement - 319 thousand tons. Industry does not meet the needs of the population in basic industries. goods.
In 1976-78. with the assistance of the Soviet Union, the Gorazal TPP with the capacity of PO met., a fish refrigerator and an electrical equipment plant in the city of Chittagong were put into operation. Geological exploration works for oil and gas are being carried out.
Length of rail roads - 2.9 thousand km, highways - 3.7 thousand km. The leading position is occupied by water transport (it accounts for 75% of all freight and passenger traffic).
The monetary unit is taka. Taka 15.3 = $ 1 (Feb 1980).
The value of imports is almost 3 times the value of exports. The difference is covered by foreign aid. The main export items are jute and jute products, leather, tea, paper; imports - oil and oil products, pig iron, coal, machinery and equipment, cotton, food. Main trading partners: USA, England, Pakistan, Japan, Germany, India, USSR .
Annual per capita income is one of the lowest in the world — Taka 729 in FY 1978/79. (based on prices in 1972/73). About 80% of the population is illiterate.
