There were two partitions of Bengal; one occurred in 1905 and another in 1947. In 1905, Bengal was divided into three provinces and the official reason given by the British Raj was that the Bengal Presidency was too large to govern properly. In 1911, fortunately for the Bengalis, the British Raj was forced to withdraw the first partition of Bengal, while in 1947 India was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan, and Bengal was divided into western and eastern regions. The western part of the province of Bengal became the state of West Bengal and remained with India, while the eastern part of Bengal became East Pakistan. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay The main reason for the partition of India in 1947 was to put an end to the constant fighting and violent outbursts between Hindus and Muslims. The British Raj, Indian Congress leaders, and Muslim League leaders assumed that by dividing India into two separate nations and giving each dominant religious sect control over their respective country, Hindus could live peacefully in India and Muslims could live peacefully. in Pakistan. Unfortunately, due to the partition, hundreds of thousands of deaths occurred and millions of people became refugees. Partition failed to resolve religious issues and left a serious impact on Indians and Pakistanis. From this suffering arose a mutual hatred, as each religious group blamed the other for its losses. From that hatred emerged a relentless rivalry and a mutual need to avenge past suffering. The tension created in 1947 seemed to have a lasting impact on the Bengalis, and stories are still told among families about the suffering of ancestors who moved from East Pakistan or West Pakistan. Shortly after the creation of Pakistan, the western and eastern parts of Pakistan began to separate based on cultural and linguistic differences. In 1971, with the help of the Indian Army, East Pakistan finally declared its independence from Pakistan and became a separate nation-state called Bangladesh. This paper will trace the two partitions of Bengal (1905 and 1947) to show why the British Raj was forced to withdraw the first partition, while the second remained firm. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay Furthermore, it will analyze whether the partition of 1947 was a result of British imperial revenge for their ego being crushed in 1911 when they were forced to end the first partition of Bengal or whether there was actually a need for the separation of the two sects quarrelsome religious women. Finally, the article will highlight the impact of the 1947 Partition by discussing the current social, political and economic conditions in West Bengal and Bangladesh, and how the long shadow of the Partition is still alive today in both regions..