1905 Partition of Bengal

The 1905 Partition of Bengal was a significant administrative and political event in British India that divided the province of Bengal into two separate entities: West Bengal and East Bengal and Assam. Enacted on October 16, 1905, the partition was ostensibly aimed at improving administrative efficiency and addressing the needs of the region's diverse population. However, it was widely perceived as a strategic move by the British to weaken the burgeoning nationalist movement by creating religious divisions, as East Bengal predominantly housed a Muslim majority and West Bengal a Hindu majority. The partition sparked widespread protests and civil disobedience, culminating in its reversal in 1911. This event played a crucial role in shaping the Indian independence movement and the future socio-political landscape of the subcontinent.