Socialism in Bangladesh
The four stars in the
National Emblem of Bangladesh represent the four fundamental principles of the constitution: nationalism, socialism, secularism, and democracy. Like most other socialist countries, sheaves of paddy in the borders represent the agricultural workers as a symbol of socialism.
Socialism in Bangladesh differs from
socialist countries where all the means of production are owned socially. Socialism is one of the four fundamental principles of state policy in the original
Constitution of Bangladesh, along with
nationalism,
democracy and
secularism.
[1] It's also mentioned in the
preamble.
[2] "Socialism" has been considered in the Constitution as "a way to establish an exploitation-free society".
[3][4] The constitution allows
cooperative and
private ownership along with
state ownership.
[5][6] The Constitution recognizes Bangladesh as a
people's republic, and pledges to ensure the emancipation of peasants and workers,
[7] and endeavours to protect and improve their conditions.
[8] Like socialist constitutions, it also declares for free and compulsory education.
[9]
After
the independence, newly established Bangladesh, led by
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was shaped as a
socialist economy. However it resulted a chaotic situation and economic backslide. In 1975, the country's political structure was changed to a
socialist state and only one
vanguard party existed in the country. After the assassination of Mujib, the country saw a
regime change and socialism eventually removed from the constitution in 1979 and liberalization was started. Free market economy was introduced, state enterprises were dismalted and subsidies were withdrawn. In 2011, the term "socialism" and "socialist" were reintroduced to make the constitution more in line with the original document,
[10] but the country remained a liberal
mixed economy.
Socialist era (1972–1975)
Main articles:
Premiership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and
Second Revolution (Bangladesh)
After the
liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, some socialistic approaches were taken by the
Government of Bangladesh, increasing state participation in the productive activities to improve the
economic status of the war ridden country. With a view to establishing a socialist nation under a
Soviet economic model, many large and medium-sized enterprises and public utility enterprises were nationalized.
[13][14] On 26 March 1972, all banks, and all insurance companies excluding the branches of foreign banks were nationalized.
[15]
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president and the "
founding father" of the country, advocated socialism and
secularism in the country. According to him, the country's wealth belongs to all the people of Bangladesh. Everybody will have share in whatever would be produced. Exploitation would be stopped.
[16] The constitution was highly dominated by socialist ideas and his party
Awami League became the
de facto vanguard party.
However, these initiatives resulted a rise of
left-wing insurgance in the country, and many anti-AL organizations broke out, like
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) and
Purba Banglar Sarbahara Party. A people's militia named
Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini (JRB) was formed to handle the insurgance, which eventually involved with
extrajudicial killings,
enforced disappearances and atrocities.
The economy also saw a backslide. Reformation process left only the small and cottage industries for the private sector.
[14] Public sector expanded very rapidly, but the share of public sector in GDP and in total productive efforts was insignificant.
[17] This was because the
agricultural sector was left to the private sector, which comprised about 80% of the national economy.
[18] In 1974,
a great famine broke out in the country, which emerges the mismanagement and failure of the system.
On 24 February 1975, due to increasing insurgency and political and economic mismanagements, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for a socialist revolution in the country, named
Second Revolution. Using the powers granted to him by the fourth
amendment of the constitution, he formed a new political party,
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BaKSAL). It would be the only party allowed in Parliament.
[19] All other political parties were outlawed with the formation of BaKSAL through a presidential order
[20] and Bangladesh turned into an absolute
one-party ruled socialist state. The party advocated
state socialism as a part of the group of reforms under the theory of Second Revolution.
[21] BaKSAL was the decision making council to achieve the objectives of the Second Revolution.
[22] Government also restricted civil liberties and most of the newspapers were banned.
Growing insurgency, political and economic mismanagements and JRB atrocities formed an anti-Mujibist and anti socialist sentiment in the military. On 15 August 1975, Mujib along with his most of the family members was assassinated. Four of his closest allies and leading figures of the Revolution
were killed on 3 November in that year. With the
assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, BaKSAL was dissolved and Second Revolution failed.[
citation needed]
Post-socialist era
After the assassination of Mujib in 1975, new military leaders launched a de-Mujibization and liberalization programme develop a capitalist society. During the years of military rule that followed under
Ziaur Rahman (1975-1981) and
Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1982-1990), socialist policies and rhetoric were abandoned. Zia withdrawn most of the policies of the Second revolution and reintroduced
multi-party representative system. Liberal and progressivist political parties were revivaled, as well as JaSad and other revolutionary
Marxist–Leninist political parties were crushed during the post-coup purges.
Relationships with United States and other
Western Bloc countries also improved by that time.
Economy of Bangladesh saw a de-socialization as well as de-centralization by this time. Many state-owned enterprises were privatised, like banking, telecommunication, aviation, media, and jute. Trade liberalization and exports promoted. Economic policies aimed at encouraging private enterprise and investment, privatising public industries, reinstating budgetary discipline, and liberalising the import regime were accelerated.
Tipu was a progressive leader, an educated person who confiscated land from the casteist upper caste Hindus and gave the lands to the genetically-oppressed lower caste Hindus - the Shudras and Dalits. Tipu was a student of the French Revolution and established a Jacobins Club in Mysore city. He and Napoleon had the plan of jointly acting against the British colonials but the French military I think was stuck in Egypt and Tipu was set up by five British-led militaries in May 1799 including by the army of the "Muslim" nizam of Hyderabad and was killed.
This man, Salahuddin, had an assassinated attempt done by the Hashisheen, the Taliban of his times. Please tell me you don't support the Taliban. 
