"This book looks at Bangladesh at and beyond its 50 years since its formation in 1971, when it has broken into the world stage dramatically after an armed struggle against an occupation army attempting to remain in power through massive repression and large-scale killings. Before these events, Bangladesh was an unremarkable part of Pakistan (known as "East Pakistan"), overwhelmingly rural and agricultural with a high population density and massive illiteracy, malnutrition and poverty. It was suspended in this state, as the rural backwaters located in the biggest delta in the world, periodically visited by huge storms, floods and debilitating epidemics. This situation continued largely unchanged over 24 years since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, until it broke away from "West Pakistan" and became Bangladesh in 1971. This book attempts to revisit the narrative of Bangladesh over the years to clearly articulate what its achievements have been, and to explain how the various developmental transitions came about. It is expected to be the most authoritative work on the 50 years of Bangladesh"--