Catalogue

This brief monograph provides a sympathetic overview of the history of Bangladesh and the leaders who have shaped its politics. Four of the 11 chapters review political developments from 1947 to '71 and the forces which led to the breakup of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. The core of the book, however, is a study of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Genral Ziaur Rahman, and General H.M. Ershad, the three personalities who have dominated and shaped the political development of independent Bangladesh. A short concluding chapter explores the potential futures of the two Bengals and argues that Bangladesh will have to find solutions to the political turmoil, poverty, natural calamities, and economic development problems of the nation within itself. Ziring is a well-known Pakistan specialist who served on the faculty of Dhaka University in 1959-60 and in 1986. His book covers mostly familiar ground and joins a growing list of general surveys written by academics, journalists, aid workers, and former embassy officials available to undergraduate students and general readers interested in Bangladesh. S. A. Kochanek; Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus