Editing West Bengal (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Bengal|History of rulers of Bengal|History of West Bengal}}

=== Ancient and classical period ===
[[File:Sasanka Deva king of Gauda circa 600-630.jpg|thumb|alt=A coin of the King Shashanka showing the obverse and reverse sides |Coin of the King [[Shashanka]], who created the first separate political entity in [[Bengal]], called the [[Gauda kingdom]]]]
[[Stone Age]] tools dating back 20,000 years have been excavated in the state, showing human occupation 8,000 years earlier than scholars had thought.<ref>{{cite news |title=History of Bengal just got a lot older |first=Sebanti |last=Sarkar |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080328/jsp/frontpage/story_9067406.jsp |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]] |location=Calcutta, India |date=28 March 2008 |access-date = 13 September 2010 |quote=Humans walked on Bengal's soil 20,000 years ago, archaeologists have found out, pushing the state's pre-history back by some 8,000 years. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110912042911/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080328/jsp/frontpage/story_9067406.jsp |archive-date = 12 September 2011}}</ref> According to the Indian epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' the region was part of the Vanga kingdom.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sen |first=S. N. |title=Ancient Indian History And Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |year=1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 |pages=273–274 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101213233/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |archive-date = 1 January 2016}}</ref> Several [[Vedic]] realms were present in the Bengal region, including [[Vanga]], [[Rarh region|Rarh]], [[Pundravardhana]] and the [[Suhma kingdom]]. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is a mention by the [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]] around 100{{nbsp}}BCE of a land named [[Gangaridai]] located at the mouths of the [[Ganges]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Dilip K. |last=Chakrabarti |year=2001 |title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga |pages=154–155 |publisher=Permanent Black |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-7824-016-9}}</ref> Bengal had overseas trade relations with [[Suvarnabhumi]] (Burma, Lower Thailand, the Lower [[Malay Peninsula]] and [[Sumatra]]).<ref>{{cite book |title=Foreign trade and commerce in ancient India |last=Prasad |first=Prakash Chandra |year=2003 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7017-053-2 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mFW3sXnzEQ4C&q=ancient+history+of+bengal+trade&pg=PA231 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001159/https://books.google.com/books?id=mFW3sXnzEQ4C&q=ancient+history+of+bengal+trade&pg=PA231 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to the Sri Lankan chronicle ''[[Mahavamsa]],'' [[Prince Vijaya]] ({{circa|543|505 BCE}}), a Vanga kingdom prince, conquered [[Lanka]] (modern-day Sri Lanka) and named the country [[Sinhala kingdom]].<ref>{{cite book |first2=Mabel |last2=Haynes Bode |last1=Geiger |first1=Wilhelm |author-link=Wilhelm Geiger |title=Mahavamsa: Great Chronicle of Ceylon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nX2af3kcregC&q=wilhelm+geiger |year=2003 |orig-date=1908 |publisher=[[Asian Educational Services]] |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-206-0218-2 |chapter=Chapter VI: The Coming of Vijaya |chapter-url=http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chap006.html |pages=51–54 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001207/https://books.google.com/books?id=nX2af3kcregC&q=wilhelm+geiger |url-status=live}}</ref>

The kingdom of [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] was formed in the 7th{{nbsp}}century BCE, consisting of the regions now comprising [[Bihar]] and Bengal. It was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of the lives of [[Mahavira]], the principal figure of [[Jainism]] and [[Gautama Buddha]], founder of [[Buddhism]]. It consisted of several [[janapada]]s, or kingdoms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Settlement_in_Bengal |title=Settlement in Bengal (Early Period) |last=Sultana |first=Sabiha |access-date = 12 June 2015 |work=[[Banglapedia]] |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150614193503/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Settlement_in_Bengal |archive-date = 14 June 2015}}</ref> Under [[Ashoka]], the [[Maurya Empire]] of Magadha in the 3rd{{nbsp}}century BCE extended over nearly all of [[South Asia]], including [[Afghanistan]] and parts of [[Balochistan]]. From the 3rd to the 6th{{nbsp}}centuries CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the [[Gupta Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mookerji |first=Radhakumud |title=The Gupta Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYXDB2gIYbwC |year=1959 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=978-81-208-0440-1 |pages=11, 113}}</ref>

[[File:Asia 800ad.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A map showing the extent of the Pala Empire |The [[Pala Empire]] was an imperial power during the [[Classical India|Late Classical period]] on the [[Indian subcontinent]], which originated in the region of [[Bengal]].]]
Two kingdoms—Vanga or Samatata, and Gauda—are said in some texts to have appeared after the end of the Gupta Empire although details of their ascendancy are uncertain.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra Nath |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA275 |date=1 January 1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 |page=275 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151231212731/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA275 |archive-date = 31 December 2015}}</ref> The first recorded independent king of Bengal was [[Shashanka]], who reigned in the early 7th{{nbsp}}century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Shashanka |title=Shashanka |access-date = 12 June 2015 |work=[[Banglapedia]] |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150614200631/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Shashanka |archive-date = 14 June 2015}}</ref> Shashanka is often recorded in Buddhist annals as an intolerant Hindu ruler noted for his persecution of the Buddhists. He murdered [[Rajyavardhana]], the Buddhist king of [[Thanesar]], and is noted for destroying the [[Bodhi tree]] at [[Bodh Gaya|Bodhgaya]], and replacing Buddha statues with Shiva [[lingams]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Intolerance debate: How some historical brutalities are more special than others |url=http://scroll.in/article/774898/intolerance-debate-how-some-historical-brutalities-are-more-special-than-others |website=Scroll.in |access-date = 25 December 2015 |language=en-US |first=Tony |last=Joseph |date=11 December 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151225181534/http://scroll.in/article/774898/intolerance-debate-how-some-historical-brutalities-are-more-special-than-others |archive-date = 25 December 2015}}</ref> After a period of anarchy,<ref>{{cite book |last=Bagchi |first=Jhunu |title=The History and Culture of the Pālas of Bengal and Bihar, Cir. 750 A.D.-cir. 1200 A.D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J7RKoMeAtpUC |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-301-4 |year=1993 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160423230909/https://books.google.com/books?id=J7RKoMeAtpUC |archive-date = 23 April 2016}}</ref>{{rp|36}} the [[Pala Empire|Pala dynasty]] ruled the region for four hundred years beginning in the 8th{{nbsp}}century. A shorter reign of the Hindu [[Sena dynasty]] followed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Khan |first=Muhammad Mojlum |title=The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-2s9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 |date=21 October 2013 |publisher=Kube Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-84774-062-5 |pages=15–16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126080958/https://books.google.com/books?id=-2s9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|archive-date=26 January 2018}}</ref>

[[Rajendra Chola I]] of the [[Chola dynasty]] invaded some areas of Bengal between 1021 and 1023.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sengupta |first=Nitish K. |title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA45 |publisher=[[Penguin Books India]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-14-341678-4 |page=45 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101213233/https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA45 |archive-date = 1 January 2016}}</ref>

[[Islam]] was introduced through trade with the [[Abbasid Caliphate]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Raj Kumar |date=2003 |title=Essays on Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qvnjXOCjv7EC |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |page=199 |isbn=978-81-7141-682-0}}</ref> Following the [[Ghurid Empire|Ghurid]] conquests led by [[Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji]] and the establishment of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], it spread across the entire Bengal region. [[Mosque]]s, [[madrasa]]s and [[khanqah]]s were built throughout these stages. During the Islamic [[Bengal Sultanate]], founded in 1352, Bengal was a major world [[trading nation]] and was often referred by the Europeans as the richest country with which to trade.<ref>Nanda, J. N (2005). {{cite book |year=2005 |title=Bengal: the unique state |publisher=Concept Publishing Company. p. 10. |isbn=978-81-8069-149-2 |quote=Bengal [...] was rich in the production and export of grain, salt, fruit, liquors and wines, precious metals and ornaments besides the output of its handlooms in silk and cotton. Europe referred to Bengal as the richest country to trade with.}}</ref> Later, in 1576, it was absorbed into the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Banu |first=U. A. B. Razia Akter |title=Islam in Bangladesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XyzqATEDPSgC |date=January 1992 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|BRILL]] |isbn=978-90-04-09497-0 |pages=2, 17 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140101175100/http://books.google.com/books?id=XyzqATEDPSgC |archive-date = 1 January 2014}}</ref>

=== Medieval and early modern periods ===
[[File:Firoz Minar.JPG|thumb|alt=Firoz Minar a red stone tower at Gauda |[[Firoz Minar]] at [[Gauḍa (city)|Gauḍa]] was built during the [[Bengal Sultanate]].]]
Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam,_Bengal |title=Islam (in Bengal) |access-date = 26 October 2006 |work=[[Banglapedia]] |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150723091245/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam,_Bengal |archive-date = 23 July 2015}}</ref> It was ruled by dynasties of the Bengal Sultanate and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. The Bengal Sultanate was interrupted for twenty years by a Hindu uprising under [[Raja Ganesha]]. In the 16th{{nbsp}}century, Mughal general [[Islam Khan I|Islam Khan]] conquered Bengal. Administration by governors appointed by the court of the Mughal Empire gave way to semi-independence under the [[Nawab]]s of [[Murshidabad]], who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in [[Delhi]]. Several independent Hindu states were established in Bengal during the Mughal period, including those of [[Pratapaditya]] of [[Jessore District]] and [[Raja Sitaram Ray]] of [[Bardhaman]]. Following the death of Emperor [[Aurangzeb]] and the Governor of Bengal, [[Shaista Khan]], the [[proto-industrialization|proto-industrialised]] [[Mughal Bengal]] became a semi-independent state under the [[Nawabs of Bengal]], and showed signs of the world's first [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref name="ray" /><ref name="sengupta" />  The [[Koch dynasty]] in northern Bengal flourished during the 16th and 17th{{nbsp}}centuries; it weathered the Mughals and survived until the advent of the British colonial era.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5lH40gT7xvYC&pg=PA44 |title=Bangladesh: Politics, Economy and Civil Society |last=Lewis |first=David |date=31 October 2011 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-139-50257-3 |language=en |page=44}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N2tlKzxwhY8C&pg=PA41 |title=Ancient India, History and Archaeology |last=Ganguly |first=Dilip Kumar |date=1994 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=9788170173045 |language=en |page=41 |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001202/https://books.google.com/books?id=N2tlKzxwhY8C&pg=PA41 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Colonial period ===
[[File:Pope1880BengalPres2.jpg|thumb|alt=An map of Bengal in 1880 |An 1880 map of Bengal]]
Several European traders reached this area in the late 15th{{nbsp}}century. The [[British East India Company]] defeated [[Siraj ud-Daulah]], the last independent Nawab, in the [[Battle of Plassey]] in 1757. The company gained the right to collect revenue in Bengal [[subah (province)|subah]] (province) in 1765 with the signing of the treaty between the East India company and the Mughal emperor following the [[Battle of Buxar]] in 1764.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Sirajuddaula |title=Sirajuddaula |access-date = 12 June 2015 |last1=Chaudhury |first1=S |last2=Mohsin |first2=KM |work=Banglapedia |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150614191817/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Sirajuddaula |archive-date = 14 June 2015}}</ref> The [[Bengal Presidency]] was established in 1765; it later incorporated all British-controlled territory north of the [[Central Provinces]] (now [[Madhya Pradesh]]), from the mouths of the Ganges and the [[Brahmaputra]] to the [[Himalaya]]s and the [[Punjab region|Punjab]]. The [[Bengal famine of 1770]] claimed millions of lives due to tax policies enacted by the British company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/fiske/john/f54u/chapter9.html |title=The famine of 1770 in Bengal |access-date = 26 October 2006 |last=Fiske |first=John |work=The Unseen World, and Other Essays |publisher=University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection |location=Adelaide |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061205020541/http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/fiske/john/f54u/chapter9.html |archive-date = 5 December 2006}}</ref> Calcutta, the headquarters of the East India company, was named the capital of British-held territories in India in 1773.<ref>{{harvnb|Arnold-Baker|2015|p=504}}</ref> The failed [[Indian rebellion of 1857]] started near Calcutta and resulted in a transfer of authority to the [[British monarchy|British Crown]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Baxter|1997|p=32}}</ref> administered by the [[Viceroy of India]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Bayly|1987|pp=194–197}}</ref>
[[File:Subhas Chandra Bose NRB.jpg|130px|thumb|left|[[Subhas Chandra Bose]], a leading freedom fighter of India]]
The [[Bengal Renaissance]] and the [[Brahmo Samaj]] socio-cultural reform movements significantly influenced the cultural and economic life of Bengal.<ref>{{harvnb|Sarkar|1990|p=95}}</ref> Between 1905 and 1911 an [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|abortive attempt]] was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones.<ref>{{Harvnb|Baxter|1997|pp=39–40}}</ref> Bengal suffered from the [[Bengal famine of 1943|Great Bengal famine]] in 1943, which claimed three{{nbsp}}million lives during World War{{nbsp}}II.<ref>{{cite book |title=India |last=Wolpert |first=Stanley |author-link = Stanley Wolpert |year=1999 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |location=Berkeley, California, US |isbn=978-0-520-22172-7 |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHnOERqf-MQC |access-date = 2 March 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130509231648/http://books.google.com/books?id=nHnOERqf-MQC |archive-date = 9 May 2013}}</ref> Bengalis played a major role in the [[Indian independence movement]], in which [[Revolutionary movement for Indian independence|revolutionary groups]] such as [[Anushilan Samiti]] and [[Jugantar]] were dominant.<ref name="Lochtefeld 2001 771"/> Armed attempts against the British Raj from Bengal reached a climax when news of [[Subhas Chandra Bose]] leading the [[Indian National Army]] against the British reached Bengal. The Indian National Army was subsequently routed by the British.<ref>{{harvnb|Chandra|Mukherjee|Mukherjee|Panikkar|1989|p=26}}</ref>

=== Indian independence and afterwards ===

When India [[History of the Republic of India|gained independence]] in 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines. The western part went to the [[Dominion of India]] and was named West Bengal. The eastern part went to the [[Dominion of Pakistan]] as a province called [[East Bengal]] (later renamed East Pakistan in 1956), becoming the independent nation of [[Bangladesh]] in 1971.<ref>{{cite web |first=Sirajul |last=Islam |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Partition_of_Bengal,_1947 |title=Partition of Bengal, 1947 |work=[[Banglapedia]] |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |access-date = 12 June 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702002256/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Partition_of_Bengal,_1947 |archive-date = 2 July 2015}}</ref> In 1950 the Princely State of Cooch Behar merged with West Bengal.<ref name="Doldrums" /> In 1955 the former [[French India|French enclave]] of [[Chandannagar]], which had passed into Indian control after 1950, was integrated into West Bengal; portions of Bihar were also subsequently merged with West Bengal. Both West and East Bengal experienced large influxes of refugees during and after the [[Partition of India|partition]] in 1947. Refugee resettlement and related issues continued to play a significant role in the politics and socio-economic condition of the state.<ref name="Doldrums">Sailen Debnath, ''West Bengal in Doldrums'' {{ISBN|978-81-86860-34-2}}; & Sailen Debnath ed. ''Social and Political Tensions in North Bengal since 1947,'' {{ISBN|81-86860-23-1}}</ref>

[[File:Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.jpg|thumb|alt= A photograph of the engine and several cars of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway with people on either side of it |The [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]] was designated a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 1999.]]
During the 1970s and 1980s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent [[Marxist]]–[[Maoist]] movement by groups known as the [[Naxalites]] damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of [[economic stagnation]] and [[deindustrialisation]].<ref name="WB1">—{{citation |last=Banerjee |first=Partha Sarathi |date=5 February 2011 |title=Party, Power and Political Violence in West Bengal |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |volume=46 |issue=6 |pages=16–18 |jstor=27918111 |issn=0012-9976}}<br />—{{citation |last=Donner |first=Henrike |year=2004 |title=The significance of Naxalbari: accounts of personal involvement and politics in West Bengal |publisher=[[University of Cambridge]] |location=United Kingdom |page=14 |url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/21343/1/The_significance_of_Naxalbari_%28LSERO%29.pdf |access-date=13 July 2020 |archive-date=18 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918082502/http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/21343/1/The_significance_of_Naxalbari_%28LSERO%29.pdf |url-status=live}}<br />—{{citation |last=Banerjee |first=Debdas |date=20 February 1982 |title=Industrial Stagnation in Eastern India: A Statistical Investigation |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |volume=17 |issue=8 |pages=286–298 |jstor=4370702}}<br />—{{cite news |title=Murder, most foul – the people of Bengal created the darkness that envelops them |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081005/jsp/opinion/story_9927371.jsp |work=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]] |last=Mukherjee |first=Rudrangshu |access-date=4 March 2012 |date=5 October 2008 |location=Kolkata |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118211018/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081005/jsp/opinion/story_9927371.jsp |archive-date=18 January 2012}}</ref> The [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] of 1971 resulted in an influx of millions of refugees to West Bengal, causing significant strains on its infrastructure.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hindle|1996|pp=63–70}}</ref> The [[1974 smallpox epidemic of India|1974 smallpox epidemic]] killed thousands. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. The Left Front, led by the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]], governed the state for the next three decades.<ref name=longcommu>{{cite news |first=Soutik |last=Biswas |title=Calcutta's colourless campaign |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4909832.stm |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=16 April 2006 |access-date = 15 February 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120214053922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4909832.stm |archive-date = 14 February 2012}}</ref>

The state's economic recovery gathered momentum after the [[Government of India|central government]] introduced [[economic liberalisation in India|economic liberalisations]] in the mid-1990s. This was aided by the advent of [[Information technology in India|information technology]] and [[Business process outsourcing|IT-enabled services]]. Beginning in the mid-2000s, armed insurgents conducted minor terrorist attacks in some parts of the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2005-07/2005-07-22-voa10.cfm |title=Maoist on rise in West Bengal |access-date = 11 September 2006 |last=Ghosh Roy |first=Paramasish |date=22 July 2005 |work=VOA Bangla |publisher=[[Voice of America]] |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071212062125/http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2005-07/2005-07-22-voa10.cfm |archive-date = 12 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/MCC.htm |title=Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) |access-date = 11 September 2006 |work=Left-wing extremist group |publisher=South Asia Terrorism Portal |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120212092516/http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/MCC.htm |archive-date = 12 February 2012}}</ref> Clashes with the administration took place at several controversial locations over the issue of industrial land acquisition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Several hurt in Singur clash |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/28singur.htm |work=[[Rediff.com]] |date=28 January 2007 |access-date = 15 March 2007 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071211194310/http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/28singur.htm |archive-date = 11 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Red-hand Buddha: 14 killed in Nandigram re-entry bid |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070315/asp/frontpage/story_7519166.asp |newspaper=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]] |location=Calcutta, India |date=15 March 2007 |access-date = 15 March 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070317192827/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070315/asp/frontpage/story_7519166.asp |archive-date = 17 March 2007}}</ref> This became a decisive reason behind the defeat of the ruling Left Front government in the 2011 assembly election.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/05/2011513143311330487.html |title=Defeat rocks India's elected communists |publisher=Rediff India Abroad |date=13 May 2011 |access-date = 29 July 2014 |last=Bhaumik |first=Subir |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140404051617/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/05/2011513143311330487.html |archive-date = 4 April 2014}}</ref> Although the economy was severely damaged during the unrest in the 1970s, the state has managed to revive its economy steadily throughout the years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Is West Bengal's economy actually reviving under Mamata Banerjee? |url=https://scroll.in/article/806031/is-west-bengals-economy-actually-reviving-under-mamata-banerjee |url-status = live |website=scroll.in|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161206213236/http://scroll.in/article/806031/is-west-bengals-economy-actually-reviving-under-mamata-banerjee |archive-date = 6 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=West Bengal tax revenue up 19% on greater efficiency |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/west-bengal-tax-revenue-up-19-on-greater-efficiency/ |work=[[The Indian Express]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904151454/http://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/west-bengal-tax-revenue-up-19-on-greater-efficiency/ |archive-date = 4 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Revenue collection: Mamata Banerjee's West Bengal beats rest of India in growth |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/archive/revenue-collection-mamata-banerjees-west-bengal-beats-rest-of-india-in-growth/1199313/ |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904152758/http://www.financialexpress.com/archive/revenue-collection-mamata-banerjees-west-bengal-beats-rest-of-india-in-growth/1199313/ |archive-date = 4 September 2017 |newspaper=[[The Financial Express (India)|Financial Express]]}}</ref> The state has shown improvement regarding ''[[bandh]]s'' ([[industrial action|strikes]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Bharat Bandh gets mixed response from India, West Bengal surprises with business-as-usual attitude |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bharat-bandh-draws-mixed-response-from-india/1/821300.html |work=[[India Today]] |date=28 November 2016 |access-date = 5 September 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161130090013/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bharat-bandh-draws-mixed-response-from-india/1/821300.html |archive-date = 30 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=No bandh in Bengal tomorrow : Mamata |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/no-bandh-in-bengal-tomorrow-mamata-116090101229_1.html |publisher=Business Standard|url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904152809/http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/no-bandh-in-bengal-tomorrow-mamata-116090101229_1.html |archive-date = 4 September 2017 |newspaper=[[Business Standard]] India |date=September 2016 |agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Zero-strike work culture has resulted in no days loss: Moloy Ghatak |newspaper=The Economic Times |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/zero-strike-work-culture-has-resulted-in-no-days-loss-moloy-ghatak/articleshow/53783890.cms |url-status = live |publisher=[[India Times]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170910063200/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/zero-strike-work-culture-has-resulted-in-no-days-loss-moloy-ghatak/articleshow/53783890.cms |archive-date = 10 September 2017}}</ref> and educational infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web |title=Silent Resurrection~I |url=http://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/silent-resurrectioni-1502457879.html |publisher=[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]|url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170828103410/http://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/silent-resurrectioni-1502457879.html |archive-date = 28 August 2017 |date=24 August 2017}}</ref> Significant strides have been made in reducing unemployment,<ref>{{cite web |title=Report on Fifth Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (2015–16) |url=http://labourbureaunew.gov.in/UserContent/EUS_5th_1.pdf |publisher=[[Ministry of Labour and Employment (India)|Ministry of Labour and Employment]] |page=120 |access-date = 24 November 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161125043238/http://labourbureaunew.gov.in/UserContent/EUS_5th_1.pdf |archive-date = 25 November 2016}}</ref> though the state suffers from substandard healthcare services,<ref>{{cite web |last=Shah |first=Mansi |title=Waiting for health care: a survey of a public hospital in Kolkata |url=http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/Waiting-for-Healthcare-A-survey-of-a-public-hospital-in-Kolkata-Mansi.pdf |publisher=[[Centre for Civil Society]] |access-date = 31 January 2012 |year=2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110813070438/http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/Waiting-for-Healthcare-A-survey-of-a-public-hospital-in-Kolkata-Mansi.pdf |archive-date = 13 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/Externally_Aided_Projects/HSDI-DFID%20Programme%20Memorandum.pdf |title=West Bengal: health systems development initiative programme memorandum |publisher=[[Government of West Bengal]] |access-date = 4 March 2012 |date=15 January 2005 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120313061115/http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/Externally_Aided_Projects/HSDI-DFID%20Programme%20Memorandum.pdf |archive-date = 13 March 2012}}</ref> a lack of socio-economic development,<ref>{{cite web |title=Impact of social sector development in West Bengal – Midnapore and Birbhum districts |url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/wbm_indx.htm |publisher=[[Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission of India]] |access-date = 4 March 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120307135928/http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/wbm_indx.htm |archive-date = 7 March 2012}}</ref> poor infrastructure,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100613/jsp/business/story_12560050.jsp |title=ADB pep pill for Bengal |work=[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]] |location=Kolkata |date=13 June 2010 |access-date = 4 March 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119151005/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100613/jsp/business/story_12560050.jsp |archive-date = 19 January 2012}}</ref> unemployment and civil violence.<ref>{{cite news |title=Six killed as farmers and communists clash in West Bengal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/12/india.randeepramesh |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=12 November 2007 |access-date = 4 March 2012 |location=London |first=Randeep |last=Ramesh |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130901025553/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/12/india.randeepramesh |archive-date = 1 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=West Bengal political violence continues |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/West-Bengal-political-violence-continues/articleshow/4871906.cms |date=8 August 2009 |work=[[The Economic Times]] |location=New Delhi |access-date = 4 March 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725065905/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/West-Bengal-political-violence-continues/articleshow/4871906.cms |archive-date = 25 July 2018 |url-status = live}}</ref> In 2006 the state's healthcare system was severely criticised in the aftermath of the [[West Bengal blood test kit scam]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/22370108/ |title=Unknown vs The State of West Bengal on 14 November, 2014 |website=indiankanoon.org|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119132558/https://indiankanoon.org/doc/22370108/|archive-date=19 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/defective-bloodtest-kits-in-west-bengal-8815 |title=Defective blood-test kits in West Bengal|access-date=19 November 2018 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119060108/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/defective-bloodtest-kits-in-west-bengal-8815|archive-date=19 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>