The Speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 7th March 1971: A Historical Analysis

Abstract

The 20th century witnessed a lot of nationalist movements, which gave the birth of many independent states. All these nationalist movements were led by some charismatic leaders who could convince, organize, and motivate people by their character, speech, and wonderful leadership. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mojibur Rahman was one of them. He was such a leader who opened the eyes of the East Pakistani people about their right and led them towards independence. He could ignite the light of the nationalist spirit among the people by his public speaking capacity and heart-rending speech. His historic speech of 7th March 1971 is often considered as one of the most influential speeches over the world. UNESCO recognized the 7th March speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as part of the world’s documentary heritage in 2017. This study sheds light on the historical importance of that speech. An extensive historical background of this speech will also be demonstrated based on the documents of the liberation war of Bangladesh and other reliable sources. This study shows that the 7th March speech of Bangabandhu paved the way for independent Bangladesh in 1971.

Keywords: Speech of Bangabandhu, 7th March 1971, Independence, Bangladesh, world heritage, UNESCO