Brief
History of Nepal
The Shah Kings
are usually credited with creating the modern nation-state now known as
Nepal. In the second half of the eighteenth century, Prithvi
Narayan Shah overran most of the other petty states of the central
and eastern Himalaya in a military campaign and incorporated
the newly acquired
land into his own territory. A courtly family, who adopted the title
of Rana, eclipsed the reign of the Shah Kings thirty years later.
The Ranas used the Hindu religion in order to incorporate Nepal’s
many ethnic groups into a national ethnic hierarchical caste system.
Therefore,
the ruling elite was able to regard the mass of the population as
revenue producing subjects rather than actual Nepalese citizens with
rights.
A Timeline of Political History
1936
Praja Parishad, the first Nepali political party, is established in Kathmandu.
1940s
The Nepali Congress Party and the Communist Party of Nepal succeed the
Praja Parishad political party. After taking form in India, the two
separate parties become the two main political camps of Nepal.
1951
The Rana regime is overthrown by a coalition of the Shah King, Tribhuvan,
the political parties, dissatisfied factions of the Rana elite, and
India’s government, who brokered the following political settlement.
Swearing in of
the Government headed by the Prime Minister Mohan Shamsher Janga Bahadur
Rana. Seated from left to right is King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev,
Crown Prince Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah, Prime Minister Mohan Shamsher
JB Rana,
Home Minister B.P. Koirala, Ganesh Man Singh and others.
1955
King Mahendra succeeds his father and becomes the new King of Nepal.
King Mahendra
1959
The Nepal Congress Party wins a majority of votes in Nepal’s
first general elections.
December 1960
King Mahendra employs the emergency powers granted by the country’s
Constitution to release the Congressional government. He asserts that
it has failed to maintain law and order and has also endangered the sovereignty
of Nepal. He insists that a multi-party parliamentary democracy is unsuited
to fit the circumstances of Nepal.
1962
The Panchayat system is introduced to Nepal in the new written Constitution.
This new Constitution provides an appearance of democratic participation
and electoral accountability but in reality, the King retains ultimate
power while banning political party activism.
1960s – 1970s
Opposition to the Panchayat political system begins to grow among
the educated and politically conscious people of Nepal. They are
angered
by the Panchayat’s exclusivity and unaccountability, especially
because it tried to suppress those who disagreed with the system.
1979
The banned political parties and student activists lead the first true
anti-Panchayat movement.
1980
As a result of the protest, a National Referendum is conducted and successfully
gives the Panchayat system a renewed mandate.
1985
A second, more peaceful act of civil disobedience is planned against
the Panchayat system but is cancelled when bombs explode at several
different locations in Kathmandu.
February - April 1990
Nepal’s dispute with India over trade and transit worsens the country’s
already weak economy. These conditions serve as a catalyst for the people
of Nepal to protest for democracy and human rights. The Nepali Congress
and a United Left Front consisting of seven communist parties lead the
protest, which successfully dismantles the Panchayat system. The system
is replaced by a bicameral parliament.
November 1990
Nepal’s new Constitution is drafted and put into effect.
The Kingdom of Nepal's 1990 Constitution
1991
The Nepali Congress Party, the dominant party since the reinstatement
of a multi-party government, wins a majority of the votes in the first
general election held under the new Constitution.
1994
Nepal’s Government collapses due to internal divisions within
the party and new elections produce a hung parliament. The Nepal Communist
Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) attempt to run a minority government
but this fails within a year of their power.
1995-1999
More than half a dozen coalitions come into power throughout these four
years.
1999
General elections yield a victory for the Nepali Congress Party in part
because the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) split.
Created by Lauren Wessler for Mount Holyoke College
Last Updated May 12, 2005