Why did Bangladesh’s July 2024 Revolution succeed in overthrowing Sheikh Hasina’s regime, but struggle to produce lasting political transformation?

Published to mark two years since the July Revolution ended in August 2024, this document introduces insights from forthcoming SOAS ACE research conducted with the Change Initiative in Bangladesh. Drawing on extensive field research, it argues that while the movement successfully assembled diverse networks into collective action, these networks did not develop into durable organisations capable of reshaping the country’s political settlement.

Using the SOAS ACE political settlements framework alongside Actor-Network Theory, the paper explains the difference between successful mobilisation and sustainable political change. It examines how trust, organisational capacity and relative holding power shape the transition from spontaneous collective action to enduring political organisations, and why this distinction matters for understanding democratic transitions and political reform.

This Research Insight offers an introduction to the forthcoming full research paper, which presents the complete evidence base and analysis.

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Citation
Roy, P., Khan, M., Khan, M. Z. H., Shova, S. J., Mahia, N. B. N. 2026. 'Bangladesh: why the July Revolution remains unfinished'. SOAS Anti-Corruption Evidence (ACE) SOAS University of London. https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/bangladesh-why-the-july-revolution-remains-unfinished/