The history of Sri Lanka has 47 years, but despite its short period of existence, it is full of dramatic events. The country since 1948 has been the British dominion of Ceylon. Since 1972, a full-fledged state is the Republic of Sri Lanka. Since 1983, there has been a civil war, now subsiding, then resuming with renewed vigor. Its reasons are the legacy of British colonization and the policy of discrimination against the Tamil population.
Briefly about the pre-colonization period of the country
The country, like any other state in the world, went through several historical stages before becoming Sri Lanka. This is the oldest period - the time of residence on the island of the ancestors of the Veddas, who are indigenous. Their number today is 2,500 people.
The Iron Age is characterized by the arrival of Sinhalese on the island, which currently make up the country's main population. The history of Sri Lanka suggests that they came here in the 6th century BC. from north india. In the III century BC dominant position is Buddhism.
In the III-XIII centuries on the island there was a kingdom of Sinhalese, the capitals of which were alternately the cities of Anuradhapur and Polonnavuve. Later, due to existing contradictions, the capitals were transferred to different cities.
In the brief history of Sri Lanka, several important steps can be noted. Since the III century, Tamils began to penetrate here from India. At first they arrived on the island as merchants. Their number gradually increased, in the XIII century in the north-east of Ceylon their settlements existed. Towards the end of the century, a Tamil state appeared.
In the XIV-XV centuries, the island was divided into three states - two Sinhala Kandy and Kotta in the south-west and Tamil with its center on the Jaffna Peninsula. Militant Tamils raided the Sinhala states, bringing with them ruin and horror. Since that time, their image has emerged as irreconcilable enemies of the Sinhalese. But the constant wars between the islanders distracted them from another, even more terrible danger, a sharp turn in the history of Sri Lanka.
Portuguese colonization (1518-1658 gg.)
The period of presence of these conquerors on the island was 140 years. Their main interest was trade and, above all, the growing port settlement of Colombo. The main product was spices, in particular, cinnamon. The Portuguese called the island of Ceylao, hence the name Ceylon. Later they began to interfere in the internal affairs of the states existing here and completely subordinated to Jaffa and Kotta.
They in the middle of the XVII century made attempts to conquer Kandy, which led to the fall of Portuguese power on the island. There is another important moment in the history of Sri Lanka. The rulers of the Kandy kingdom called on the Dutch to expel the colonialists, further exacerbating the situation. Internal strife continued. The change of some European conquerors to others did not bring the long-awaited freedom.
Dutch colonization (1602-1796)
Still the main interest of Europeans remained the spice trade. It is briefly noted about this stage in the history of the country of Sri Lanka that, having received a monopoly on trade, the Dutch ousted the Portuguese from the whole island in 1658, but left behind the port cities of Halle and Negombo. Kandy's independence was maintained, but there was no longer the former unity between the inhabitants. There was a split between the Sinhala mountaineers and those living on the flat terrain.
English colonization (1795-1948)
By the end of the XVIII century, the British began to seize the ports, gradually moving inside the territory. The Kandyans resisted, but the fragmentation of the islanders led to the fact that by 1815 the entire territory of the country was under British rule. For the first time in history, the island of Sri Lanka belonged to one state.
The king, captured by the British, was exiled to India, where he died. In the same year, the Kandy Convention was signed, according to which the entire territory of the island was transferred to British rule. During English colonization, Tamil slaves from the state of Tamil Nadu (India) were brought to the island to work on plantations.
Economic change
During the reign of England there were important changes in the life of the island. The British brought here coffee, tea and rubber, which became the most important products of the country's economy. By 1870, coffee had become the main export commodity, but coffee tree diseases caused its plantations to be destroyed. The main components of export were tea and rubber. All trade, banks, plantations, ports were in the hands of England.
The island was of strategic importance. During the Second World War, it housed the headquarters of the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition. In 1942, an attempt was made by Japanese troops to seize the ports, but it was successfully repelled. After the war in 1948, Ceylon became the dominion of the Commonwealth of Nations under the control of the English king. For the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, a state appeared, which included the entire territory of the island.
Dominion Ceylon (1948-1952)
After providing autonomy in 1948, a prime minister was elected to govern the country. He became D. Senanayake - a prominent politician. His government also included Tamil leaders of Sri Lankan origin. These were the descendants of the inhabitants of the state of Jaffna.
It was under him that the parliament was formed, the basic provisions of self-government were laid, the basic institutions of statehood were formed. The capital of Sri Lanka is identified - Colombo. The history of this city goes back centuries. He owes his name to the Portuguese, who named the city after the famous navigator Columbus. Currently, the official capital where the president is located is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. In Colombo, there is a part of the government.
D. Senanayake is called the “father of the Sinhalese,” but it was under him that the citizenship law was signed, which made Indian Tamils an outcast in their own country, which caused great discontent among the Tamil parties in parliament and caused a split between the two peoples. Later, other laws were adopted that discriminated against not only Indian Tamils, but also immigrants from India and Pakistan.
Republic of Sri Lanka (1972-1976)
In 1972, in accordance with the newly adopted Constitution of the country, Ceylon changed its name and began to be called the Republic of Sri Lanka, which officially discarded the remnants of colonial status, but remained a member of the Commonwealth.
In 1977, Yu.R. Jayavarden was elected as the country's new prime minister. Under him, significant political and economic transformations took place that determined the country's course towards a free market economy in the likeness of France. A new Constitution is adopted, on the basis of which it is called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Civil War
In the early 1980s, the LTTE organization (Tamil Ilama Liberation Tigers) was created, which advocated the creation of the state of Tamil Ilama in the north-east of the country, populated mostly by the Tamil population. Armed confrontation has been going on since 1983. The number of victims reached 65 thousand people. Tens of thousands of citizens suffered as a result of terrorist activities.
In 1991, Indian President Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by Tamil extremists. It was revenge for providing military assistance to official authorities during the 1983 uprising. Two years later, Ranasinghe Premadasa, the president of Sri Lanka, was assassinated. With the participation of Norway in 2002, an agreement on a temporary truce is signed, during which negotiations were held.
Their result was the agreement of the leaders of the LTTE to grant wide autonomy to Tamils within the country. But in 2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who came to power, stopped all negotiations. In February 2010, a parliament was dissolved in the country, on the orders of the president, the opposition leader was arrested and an authoritarian regime was established.