Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, was one of the earliest
countries to have gained independence from the British Empire after the Second
World War. In August 1947, British India gained independence, albeit as two
nations, India and Pakistan. A month before Ceylon, Burma became an independent
republic, and chose to remain outside the Commonwealth.
There is a strong perception that Ceylon did not achieve
independence, but was presented with it. There is a strong element of truth in
this perspective. Compared to the national struggle in India, Ceylonese national
struggle was less intense and its early post independence leaders were
pro-Western. In some aspects, it seemed a continuation of the British
government.
There is a strong parallel in the national movements of India
and Ceylon in the early stages. In both countries, the initial shock of
subjugation created anti-British rebellions. Ceylon erupted in rebellion in
1817 and later in 1848. The freedom struggle at Wellassa was led by the former
elite but it expressed the natural anti-British feelings of the population. The
1848 struggle was more a people’s rising. Similarly, soon after the final
destruction of the Mughal Empire, India erupted in the Great Rebellion of 1857.
However, in both countries, once the initial uprisings were
crushed, there was a period of dejection. It was followed by a new national
movement, which emerged in the 1880s. The Buddhist Revival Movement in Ceylon
and the formation of the Indian National Congress took place at this era. The
national leaders of that time were more conciliatory and did not demand full
independence. But, with the passage of time, Indian national leaders began to
espouse independence while many Sri Lankan leaders were not demanding full
independence. While some Indian leaders created the Swadeshi Movement,
which basically promoted self-sufficiency, was the first major step towards the
promotion of Swaraj, self-rule.
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| Independence Memorial Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka. |
In Ceylon, there emerged one major group which was strongly
anti-British. They were the political left, initially rallied around the Lanka
Sama Samaja Party. The young leaders of this party created anti-imperialist
sentiment through grass root activities through the Labour Movement and
initiatives such as Sooriyamal Movement. However, their activities were limited
to a certain sector of society, mainly the urban working class and the
plantations sector. Many of the other leaders of the national movement were
Western educated new elite who espoused Western methods and ideas.
The success of the British policy in many of the former
colonies was that they successfully created a new elite to take their place
when they had to leave. Unlike the French in both Algeria and Indochina, the
British generally left the colonies when they realized their time was up.
Furthermore, by that time they had the new elite in place. In countries like
Sri Lanka, the post independence governments followed the British policy
(especially in foreign affairs) so closely that it was as if the old days of
colonialism had not changed much. Therefore, it seemed as if independence was
gifted by the British, rather than gained from them.
