Dominion of Ceylon

Dominion of Ceylon ← 1948–1972 → Flag Coat of arms Capital Colombo Government Parliamentary democracy Monarch  - 1948-1952 George VI (First Monarch)  - 1952-1972 Elizabeth II (Last Monarch) Governor General  - 1948-1949 Henry Monck-Mason Moore  - 1949-1954 Herwald Ramsbotham, 1st Viscount Soulbury  - 1954-1962 Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke  - 1962-1972 William Gopallawa Prime Minister  - 1948-1952 Don Senanayake  - 1952-1953 Dudley Shelton Senanayake  - 1953-1956 John Lionel Kotalawela  - 1970-1972 Sirimavo Bandaranaike Historical era 20th Century  - Independence 4 February 1948 1948  - Government change May 22, 1972 1972 Area  - 1948 65,610 km2 (25,332 sq mi) Population  - 1948 est. 7,060,000       Density 107.6 /km2  (278.7 /sq mi)  - 1956 est. 8,100,000       Density 123.5 /km2  (319.8 /sq mi)  - 1962 est. 11,000,000       Density 167.7 /km2  (434.2 /sq mi) [1][2][3]

The Dominion of Ceylon, today known as Sri Lanka, was a dominion (and later realm) in the Commonwealth of Nations between 1948 and 1972.

History

Initially, the prominent party was the UNP, the United National Party. In the first parliamentary elections, the UNP gained 42 out of the 95 seats available, and also won the elections in 1952. When the first prime minister, D. S. Senanayake, died of a stroke, his son Dudley was appointed as prime minister. This kind of "hereditary" succession was one of the problems with the new government. In 1956, the radical socialist SLFP (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) won the elections, and Solomon Bandaranaike took power. The leftist SLFP established Sinhalese rather than English as the official language and the language used in schools and universities under the Sinhala Only Bill. This caused Tamil riots, as they spoke a different language. These riots culminated in the assassination of the prime minister, Bandaranaike. His widow, Sirimavo, succeeded her husband as leader of the SLFP and was elected as the world's first female prime minister. She held office until 1977, with two exceptions in 1960 and 1965-1970, when the UNP held power. During her rule, she implemented a radical economic program of nationalization and land reform, a pro-Sinhalese educational and employment policy, and an independent foreign policy as part of the non-aligned movement^[4].

Economy

The economy of the Dominion of Ceylon was mainly agriculture-based, with key exports consisting of tea, rubber, and coconuts. These did well in the foreign markets, accounting for 90% of the export share by value^[5]. The exports sold well initially, but falling tea and rubber prices decreased the earnings, with a rapidly increasing population cutting further into those profits. Additionally, a revamped system of education created a glut of skilled workers that could not find employment.

Government

The constitution of Ceylon created a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives^[3], with the popularly-elected House indirectly naming the Senate^[5]. The head of state was the governor general, a representative of the Ceylonese monarch and a predominantly ceremonial figure. The head of government was the prime minister, and he and his cabinet consisted of the largest political party in the legislature.

Governor-General

In 1948, Sri Lanka achieved independence from the United Kingdom. The Governor was replaced with a Governor-General, responsible not to London, but the King/Queen of Ceylon, the local government, and the local parliament.

Problems

The government of Ceylon had several issues, the main being that the government represented only a small part of the population, mainly wealthy, English-educated elite groups. The Singhalese and Tamil majority did not share the values and ideas of the upper-class, and this often led to riots^[4].

See also

• SLFP
• UNP
• Sri Lanka

References