Ancient History:
The first entries in the Mahavamsa or “Great History” date back to 543 BC, which coincides with the arrival of Prince Vijaya in Sri Lanka. Around 483 BC, the Sinhalese named their capital Anuradhapura, and accepted Buddhism as their main religion. In the 12th century, the Tamil drove the Sinhalese southwest. Muslim leaders were then drawn to the islands for the trade of exotic spices.
Post Independence :
Sri Lanka finally gained its own independence in 1949. Sri Lanka consisted of several small islands, whose inhabitants spoke different languages. For this reason, controversy ensued over what would be considered Sri Lanka 's official language. The Sinhalese and Tamil rioted over demands for recognition of their language and a separate Tamil state under a federal system. This resulted in severe loss of life due to violent riots. In 1959 the Prime Minister was assassinated. In 1960 his widow Sirimavo Bandaranaike became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The federal party of the Tamils was outlawed in 1961, certain western business facilities were nationalized in 1962, and the country became involved in disputes with the U.S. and the U.K. over compensation. In 1965 Bandaranaike gave up her Prime Minister duties to Dudley Senanayake, who then became Prime minister with several different parties. Under the leadership of Senanayake, nationalized businesses were recompensed, and relations to the west were established.
Modern Period:
In 1994 the PA party took charge and made the president Chanrika Kumaratunga, the daughter of Sirimavo Bandaranaike. She negotiated a cease-fire to the Tigers, but 3 months after that the violence started back. The Tamil stronghold of Jaffna was captured, causing many civilian casualties while terrorist bombing was happening. The civil war carried out all through the 1990s. In October 2000, the PA remained the largest party. In December 2001, (while fighting was still heavy) the UNP's Ranil Wickremesinghe became prime minister, creating a politically divided government. He swore to work with the president peacefully and then agreed to a truce and mediated negotiated with the Tamil Guerillas. |
