Social Changes in Sri Lanka under the British (PDF)

C H A P T E R 5 Social Changes in Sri Lanka under the British Introduction There were a long continued ruling system, social economic system and a culture in Sri Lanka when it was captured by the British. Yet, there were drastic changes in all those areas by the...

C H A P T E R 5 Social Changes in Sri Lanka under the British Introduction There were a long continued ruling system, social economic system and a culture in Sri Lanka when it was captured by the British. Yet, there were drastic changes in all those areas by the time Sri Lanka won the independence in 1948. These changes show the effect of the British rule in Sri Lanka. The previous lesson explained how the traditional imperial system changed to a parliamentary system during the British reign. This lesson focuses on the changes that occurred in socio – economic and cultural aspects of the country during the British rule. 5.1. Economic Changes The foundation of Sri Lanka's traditional social, economic and cultural systems runs back to the Anuradapura era. That socio - economic system which was built on the doctrine of Buddhism from the rule of king Devanampiyatissa began to experience change after the arrival of Portuguese in the 16th century. The agricultural activities in Portuguese held areas suffered drawbacks because they paid more attention to trade during their rule. When the Dutch was in power in the coastal areas, they grew cinnamon and pepper, etc. targeting export. Furthermore, a group of labourers started to emerge because the Dutch started some minor industries and a payment system for the work covered daily. These Europeans failed to make a significant change in the traditional socio – economic system because the major part of the island was still under the power of the Kandyan kingdom during the time in which the coastal areas were governed by the Dutch and the Portuguese. There existed a social system which was based on the traditional socio-economic activities when Sri Lanka was captured by the British. There was an elite group in that society but they were a small minority. The country was mostly governed by the aristocrats. The greater majority of the country were the general public and they lived on agriculture. - 65 - The traditional life style of this country was based on the village. It was named as a local self–sufficient economic system because the people of the village produced their food in the village itself. There was mutual support and harmony in the village. There was no working for wages those days. Agriculture was continued, taking help from each other on daily basis which was called ‘Aththama’. As a result, the use of money was minimum in that society. The ‘ Gamsabha ‘(Village Council) settled the minor complaints about minor issues between villagers. The Gamsabha played a major role in community work such as building canal bunds, maintenance of lakes, building up of pagodas and roads before the Kandyan kingdom. The Gamsabha could get the necessary labour for the above mentioned duties under the traditional duty service system. By the time of the Kandyan Kingdom ‘Gamsabha’ had become a minor court in the village. The labour needed for the government was received through the duty service system by the administration under the ruling system before 1815.There were two ways of providing service as compulsory service system and duty, based on land occupancy. In the past, those who supplied compulsory service to the king were awarded land for their existence. Those who cultivated these lands which were called as service patrimony lands provided necessary services to the king. Officials who received these lands gave them to the general public for cultivation and they had to repay it by providing services through labour. It was called as duty of occupancy. All adult males of the country had to serve the king for no salary for a decided number of days every year. This was conducted under the heads of the village and the Gamsabha. Often, the labour necessary for the common activities of the village was taken from this compulsory service system.  Economic Reforms in Colebrooke Commission The major reason for sending the Colebrooke Commission to Sri Lanka was the expenditure of the government exceeded the income of the government. Colebrooke tried to introduce several economic reforms to Sri Lanka because he wanted to establish an economic system that met the objectives of the English. The government - 66 - wanted to invest money on profitable business in order to avoid financial difficulties the government faced. The objective of the Colebrooke Commission was to build a situation in which the private entrepreneurs could invest money because the government could not afford it. Colebrooke recommended that the government should move into a policy of selling lands because the existing traditional land tenure system was an obstacle for the private entrepreneurship. Thus, both the locals and foreigners had the opportunity to buy land as much as they wanted. The civil servants too got the opportunity of buying government lands because Colebrooke recommended that all civil servants are permitted to engage themselves in estate cultivation. The investors who bought lands wanted labour to cultivate those lands. According to the traditional compulsory service system, people were forced to work for the government with no wages. Colebrooke noticed that they were not suitable for the private entrepreneurship and it was an obstacle for the freedom of the people. Therefore, he thought of abolishing the compulsory service. As a result, labour became something that could be bought and that was the beginning of a labour class that worked for wages in Sri Lanka. When Colebrooke came to Sri Lanka, cinnamon and salt trade was a government monopoly. Continuing a government monopoly does not match with the private entrepreneurship. Therefore it was suggested to break the monopoly on cinnamon and salt trade and allow the private sector too join that trade. The taxes that were the government income those days were the levies on fish, land and alcohol and they were charged directly. For an example, a portion of the fish caught had to be submitted as tax. The right to earn taxes was auctioned and the fishermen had to pay the tax in fish to those who had bought the tax right. This direct tax was proposed to transfer into an indirect tax by issuing permits for boats. Tax on land was also a direct tax. The authority of tax collection was auctioned and those who bought it collected taxes from the products of lands. Colebrooke banished it and recommended to collect an equal amount in cash from all lands. Colebrooke further recommended the establishment of a savings bank in the island. The purpose of establishing a bank was to allow the entrepreneurs who invest money on estate cultivation obtain money to a reasonable interest. - 67 -  Development of Plantation There was a broad change in the economy of Sri Lanka after Colebrooke recommendations came into effect in 1833. Foreign investors could buy thousands of acres of land in Sri Lanka because there were no rich people among locals who could invest in mega scales though Colebrooke wanted to encourage private entrepreneurship. This was not a secret to Colebrooke too. Foreigners invested money on trade based agriculture which was profitable in the foreign market. As a result, there was rapid expansion in plantation sector in the 19th century.  Plantation of Coffee Though coffee plantation began during the Dutch period in small scale in coastal areas, because a prominent place was given to cinnamon plantation, coffee plantation did not develop. When the English came to Kandy, coffee plantation had been done in several places as a home cultivation. It developed into a plantation during the reign of the British. Several factors were there that affected the development of the coffee plantation in the 19th century. Factors that helped the development of the coffee plantation: More investment on coffee plantation by foreigners after the Colebrooke reforms in 1833. Increasing demand for coffee in the European market. - 68 -  High profit drawn through coffee plantation. Ability to get cheap labour from the Indian labourers in the plantation sector. Some other reasons for the expansion of coffee cultivation were the reduction of export tax for coffee and releasing of the labourers who worked in coffee plantation from compulsory service system during the time of the governor Edward Barnes (from 1824 – 1831). Coffee plantation was expanding fast in the upcountry region during the period of 1837 -1847. Even the government officers started growing coffee because it was very profitable. Reports say that there were about 500 acres of coffee plantation in the hill county by 1845. Thus, the coffee plantation was successful in areas such as Dumbara valley, Gampola, Peradeniya, Matale, Badulla and many areas of the Central Province. The amount of coffee export in 1844, was five times bigger than that of 1834. But after 1844 Sri Lanka had to face a huge challenge in the Landon market because of the free trade policy of Britain. Furthermore, the downfall of the global market too affected badly on the coffee plantation of Sri Lanka. Because of these reasons the demand for coffee decreased and the value of the coffee lands went down in 1848. But this situation reached normalcy again after 1850 with the reduction of production cost through efficient estate management and the high demand for coffee in Europe. The major reason for the downfall of coffee plantation in Sri Lanka was the leaf disease that spread since 1869. The fungus which was called “Hemileia Vastatrix” spread fast destroying the coffee plantation.  Cinchona and Cocoa When the coffee cultivation began to deteriorate, some planters started growing cinchona and cocoa. Yet cinchona became successful in areas with very high altitude only. Cinchona was a plant that was used in the production of the medicine called quinine and it had a limited demand. Therefore, it was not successful as an alternative to the coffee plantation. When the coffee plantation began to deteriorate, the government encouraged the cocoa plantation. Anyway, the planters had to bear an additional expenditure because cocoa needed shade in order to grow well. Even during the period when cocoa had become a successful plantation. It was not spread more than 1200 acres. It was successful only in Matale district. Cocoa too failed to provide an alternative to coffee. - 69 -  Tea Plantation Other crops were tried in the upcountry areas because of the fluctuation of coffee price in the world market. Several such experiments were made on tea plantation also. The Planters' Association sent a group of estate workers to Assam to study further about tea plantation in 1867. At the same time, James Tailor too experimented growing tea in several areas of Lulkandura estate. Tea plantation spread to about 500 acres by 1875 as a result of the above mentioned experiments. Tea plantation began to expand quickly because many planters took to tea plantation due to the destruction of coffee cultivation. By 1894 the amount of tea planted area had reached upto 400,000 acres. Tea plantation spread to the Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces because it could be grown in any area with more than 6000 feet of altitude except in the dry zone of the country. Later it was spread to the Southern and Western provinces too. It is reported that there had been 1200 acres of tea in average size and bigger tea estates in the country by 1930. With this expansion of tea plantation, tea became one of the major export products in our country. Though the income from tea went down in certain situations due to the excessive tea product after the World War I and the world economic demise in 1929, later it reached to normalcy. Factors that helped the development of the tea plantation: High demand in the world market for Sri Lankan tea Conducive environment for tea in many parts of the country except in the dry zone Ability to produce good quality tea with the help of modern factories and machines Development of transport with the development of roads Cheap labour received from south Indian labourers - 70 - - 71 -  Coconut Plantation Coconut is a home crop that existed in Sri Lanka from the past. There was an increasing interest on coconut plantation by 1850 due to the fall of coffee prices. A significant characteristic was the enthusiasm shown by the natives than the foreigners in the coconut plantation. By 1880, 65% of coconut estate owners were Sri Lankans. Coconut plantation expanded more in broad flat lands than in the hill country. Areas like Kurunegala, Chilaw and Gampaha were prominent among them. By 1920, 27% of the foreign earnings came from coconut products. A coconut research institution was established in Lunuwila to develop coconut plantation when the coconut plantation started to expand. It is clear that coconut plantation did not aim at export like the other cultivations, owing to the fact that half of the production was utilized for local consumption. Just as roads and railways developed in the hill country due to tea and coffee plantation, roads in the other parts of the country were developed to support the coconut plantation.  Rubber Plantation Though rubber was introduced to Sri Lanka around 1877, it did not show quick expansion because many cultivators during this period were more focused on tea plantation. By the beginning of the 20th century, rubber plantation expanded because rubber price increased due to the expansion of the motor vehicle indutry, suitable rubber species were found for Sri Lanka together with the development of production techniques and temporary fall of tea prices. Rubber plantation which was limited to Kalutara district at the beginning later expanded to the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern provinces and some parts of the Central Province. By 1920, 30% of the export income was received from rubber products. Later a rubber research institution was started in Agalawatta to develop the rubber plantation. - 72 - - 73 - - 74 -   ACTIVITY 3 Answer the following questions. I. Write three economic reforms of the Colebrooke Commission. II. Name four commercial crops introduced by the British to this country. III. Explain two steps taken to expand plantation in Sri Lanka. IV. Mention two advantages and disadvantages each, resulted in the economy of the country due to plantation. 5.2 Social Change  Emergence of a Middle Class A significant social change that took place in Sri Lanka during the British administration is the deterioration of the aristocrats and the emergence of a new middle class. The old aristocrats had higher economic, social and political status than the rest of the community. They were able to hold positions in the government by being loyal to the existing administration and had good income because they possessed more lands. A government agent and the Kandyan leaders They were respected and honoured by the others in the society because of the positions they held. These traditional aristocrats were called as elites. A group of new middle class people - 75 - The Colebrooke reforms paved the way to a capitalist economic system in Sri Lanka opening several new ways of earning money instead of the traditional earning methods. Among those methods, working as contractors who supplied facilities to the plantation sector, production and distribution of arrack, graphite mining, whole sale and retail sale transportation and coconut plantation were the areas in which locals could invest money on. Thus, at the onset of the 20th century, there was a local wealthy class that earned money by investing money on the above mentioned industries. They spent money to give a good education to their sons and daughters locally as well as internationally. New job opportunities such as lawyers, engineers, surveyors, clerks and civil servants had emerged by this time. People could demand a high recognition and better living conditions by getting these jobs through English education. As a result, it became another open door to enter, the middle class. There emerged a group of entrepreneurs that manipulated the new earning ways which were opened during the British reign as well as an educated group that got posts in the government through English education. They were named as the middle class because they became prominent among the others because they enjoyed a higher economic status. With the emergence of this new middle class at the beginning of the 20th century, the traditional aristocratic group began to fade away. The educated group in the new middle class became politically active. They pioneered the political struggles in the 20th century. This group which was named as educated middle class was those who earned recognition through western education. As a result they became a group of rich city dwellers who followed the western culture.  Emergence of a Labour Class Another significant feature of the British reign is the emergence of a labour class because of the economic reforms that were made. In the traditional administration system, labour was taken under the compulsory service system for the common activities of the government, leaving no necessity of working for wages. Yet because during the British reign plantation was started in the hill country, labourers were needed to work in estates. Since India too was a colony of Britain by this time, bringing labourers from Southern India for a meagre salary was more profitable. Therefore, the estate owners brought labourers from India in thousands. As a result a labour community started to grow in the hill country. New labourers were needed for duties such as loading and unloading goods in cities like Colombo, Galle and Kandy, washing clothes, transporting goods by carts, - 76 - constructing roads and railways because of the new trends of the economy. As a result, a local group of labourers emerged in the city areas in addition to the south Indian labourers. They received a meagre salary at the beginning. The number of hours they worked was not set. There were no labour insurance, compensation or other labour welfare activities. As a result, the city labourers started to gather and establish workers’ unions in order to win their rights. They started to strike in order to get their status developed as they could feel a growing unity among them. Some examples for labour strikes that took place at the beginning of the 20th century are the strike of printers, strike of the Colombo launderers and the carters’ strike. By the third decade of the 20th century the labourers began to organize themselves in better ways. Mr. E.A. Gunasinghe is a leader who tried to organize the urban labour community in a better way. He became the most renowned leader of labourers from 1922 to 1935. He pioneered to establish the ‘Ceylon Workers Congress’ marking a landmark in the history of trade unions in Sri Lanka. The leaders of ‘Lanka Sama Samaja Party’ led labour struggles establishing trade unions. Mr. Natesa Aiiar led the establishment of trade unions among the estate labourers.  Changes in the Culture The Sri Lankan culture experienced heavy changes during the British reign parallel to the changes in the society. The most significant change was the spreading of western culture in the country. The western education and studying of English language began to spread fast in the country after the Colebrooke reforms. It was the foreigners that prepared the curricula and conducted teaching in missionary schools and state aided schools. These schools too paved the way for the spreading of western culture in the country. Some aspects of the western culture invaded Sri Lanka through the behaviour of those who went to western countries for education. More Europeans were attracted to Sri Lanka during the 19th century because of the expansion of plantations, development of trade and the improvements of transport and communication that took place in the country. As a result their clubs, holiday resorts started to mushroom in the country accelerating the spreading of western culture. As a result of these western dresses, customs and traditions, greetings, western architecture and their food started to mix into the culture of Sri Lanka. - 77 -   ACTIVITY 3 List out the new things that entered the Sri Lankan culture during the British reign. 5.3 Advantages of the British Reign When Sri Lanka was a colony of British, its political and economic activities were handled in a way that all benefits went to colonists. Thus, Sri Lanka had been exploited for 133 years by the British. During this time they earned a vast wealth from the island to take to their country and used all resources of the island for their well being. Even under such conditions, there were certain benefits that the island could enjoy. Some examples are; Spreading of English language in the island which was an international language Development of transport and communication Introduction of export plantation Good effects of industrial revolution Parliamentary system 5.4 Disadvantages Though there were some advantages of being a colony of British there were many problems by the time Sri Lanka received independence after being exploited for 133 years by a foreign empire. Although some citizens became wealthy during this period the majority of the people were touching the depth of poverty when independence was won. Thus, there was a vast disparity in distribution of income and an immediate need had arisen to increase public service and welfare. Some more disadvantages of staying a colony are; spreading of western culture and deterioration of indigenous culture spreading of alcohol consumption emergence of a landless social group downfall of self sufficient economic system and losing of indigenous knowledge destruction of useful institutions such as village councils (Gamsabha) - 78 -