Political Violence in Sri Lanka
The Open University of Sri Lanka
BA Degree in Social Sciences – Level iv (2007)
Tutor Marked Assignment ii
Applied Sociology – SSU 2207
Registration No: 60531951
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Last Date of Submission 30th April 2007
01. Do you think that political violence in Sri Lanka is a result of the power struggle? Discuss with example.
The recorded history of the world clearly points out the major political changes that occurred in the world are largely due to violence rather than revolutions or any other forms of passive resistance. For example, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) tried to conquer Europe by violence while Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), leader of the Nazi Party and Chancellor of the German Reich killed millions of Jews in aggression with the view to creating an Aryan German state. One of the best substantiations that we witness today is the America’s war against terrorism. It undoubtedly expresses the America’s interior thought to extend its political power in the gulf region under the guise of war against terrorism. All these incidents evidently show that the violence has been used as one of the major instruments to gain political power in the history of the world.
Therefore the political violence in Sri Lanka should be viewed in terms of historical perspective. It is not strange to say that Prince Vijaya’s arrival in Sri Lanka has made the political background of violence. Because the legend of Vijaya explains how he induced Kuweni to struggle with her own tribe to conquer the island and how he at last expelled her. The battle between the Tamil King Elara (North) and the King Dutugemunu from Ruhunu South, the arrival of foreign invaders in the colonial periods and their aggressive dominance of coastal areas of the country, and almost all the report submitted by the commissioner of elections after each election held in the Independence Sri Lanka
BA Degree in Social Sciences – Level iv (2007)
Tutor Marked Assignment ii
Applied Sociology – SSU 2207
Registration No: 60531951
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Date of Submission 30th April 2007
01. Do you think that political violence in Sri Lanka is a result of the power struggle? Discuss with example.
The recorded history of the world clearly points out the major political changes that occurred in the world are largely due to violence rather than revolutions or any other forms of passive resistance. For example, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) tried to conquer Europe by violence while Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), leader of the Nazi Party and Chancellor of the German Reich killed millions of Jews in aggression with the view to creating an Aryan German state. One of the best substantiations that we witness today is the America’s war against terrorism. It undoubtedly expresses the America’s interior thought to extend its political power in the gulf region under the guise of war against terrorism. All these incidents evidently show that the violence has been used as one of the major instruments to gain political power in the history of the world.
Therefore the political violence in Sri Lanka should be viewed in terms of historical perspective. It is not strange to say that Prince Vijaya’s arrival in Sri Lanka has made the political background of violence. Because the legend of Vijaya explains how he induced Kuweni to struggle with her own tribe to conquer the island and how he at last expelled her. The battle between the Tamil King Elara (North) and the King Dutugemunu from Ruhunu South, the arrival of foreign invaders in the colonial periods and their aggressive dominance of coastal areas of the country, and almost all the report submitted by the commissioner of elections after each election held in the Independence Sri Lanka