When Sri Lanka achieved its independence in 1948, about 70% of the population was Sinhalese (92% of whom were Buddhists and almost all speak Sinhalese). 23% of the population was Tamil (about 86% of whom were Hindus and most spoke Tamil). There had been no riots or any other form of communal violence between Sinhalese and Tamils for hundreds of years before independence.

At that time, positions of power, wealth and status were largely held by an educated, English-speaking (often Christian) elite, who were both Sinhalese and Tamil.

In 1956, Solomon Bandaranaike was elected as prime minister. He claimed that the power of the English-speaking elite was unjust. To change this situation, he made laws to increase the importance of the Sinhala language. He introduced the controversial Sinhala Only Act, recognising Sinhala as the only official language of the government. This also involved giving more educational and employment opportunities to the Sinhalese population.

During the 1970s, the policy of standardisation attempted to rectify disparities created in university enrolment, its goal was to assist geographically disadvantaged students to obtain tertiary education. This resulted in reducing the proportion of Tamil students at university level. However, this had negative effects on the Tamil community. In 1955, 26% of government workers were Tamils. By 1979 this number had been reduced to a half of that. These limited opportunities for education and employment for many Tamils led to protests, communal violence and finally to civil war.