On 4th of February 1948, Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, was granted its independence as ‘The Dominion of Ceylon’ from the British Empire. It remained a Dominion in the British Commonwealth until 22 May 1972 when it became a republic and was renamed the Republic of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, had been a valuable asset for the British Empire with a plantation economy.

There had long been independence movements in Sri Lanka and resistance to colonial rule, including during and after both World Wars.

There were General Strikes in 1946 and 1947.

The Ceylon Defence Force was recalled from leave in order to aid the police in crushing this upsurge. V. Kandasamy of the Government Clerical Service Union was shot dead at Dematagoda, on the way to Kolonnawa after a strike meeting at Hyde Park, Colombo, when the police repeatedly fired on the crowd. The suppression was successful in breaking the strike. However, it was set in stone for the British authorities that their position in the country was untenable. The Bombay Mutiny and other signs of unrest in the armed forces of India had already caused the British to start their retreat from that country.

At the elections of 1947, the UNP (United National Party) led by D.S. Senanayake  won a minority of the seats in Parliament, but cobbled together a coalition with the Sinhala Maha Sabha of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and the Tamil Congress of G. G. Ponnambalam. It was to this government that the British prepared to hand over power.

February 4th is celebrated in Sri Lanka as a national holiday.