The Anti-British stance of marxist political parties in Ceylon and the Indian independence league

Abstract

The movement for Indian independence from British rule was sponsored by the "Quit India" demand that began in India in 1942. These activities spread to the Malay Peninsulathen under British rule. Some peninsular Ceylonese enlisted in two units of the Indian Independence Movement, the Indian Independence League (IIL)- its political arm, and the Indian National Army (INA)- its military arm; only a few of them used direct militarism. The politically-active Ceylonese in their homeland expressed their anti-British agitation through political rhetoric rather than through military action. This review paper documents, in their own words, the anti-British stance of these leaders in war-time Ceylon.