British Ceylon

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/british-ceylon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the administrative name changes?Reflected evolving British control from 1802 to 1948
2. What is the economic transformation?Shift from traditional agriculture to large-scale tea, rubber, and coffee plantations
3. What was British Ceylon and how did it start?British Ceylon began when the British took over Dutch lands in 1796 during the Napoleonic Wars. They first ran the coast, while the inland Kandyan Kingdom stayed independent until 1815, when it was taken over by the British.
4. Why did the British change the crops grown in Ceylon?The British wanted to sell products to Britain, so they grew coffee in the mid‑1800s. When coffee plants fell sick, they switched to tea and rubber, which were also good for export.

Imperialism: The policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.
Nationalism: Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.
Decolonization: The process by which colonies become independent of the colonizing country.