(i) The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggled for the recognition of Tamil as an official language.
(ii) They tried to have regional autonomy, equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs.
(iii) But their demand for more autonomy to provinces populated by the Tamils were repeatedly denied.
(iv) By 1980s, several political organizations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
(v) The distrust between the two communities turned into widespread conflict.  It soon turned into a civil war.

Majoritarianism is a concept which signifies a belief that the majority community should the wishes and needs of the minority.

Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948. There were two major communities- Sinhalese and Tamilians. The Sinhalese were in majority, and hence, after being elected to power, the Sinhalese leaders followed a series of majoritarian policies in order to ascertain the supremacy of their community.
(1) In 1956, an act was passed and Sinhala was recognised as the only official language of Sri Lanka disregarding Tamil.
(2) The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
(3) A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster-Buddhism.
(4) A feeling of alienation was seen among the Sri Lankan Tamils.
(5) The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official language, for regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs.
(6) This was denied by the Sinhala dominated government.
(7) By 1980s, several political organizations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.
(8) These differences in the two different communities pushed Sri Lanka into the state of civil war.
(9) In Sri Lanka, the idea of majoritarianism crumbled the country in a civil war

Different forms of power sharing in modern democracies:
(a) Horizontal division of power:
It is the sharing of power among the different organs of government. The division of government into the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is an example of horizontal division of power. In such a power sharing arrangement, different organs of government, placed at the same level, exercise different powers. This separation of powers ensures that no organ exercises unlimited power. Each organ checks the others, thereby putting in place a system of checks and balances. The division of power between the Council of Ministers headed by the Indian Prime Minister, the Parliament of India and the Indian Supreme Court is an example of this kind of power sharing.
(b) Vertical division of power:
It is the sharing of power among governments at different levels - a general government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level. For example, in India, the Constitution defines the way power is to be shared between the Central or Union government and the various State governments. There are certain matters on which only the Central government can take decisions, while there are others on which only an individual state government has an exclusive right for decision making. 
(c) Division of power among social groups:
Power can also be shared among different groups which differ socially. The system of 'community government' in Belgium is an example of this type of power division. This government is elected by people belonging to one language community (Dutch, French and German speaking) and has the power to take decisions regarding cultural, educational and language related issues. The system of reserved constituencies in India is another example.
(d) Division of power between political parties, pressure groups and movements:
Political parties are the organisations which aim to control power by contesting elections. In a democracy, citizens have the freedom to choose among the various contenders for power (the different political parties or the different alliances comprising political parties). Such a freedom of choice entails competition among the different parties, which in turn ensures that power does not remain in one hand, and is shared among different political parties representing different ideologies and social groups. Pressure groups and movements also share governmental power, either through participation in governmental committees or by influencing the decision making process.

Firstly, power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.

Tamil natives of the country are called 'Sri Lanka Tamils' (13 percent).  The rest whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial period are called 'Indian Tamils'

The policy of majoritarianism and undermining the interest of Tamil became the major reason for the violence in Sri Lanka.

The principle of Majoritarianism led to civil war in Sri Lanka.

Majoritarianism is followed in Sri Lanka.

Horizontal Distribution of Power:
(a) Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary.
(b) It allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers.
(c) Each organ checks the others.
Vertical Distribution of Power:
(a) Power can be shared among governments at different levels - a general government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level.
(b) The governments at the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries.
(c) The division of powers involves higher and lower leads of government.

The French and Dutch-speaking ministers are in the central government.  Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group.  Hence no single community can make decisions unilaterally.
(a) Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of the two regions of the country.
(b) Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities(French and Dutch) have equal representation.  The French speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal representation in the Central Government.
(c) There is a third kind of government called 'community government'.  It is elected by people to one language community.  This government engages with the cultural, educational and language-related issues.  This kind of governance has prevented a civil strife between the two different linguistic communities.

There are two main reasons for power sharing:
(a) Prudential Reason: A prudential reason for power sharing is that it leads to an avoidance of conflict between social groups.  Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability, power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.  In India, seats have been reserved in legislatures for the socially weaker sections keeping in mind this prudential reason for power sharing.
(b) Moral Reason: A moral reason for power sharing is that it upholds the spirit of democracy. In a truly democratic setup, the citizens too have a stake in governance.  In India, the citizens can come together to debate and criticise the policies and decisions of the government.  This in turn, puts pressure on the policies and decisions of the government.  This in turn, puts pressure on the government to rethink its policies and reconsider its decisions.  This active political participation is in keeping with the moral reason for power sharing.