Quit India Movement: Difference between revisions

==World War II and Indian involvement==

In 1939, Indian nationalists were angry that British [[Governor-General of India]], [[Victor Alexander John Hope|Lord Linlithgow]], brought India into the war without consultation with them. The Muslim League supported the war, but Congress was divided.

{{Quote|If the war is to defend the status quo of imperialist possessions and colonies, of vested interest and privilege, then India can have nothing to do with it. If, however, the issue is democracy and world order based on democracy, then India is intensely interested in it... If Great Britain fights for the maintenance and expansion of democracy, then she must necessarily end imperialism in her possessions and establish full democracy in India, and the Indian people have the right to self-determination... A free democratic India will gladly associate herself with other free nations for mutual defence against aggression and for economic co-operation.<ref>{{cite book|author=D. N. Panigrahi|title=Quit India and the Struggle for Freedom |year= 1984|publisher= New Delhi|pages=13–14}}</ref>}}

Gandhi had not supported this initiative, as he could not reconcile an endorsement for war (he was a committed believer in non-violent resistance, used in the [[Indian independence movement|Indian Independence Movement]] and proposed even against [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Benito Mussolini]], and [[Hideki Tojo]]). However, at the height of the [[Battle of Britain]], Gandhi had stated his support for the fight against racism and of the British war effort, stating he did not seek to raise an independent India from the ashes of Britain. However, opinions remained divided. The long-term British policy of limiting investment in India and using the country as a market and source of revenue had left the Indian Army relatively weak and poorly armed and trained and forced the British to become net contributors to India's budget, while taxes were sharply increased and the general level of prices doubled: although many Indian businesses benefited from increased war production, in general business "felt rebuffed by the government" and in particular the refusal of the British Raj to give Indians a greater role in organising and mobilising the economy for wartime production.<ref>Srinath Raghavan (2016) ''India's War – The Making of Modern South Asia 1939 – 1945'', Allen Lane, London. {{ISBN|978-1-846-14541-4}}, p. 320</ref>

===Cripps' Mission===

===Factors contributing to the movement's launch===

In 1939, with the outbreak of war between Germany and Britain, India became a party to the war by being a constituent component of the British Empire. Following this declaration, the Congress Working Committee at its meeting on 10 October 1939, passed a resolution condemning the aggressive activities of the Germans. At the same time, the resolution also stated that India could not associate herself with war unless it was consulted first. Responding to this declaration, the Viceroy issued a statement on 17 October wherein he claimed that Britain is waging a war driven with the intention of strengthening peace in the world. He also stated that after the war, the government would initiate modifications in the Act of 1935, in accordance with the desires of the Indians.

In the meanwhile, crucial political events took place in England. Chamberlain was succeeded by Churchill as prime minister and the Conservatives, who assumed power in England, did not have a sympathetic stance towards the claims made by the Congress. In order to pacify the Indians in the circumstance of the worsening war situation, the Conservatives were forced to concede some of the demands made by the Indians. On 8 August, the Viceroy issued a statement that has come to be referred to as the "[[August Offer]]". However, Congress rejected the offer followed by the Muslim League.

The Cripps' Mission of March (1942) and its failure also played an important role in Gandhi's call for The Quit India Movement. In order to end the deadlock on 22 March 1942, the British government sent Sir Stafford Cripps to talk terms with the Indian political parties and secure their support in Britain's war efforts. A draft declaration of the British Government was presented, which included terms like the establishment of Dominion, the establishment of a Constituent Assembly, and right of the provinces to make separate constitutions. However, these were to be only after the cessation of the Second World War. According to Congress, this declaration offered India an only promise that was to be fulfilled in the future. Commenting on this Gandhi said, "It is a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank." Other factors that contributed were the threat of Japanese invasion of India and the realisation of the national leaders of the incapacity of the British to defend India.

Following the Hindu Mahasabha's official decision to boycott the Quit India movement,<ref name="Bapu2013" />[[Syama Prasad Mukherjee]], leader of the Hindu Mahasabha in Bengal, (which was a part of the ruling coalition in Bengal led by [[Krishak Praja Party]] of [[Fazlul Haq]]), wrote a letter to the British Government as to how they should respond, if the Congress gave a call to the British rulers to quit India. In this letter, dated 26 July 1942 he wrote:<blockquote> “Let me now refer to the situation that may be created in the province as a result of any widespread movement launched by the Congress. Anybody, who during the war, plans to stir up mass feeling, resulting internal disturbances or insecurity, must be resisted by any Government that may function for the time being”. In this way he managed to gain insights of the British government and effectively give information of the independence leaders.<ref name="Mookerjee2000" />{{sfn|Noorani|2000|p=56}}</blockquote> Mukherjee reiterated that the Fazlul Haq led Bengal Government, along with its alliance partner Hindu Mahasabha, would make every possible effort to defeat the Quit India Movement in the province of Bengal and made a concrete proposal as regards this:<blockquote> “The question is how to combat this movement (Quit India) in Bengal? The administration of the province should be carried on in such a manner that in spite of the best efforts of the Congress, this movement will fail to take root in the province. It should be possible for us, especially responsible Ministers, to be able to tell the public that the freedom for which the Congress has started the movement, already belongs to the representatives of the people. In some spheres it might be limited during the emergency. Indian have to trust the British, not for the sake for Britain, not for any advantage that the British might gain, but for the maintenance of the defence and freedom of the province itself. You, as Governor, will function as the constitutional head of the province and will be guided entirely on the advice of your Minister.{{sfn|Noorani|2000|p=56}}</blockquote> The Indian historian [[R.C. Majumdar]] noted this fact and states: <blockquote>"Shyam Prasad ended the letter with a discussion of the mass movement organised by the Congress. He expressed the apprehension that the movement would create internal disorder and will endanger internal security during the war by exciting popular feeling and he opined that any government in power has to suppress it, but that according to him could not be done only by persecution.... In that letter he mentioned item wise the steps to be taken for dealing with the situation .... "<ref name="Majumdar1978" /><ref>{{cite journal|author=K. Venugopal Reddy|title=Working Class in 'Quit India' Movement|journal=Indian Historical Review|volume=37|issue=2|pages=275–289|doi=10.1177/037698361003700205|year=2010|s2cid=145198749}}</ref></blockquote>

===Princely States ===

The movement had less support in the princely states, as the princes were strongly opposed and funded the opposition.<ref name="Wolpert1984" />

==Local violence and parallel governments==

[[File:QUITIN5.JPG|right|thumb|Picketing in front of Medical School at Bengaluru]]

According to John F. Riddick, from 9 August 1942 to 21 September 1942, the Quit India Movement:

:attacked 550 post offices, 250 railway stations, damaged many rail lines, destroyed 70 police stations, and burned or damaged 85 other government buildings. There were about 2,500 instances of telegraph wires being cut. The greatest level of violence occurred in Bihar.  The Government of India deployed 57 battalions of British troops to restore order.<ref name="Riddick2006" />

The British swiftly responded with mass detentions. Over 100,000 arrests were made, mass fines were levied and demonstrators were subjected to public flogging. Hundreds of civilians were killed in violence many shot by the police army. Many national leaders went underground and continued their struggle by broadcasting messages over clandestine [[radio]] stations, distributing pamphlets and establishing parallel governments. The British sense of crisis was strong enough that a battleship was specifically set aside to take Gandhi and the Congress leaders out of India, possibly to [[South Africa]] or [[Yemen]] but ultimately did not take that step out of fear of intensifying the revolt.<ref name="c" />

The Congress leadership was cut off from the rest of the world for over three years. Gandhi's wife [[Kasturbai Gandhi|Kasturba Gandhi]] and his personal secretary [[Mahadev Desai]] died in months and Gandhi's health was failing, despite this Gandhi went on a 21-day fast and maintained his resolve to continuous resistance. Although the British released Gandhi on account of his health in 1944, he kept up the resistance, demanding the release of the Congress leadership.

==See also==

<ref name="Riddick2006">{{cite book|author=John F. Riddick|title=The History of British India: A Chronology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Es6x4u_g19UC|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-32280-8|page=115}}</ref>

<ref name="sen">{{cite journal|author=Sunil Sen|title=Popular Participation in the Quit India Movement: Midnapur, 1942–44|journal=Indian Historical Review|year=1985|volume=12 |issue =1–2|pages= 300–316}}</ref>

<ref name="Wolpert1984">{{cite book|author=Stanley A. Wolpert|author-link = Stanley Wolpert|title=Jinnah of Pakistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-OFtAAAAMAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-503412-7|pages=209, 210, 215}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==

* [[M. J. Akbar|Akbar, M.J.]] ''Nehru: The Making of India'' (Viking, 1988), popular biography

* {{cite journal|author=Chakrabarty, Bidyut|title=Political Mobilization in the Localities: The 1942 Quit India Movement in Midnapur|journal=Modern Asian Studies|volume=26|issue=4|pages=791–814|jstor=312940|doi=10.1017/S0026749X00010076|year=1992|s2cid=146564132}}

* {{cite journal|author=Chakrabarty, Bidyut|title=Defiance and Confrontation: The 1942 Quit India Movement in Midnapur|journal=Social Scientist|volume=20|issue=7/8|pages=75–93|doi=10.2307/3517569|jstor=3517569|year=1992}}

==External links==

*[http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1942/420427a.html Rejected 'Quit India' resolution drafted by Mohandas K. Gandhi 27 April 1942]