Syllabus :GS1/History
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- The Quit India Movement (QIM), launched on 8 August 1942 by the Indian National Congress at Bombay’s Gowalia Tank Maidan, marked the most intense phase of India’s freedom struggle.
Background and Causes
- Global Geopolitical Context: Japanese advances in Southeast Asia and the fall of Burma (1942) brought the war to India’s borders.
- Allied vulnerability created both an opportunity and urgency for Indian leaders.
- Failure of the Cripps Mission (April 1942): Britain sent Sir Stafford Cripps to negotiate with Indian leaders amid WWII, promising only Dominion Status, not full independence.
- Congress rejected the proposal, especially the clause allowing for India’s partition.
- Gandhi and other leaders realized the British had no intention of granting real self-rule.
- Public Anger and Frustration: Wartime hardships, high prices, and shortages created widespread discontent.
- British evacuations of only Whites during Japanese advances caused fear and outrage.
- Perceived British Vulnerability: Allied military losses and rumors of British casualties weakened the perception of British invincibility.
- Many believed the British rule was nearing collapse, fuelling hope for freedom.
Quit India Movement: Demands
- Immediate withdrawal of British forces from the country.
- Formation of a government accountable to the Indian people.
- Peaceful but total non-cooperation with British authority.
- Appealed to government servants, soldiers, and princely states to support the national cause.
Outcomes
- The Quit India movement was violently suppressed by the British – people were shot, lathi-charged, villages burnt and enormous fines imposed.
- In the five months up to December 1942, an estimated 60,000 people had been thrown in jail.
- However, The Quit India Movement marked a turning point in India’s freedom struggle, showcasing the mass desire for independence and the weakening legitimacy of British rule.
- It remains a defining moment in Indian history, uniting ordinary people from all backgrounds along with prominent political leaders, sharing a common goal of self-rule and sovereignty.
| Do you know? – By August 9, 1942, all senior Congress leaders were arrested, including Gandhiji himself, who was imprisoned at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. – Despite the leadership vacuum, the Quit India Movement turned into a spontaneous people’s uprising. – Massive protests erupted across major cities like Bombay, Poona, Ahmedabad, Delhi, UP, and Bihar. – Strikes, demonstrations, and acts of civil disobedience spread into small towns and villages. – Railway lines were blocked, government buildings attacked, and students and workers went on strike. – Some protests turned violent, involving sabotage like cutting telegraph wires and destroying bridges. – Ram Manohar Lohia later called August 9 a “people’s event” symbolizing mass desire for freedom. – The slogan “Quit India” was coined by Yusuf Meherally, a socialist and trade unionist, who had also coined “Simon Go Back” in 1928. |
Source :IE
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