Quit India Movement History Quiz

The Quit India Movement

On August 8, 1942, during the All-India Congress Committee session in Bombay, Mahatma Gandhi launched the 'Quit India' movement, a bold campaign demanding Britain's immediate withdrawal from India. Despite numerous previous nationalist movements, Quit India was unique in its scale, intensity, and the level of violence it engendered.

Origins and Motivation

The Quit India Movement arose amidst the Second World War, with Indian nationalists and revolutionaries exploiting the shifting global political landscape. The British Empire's vulnerabilities, as well as the Japanese Army's advancement towards India's eastern border, fueled Indian hopes that Britain might be forced to retreat. Indian nationalists, including Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, and other prominent figures, believed the war could weaken British control, and they aimed to exploit this weakness.

Gandhi's Call to Action

Gandhi's initial phrase for the movement was 'an orderly British withdrawal,' but he later adopted the more incendiary term 'Quit India' popularized by an American journalist. Gandhi's speech to the AICC on August 8, 1942, articulated his intention to transform the Congress from a political organization into a mass movement, with a simple call to "Do or Die." The Congress leadership was subsequently arrested, leaving the movement to be driven by local forces.

The Movement's Reach

The Quit India Movement was a pan-Indian phenomenon, with a particular impact in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Maharashtra. In Bengal, local Congress leaders such as Subhas Chandra Bose formed a parallel government, the Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar, which implemented a parallel administration in places like Midnapore. The movement's scale and violence led to the British response being described as the "Great Calcutta Killing" and "Operation Searchlight."

The British Response

The British administration responded with intense repression, banning the Congress Party and jailing its leaders. The press, too, was censored and banned, with newspapers like the Statesman, the Times of India, and The Hindu edited to support government policies. The Quit India Movement also witnessed the retaliation of Congress supporters and the violence of the radical revolutionary groups.

Legacy

The Quit India Movement was a failure in terms of its immediate goals. However, it played a pivotal role in the eventual independence of India in 1947. It demonstrated the strength of Indian nationalist sentiment and the weakness of British rule, factors that influenced the eventual withdrawal of the British from India.

The Quit India Movement remains a defining moment in Indian history, a powerful example of mass civil disobedience and the determination of the Indian people to gain their freedom from foreign rule.

Test your knowledge about the Quit India Movement, a significant chapter in India's struggle for independence led by Mahatma Gandhi. Learn about the origins, motivations, leaders, impact, and legacy of this historic movement.