Quit India Movement
ICSE Class 10 · History & Civics · Chapter 13
What this chapter covers
- The setting: India and the Second World War
- Causes of the Quit India Movement
- The Cripps Mission and its failure
- The Japanese threat
- The Quit India Resolution
- The movement after the Resolution
- Significance of the Quit India Movement
Key definitions
Individual Satyagraha is the limited form of civil disobedience that Gandhi began in October 1940, in which chosen satyagrahis, one at a time, made speeches against India's forced participation in the war and courted arrest.
Key points
- The Second World War began in September 1939; the Viceroy declared India at war without consulting Indians, and the Congress ministries resigned in October–November 1939.
- The August Offer (1940) was rejected by the Congress; Gandhi began Individual Satyagraha in October 1940, with Vinoba Bhave as the first satyagrahi.
- The two main causes of the Quit India Movement were the failure of the Cripps Mission and the Japanese threat; wartime hardship added to people's anger.
- The Cripps Mission came in March 1942 under Sir Stafford Cripps; its proposals offered Dominion Status only after the war and kept defence with the British (the clauses are not tested).
- The Congress rejected the Cripps proposals as a "post-dated cheque"; the Muslim League rejected them because they did not concede Pakistan. Cripps left on 12 April 1942.
- Japan captured Singapore (February 1942), Rangoon and the Andaman Islands (March 1942) and bombed India's east coast; Gandhi argued that the British presence invited a Japanese attack.
- The Congress Working Committee passed a resolution at Wardha on 14 July 1942; the All-India Congress Committee passed the Quit India Resolution in Bombay on 8 August 1942.
- The Resolution demanded the immediate end of British rule, proposed a provisional government and a Constituent Assembly, and approved a non-violent mass struggle under Gandhi.
- Gandhi's mantra was "Do or Die"; the slogan "Quit India" is credited to Yusuf Meherally.
- On 9 August 1942 the leaders were arrested; the people continued the movement on their own, with underground leaders and parallel governments at Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.
- The movement was severely repressed and the Muslim League, the Communist Party and the princely states stayed away.
- The movement made independence an immediate demand, drew in women, students, peasants and workers, weakened British rule and prepared the way for freedom in 1947.
Questions answered
What was the Quit India Movement? When did it begin?
The Quit India Movement was the mass movement launched by the Congress under Gandhi to demand the immediate end of British rule in India. It began on 9 August 1942, the day after the Quit India Resolution was passed.
Why did the Congress ministries resign in 1939?
They resigned because the Viceroy declared India a party to the Second World War without consulting Indian leaders, and the British government refused to promise freedom to India after the war.
Who led the Cripps Mission, and in which year did it come to India?
Sir Stafford Cripps, a member of the British War Cabinet, led the Mission. It came to India in March 1942.
Why was the Cripps Mission sent to India?
Japan's rapid advance had brought the war to India's borders, and Britain needed Indian co-operation to defend India. The United States, China and the Labour Party in Britain were also pressing the British government to settle with Indian leaders.
Why did the Muslim League reject the Cripps proposals?
The proposals did not openly accept the League's demand for Pakistan, a separate state for Muslims.
What did Gandhi mean when he called the Cripps offer a "post-dated cheque"?
A post-dated cheque cannot be cashed until a later date. Gandhi meant that the offer gave India nothing now and only promised freedom after the war, when it was uncertain whether Britain could keep its promise.
Give two ways in which the Japanese advance turned Indians against British rule.
The quick fall of Singapore, Rangoon and the Andaman Islands showed that the British could not defend India. The ill-treatment of Indian refugees fleeing Burma made people fear that the British would abandon them if Japan invaded.
Where and when was the Quit India Resolution passed? Who moved it?
It was passed by the All-India Congress Committee at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay on 8 August 1942. It was moved by Jawaharlal Nehru and seconded by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Past board exam questions
ICSE 2024 board paper · 2 marks
Mention any two causes of the Quit India Movement.
Show answer
Any two:
1. Failure of the Cripps Mission (1942), which offered only dominion status after the war and left Indians dissatisfied.
2. Threat of a Japanese invasion – Japan had reached Burma, and Indians felt the British could not defend India.
3. Economic hardship caused by the war – rising prices and shortages of essential goods.
4. British withdrawal from Malaya and Burma, abandoning the Indian population there.
ICSE 2023 board paper · 1 mark
__________ was one of the causes of the Quit India Movement.
- Failure of the Second Round Table Conference
- Rowlatt Act
- Mountbatten Plan
- Failure of the Cripps Mission
Show answer
Failure of the Cripps Mission
ICSE 2023 sample paper · 2 marks
What are the causes of the Quit India Movement?
Show answer
Any two:
1. Failure of the Cripps Mission (1942), which offered only Dominion Status after the war, convinced Indians that Britain would not give real freedom.
2. Threat of a Japanese invasion: Japan had reached Burma, and Indians felt that the British could not defend India and that the British presence invited attack.
3. Economic hardship caused by the war: rising prices and shortage of essential goods created widespread discontent.
4. Ill-treatment of Indians evacuated from Malaya and Burma, where the British gave preference to whites.
ICSE 2022 sample paper · 1 mark
Complete the given analogy. Simon Commission: Civil Disobedience Movement:: Cripps Mission :?
- Non Cooperation Movement
- Anti Partition Movement
- Quit India Movement
- Khilafat movement
Show answer
Quit India Movement
ICSE 2020 board paper · 3 marks
With reference to the Mass Phase of the National Movement under the leadership of Gandhi, answer the following: State any three reasons for the launching of the Quit India Movement.
Show answer
Any three:
1. Failure of the Cripps Mission (1942), which offered only Dominion Status after the war and the right of provinces to secede.
2. Threat of a Japanese invasion: Japan had reached Burma, and Gandhiji felt the British presence invited attack while the British seemed unable to defend India.
3. Economic hardships caused by the war — rising prices and shortage of food and essential goods.
4. Racial discrimination by the British during the evacuation of Malaya and Burma, which showed their attitude towards Indians.
ICSE 2020 board paper · 4 marks
With reference to the Mass Phase of the National Movement under the leadership of Gandhi, answer the following: Explain any four significant effects of the Quit India Movement.
Show answer
Any four:
1. It showed the depth of national feeling and the people's readiness to make sacrifices; it was a mass movement of students, peasants, workers and women.
2. It made independence the immediate demand — there could be no compromise short of complete freedom.
3. The British realised that they could no longer rule India against the will of the people.
4. Parallel governments were set up in places such as Ballia, Tamluk and Satara, and new leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Aruna Asaf Ali came forward.
5. It raised the prestige of the Congress, though the Muslim League strengthened its position while Congress leaders were in jail; it paved the way for independence.
ICSE 2018 board paper · 3 marks
The Quit India Resolution in 1942 was one of the final calls given by Gandhi for the British to leave India. Moving towards Independence, Lord Mountbatten’s Plan was significant. In this context, answer the following: State two reasons for the launching of the Quit India Movement.
Show answer
Any two (explained):
1. Failure of the Cripps Mission (1942): it offered only Dominion Status after the war and gave the provinces the right to stay out of the Union, which disappointed Indians.
2. Threat of Japanese invasion: after Japan's advance to Burma, Indians felt that the presence of the British invited a Japanese attack and that India could defend itself better if free.
3. Economic hardships due to the war—rising prices and shortages of food and essential goods—and the British retreat from Malaya and Burma, which showed their weakness.
ICSE 2018 board paper · 3 marks
The Quit India Resolution in 1942 was one of the final calls given by Gandhi for the British to leave India. Moving towards Independence, Lord Mountbatten’s Plan was significant. In this context, answer the following: Give any three effects of the Quit India Movement launched by Gandhi in 1942 that was significant to the last phase of the National Movement of India.
Show answer
Any three:
1. It showed the depth of nationalist feeling and the people's determination to be free; it became a mass movement in which students, peasants, workers and women took part.
2. It made the British realise that they could no longer rule India against the will of the people, and the question of independence could not be postponed after the war.
3. It raised the prestige of the Congress, which emerged as the main force of the national movement.
4. It brought forward a new generation of leaders (e.g. Jayaprakash Narayan, Aruna Asaf Ali, Ram Manohar Lohia) and parallel governments were set up in places like Satara, Tamluk and Ballia.