Quit India Movement Day (8 August 1942): History, Causes, Limitations and Significance

On 8 August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi made a call for the freedom of India in full attention and gave a full pledge to challenge the British with the All India Congress Committee at Bombay’s Gowalia Tank Maidan, giving the nation the stirring call — “Do or Die”.

This time, it was not just any political slogan; it was a direct challenge to British authority, which had ruled India for more than 200 years. This time, all the political leaders of India made a demand for their immediate withdrawal from India. This was the beginning of the Quit India Movement, aimed at compelling the British to leave India immediately. It was more than a political campaign; it was a nationwide uprising that became one of the most decisive phases of the freedom struggle.

Why is the Quit India Movement also called the August Kranti?

The movement earned the name August Kranti because it began in August 1942 and symbolised a direct, bold rejection of colonial authority. It marked a clear shift from negotiation to the outright demand for complete independence.

What is the Quit India Movement?

The Quit India Movement was a nationwide campaign, which was launched by the Indian National Congress under Gandhi’s leadership to compel the British to leave India immediately. It symbolised a shift from gradual constitutional negotiation to an uncompromising demand for complete independence.

What was the background of the Quit India Movement?

Several developments created the background for this historic movement:

• The failure of the Cripps Mission to offer a satisfactory constitutional solution to India.

• Economic distress of British India and also shortages of revenue were caused by World War II.

• There had now been seen a growing nationalist sentiment after earlier movements like Civil Disobedience and the demand for Purna Swaraj.

• The Japanese military threat followed British defeats in Southeast Asia and Burma.

What were the major causes behind the Quit India Movement?

How was the Quit India Movement launched?

The Congress Working Committee met at Wardha on 14 July 1942 and decided to start a mass civil disobedience movement. On 8 August 1942, the Quit India Resolution was passed, with Gandhi declaring: “We shall either free India or die in the attempt.” The British responded within hours by arresting all major Congress leaders and banning the party.

How was the Quit India Movement different from earlier Gandhian movements?

The Quit India Movement stood out because:

• It was a mass uprising from the very beginning.
  

• Gandhi was willing to allow self-defence against repression.
  

• Its objective — complete British withdrawal — was crystal clear.
  

• After leaders were arrested, it became a leaderless grassroots movement.
  

• Parallel governments emerged in several regions.
  

How did the Quit India Movement spread?

The spread occurred in two distinct phases:

1. Mass protests in August–September 1942, with strikes, rallies, and attacks on symbols of British authority.
   

2. Underground resistance that included secret radio broadcasts, sabotage of communication lines, and guerrilla-style activities.
   

Who participated in the Quit India Movement?

Participation was broad and included:

• Students, especially in Bihar and UP, who organised strikes and demonstrations.

• Women leaders such as Aruna Asaf Ali, Usha Mehta, and Sucheta Kripalani, who mobilised communities and ran underground networks.

• Peasants and tribals in Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, and Eastern UP.

• Government employees, particularly in lower ranks, some of whom secretly aided activists.

What were the key regional activities during Quit India Movement?

What parallel governments were formed during the movement?

How did the British respond to the Quit India movement?

The British acted swiftly and harshly:

• Over 1,00,000 arrests.

• Heavy use of armed force, curfews, and raids.

• Death toll between 1,000 and 10,000.

• Support for suppression from the Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, princely states, and the bureaucracy.

What were the limitations of the Quit India movement?

• No immediate independence was achieved.

• Lack of central leadership due to arrests weakened coordination.

• Opposition from parties like the Muslim League, CPI, and Hindu Mahasabha, as well as leaders like Ambedkar and Periyar.

• Limited Muslim participation and increased communal divisions.

Why is the Quit India Movement significant?

• It was the most radical and widespread mass movement in the struggle for freedom.

• Strengthened grassroots leadership despite leader arrests.

• Produced new leaders such as JP Narayan, Lohia, and Aruna Asaf Ali.

• Delivered a moral and political blow to British authority, making their eventual withdrawal inevitable.

What is its legacy?

The Quit India Movement was the final nationwide push before independence. Though suppressed by 1944, it united Indians under one uncompromising demand for freedom and laid the groundwork for the final steps leading to independence in 1947.