The Cripps' Mission and its failure also played an important role in Gandhi's call for The Quit

India Movement. In order to end the deadlock, the Bpritish government on 22nd March, 1942,
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 establishment of Dominion, establishment of a Constituent Assembly and
right of the Provinces to make separate constitutions. These would be, however, granted after
the cessation of the Second World War. According to the Congress this Declaration only
offered India a 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, rule of terror in East Bengal and realization of the national
leaders of the incapacity of the British to defend their India.

Gandhi's Call for Quit India

Sir Stafford Cripps left the country amidst unprecedented excitement. Immediately after the
return of Sir Stafford Cripps, Gandhi announced 'Quit India' as the war cry for the Indians. To
quote Gandhi, "The presence of the British in India is an invitation to Japan to invade India.
Their withdrawal removes that bait............". Gandhi realized that the time was ripe to take
some strong and quick actions. He wrote a series of articles in Harijan where he urged the
people to rise in action. He was in favor of resorting to direct action. In order to give effect to the
Mahatma's views, The Congress Working Committee adopted the well known 'Quit India' Resolution,
on July 14th 1942 at Wardha. The All India Congress Committee accepted this resolution with
some modifications, on 8th August, 1942 in Bombay.

The very next day, on 9th August, eminent Congress leaders like Mahatma Gandhi,
Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad were arrested. The masses were
left without any guidance. Gandhi's 'do or die' call for the people created an upheaval in the
country. But at the same time, Gandhi mentioned specifically that mass movement should be
conducted following non violent means. The Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow, adopted a policy of
harsh repression all over the country and gory instances of British atrocities abounded all
over. This ruined the atmosphere of non violence in the country. Unlike the other two
movements, the Non-Co-Operation and the Civil Disobedience Movement that unleashed
under the aegis of Mahatma Gandhi, the Quit India Movement captures the quintessence of a
'spontaneous' rising by the people.

The Quit India Movement, inaugurated at the call of the Mahatma, unfolded in four phases. In
the first phase there were strikes, processions, demonstrations and processions. This phase
lasted for a period of three to four days and commenced from the day of Gandhi's arrest on
August 9th , 1942. The factory and mill workers rose to the cause and displayed maximum
vigor and enthusiasm. The government took recourse to repressive measures to subdue the
movement. In an incident of open fire in Bombay, the casualties included large number of
women and children.

Raids of municipal and government buildings characterized the second phase of the
movement. Police stations, post offices and railway stations were attacked and set ablaze.
Attempts were made by the agitated mobs to capture court buildings. Troops fired to control
mob fury. September 1942, marks the beginning of the third phase of the movement. It is said that
during this phase of the movement, the mob threw bombs on the police in Madhya Pradesh, Bombay
and UttarPradesh. With the emergence of the movement into the fourth phase, it gained back its
peaceful character and extended till Mahatma Gandhi was released from prison in May, 1944.

Quit India movement was Gandhi's final bid to secure India's independence. Although, many
diverse political ideologies crowded the scenario of Indian National Movement at that time, yet
it was the satyagraha adopted by Gandhi that finally had the most telling effect in challenging
the British authorities. India was at the very threshold of Independence by the end of the Quit
India movement and Gandhi's long cherished dream was about to be realized. Quit India
movement sealed the success for satyagraha as a policy of political resistance, and Gandhi's
 role as the chief moving force behind India's Independence came to be universally accepted,
although dark clouds of a communal fissure still lurked in the background.

1. QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT LAST GREAT STRUGGLE OF THE CONGRESS TO OUST THE
IMPERIALISTS

2. Quit India Movement • Circumstances leading to Quit India Movement. • ‘Quit India’ resolution,
August 8, 1942. • Phase of the ‘Quit India’ Movement. • Importance of the movement. • Causes
of the failure of the 1942 Movement.

3. Circumstances leading to QIM  On April 11, 1942,suddenly the Cripps proposals were
withdrawn. Before the outside world, Britishers painted a dark picture of India as a divided house
unfit for the immediate freedom, but in India there was utter frustration and disgust.  The
government had acquired a vast land for military purpose in East Bengal. Thousands of farmers
were thrown out of their ancestral fields. They destroyed country-made boats which were the
principal means of livelihood for lakhs of people.  The mational leaders were convinced that the
English were too weak to defend India. They felt that Japanese had a grudge only with the British
and if they left India immediately, the Japanese might give up the idea of invading India.

4. QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT Congress leader and freedom fighter Jawaharlal Nehru (2nd from left)
interacts with other activists of the freedom struggle, during the launch of 'Quit India' movement
on June 18, 1942. The Quit India speech is a speech made by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8
1942, on the eve of the Quit India movement.

5. ‘Quit India’ resolution, August 8, 1942 On 7 to 8 August 1942, the All India Congress Committee
met in Bombay and ratified the 'Quit India' resolution. Gandhi called for 'Do or Die'. M. Ayub
Khuhro (first from left) seen with M. A. Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan & other Muslim League leaders
during the ML Working Committee meeting in Bombay in 1942.

6. PHASES OF QIM The movement passed through four phases: 1. The first phase began from the
day of Mahatma Gandhi’s arrest, i.e., 9th August, 1942. it lasted for 3-4 days. Strikes,
demonstrations, meetings etc. greatest enthusiasm was shown by labourers in mills and factories
which affected the textile mills particularly in Ahmedabad and Madras. In Bombay, police opened
fire as many as 13 times till 2:30 p.m. in a single day on 11th August, 1942. this discrimination
changed the character of movement which turned into a riot. 2. The people raided municipal and
other government buildings. Railway stations (max. damage in madras), police stations, post
offices were also attacked. In some parts the mob tried to burn the records and loot the govt.
treasury. As a result troops were called to terrorize the mob by firing and other atrocious
measures. 3. Indian Express procession The movement entered its third phase in September,
1942.. In sheer desperation the mob restored to armed attacks as happened in Madras and
Bengal. 4. Bombay firing In its fourth phase, the movement became mild again as in its first
phase. It continued till Mahatma Gandhi’s release in May, 1944.. The muslims generally kept
aloof. Mahatma Gandhi greeting people at Juhu Beach in May, 1944.

7. IMPORTANCE The importance of the Quit India Movement can never be undermined. It
witnessed nationalistic feeling of the people at the zenith. For the first time, the government was
astonished by observing the powerful nationalistic feelings of the Indians added with anti-British
feeling. 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.

8. CAUSES OF FAILURE A 1942 group photo of freedom fighters and sympathisers of the 'Quit
India' movement  The revolt of 1942 lasted for three months only.  It failed in its attempt to
paralyze the government machinery in order to seize power. The three main causes of failure
acc. to Dr. Amba Prasad are: 1. Tactical mistakes of organization and planning; 2. Loyalty of the
services; 3. Superior physical strength of the government.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mohammed Ali
Jinnah, Asoka Mehta, Jaya Prakas Narayan, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr
Rajendra Prasad, Chakravarti Rajgopalachari.