Quit India Campaign and repercussions

Question 1

When was the campaign?

Answer 1

8th August 1942 during WWII

Question 2

What was the aim?

Answer 2

End to British rule following failure of Cripps Mission
To make the country ungovernable

Question 3

What was in Gandhi’s ‘ to do or die’ speech?

Answer 3

Launch of mass protest

Question 4

What did Gandhi aim for in the protest?

Answer 4

‘An orderly British withdrawal from India’

Question 5

What happened straight after the speech?

Answer 5

Gandhi, Nehru arrested and interned

Question 6

What happened to local activists?

Answer 6

Arrested, offices raided, files seized, party funds gone

Question 7

How was the campaign divisive?

Answer 7

Some local and regional level organisers quit over the decision
Nehru slightly critical
Some welcomed it (patel)

Question 8

Who supported the British?

Answer 8

Hindu Mahasabha, ML, Viceroy’s Indian council, Princely states

Question 9

IF the princes supported the British, then who else did?

Answer 9

Their tools of power - the police, army, civil services in India

Question 10

Who was a great support to Congress?

Answer 10

America, who pressured for some concessions in

Question 11

How was the movement crushed in the end?

Answer 11

British refused to grant immediate independence

Question 12

How was British repression shown?

Answer 12

Congress was banned

Question 13

What was The Spectator?

Answer 13

Newspaper

Question 14

What did The Spectator say?

Answer 14

Compared Gandhi to another ‘mischief-maker’

Question 15

What were Congress demonised for?

Answer 15

Of sabotaging the Allied war effort

Question 16

How did Congress sabotage the war effort?

Answer 16

By stabbing the british and its soldiers in the back

Question 17

How did Labour react?

Answer 17

Denounced Gandhi’s actions of being embarrassing for the Allies

Question 18

What did Labour say about Gandhi?

Answer 18

‘Seriously damaging India’s future chances of securing freedom’

Question 19

What did Britain’s actions create?

Answer 19

Sympathy for the cause

Question 20

What did Gandhi urge?

Answer 20

For every demonstrator to become their own leader

Question 21

What did Congress leaders do?

Answer 21

Broadcasted news of Gandhi’s arrest on 9th August through loudspeakers

Question 22

What was held all over the country?

Answer 22

Hartals and demonstrations

Question 23

How did Hartals make a mess?

Answer 23

Caused food shortages in larger cities

Question 24

What happened in the hartals?

Answer 24

Gov buildings arson, electricity cut
Transport and communication wires cut

Question 25

Why was it bad for the cutting of the wires?

Answer 25

US in war - needed to communicate

Question 26

What were the favourite targets for assault and arson?

Answer 26

Revenue offices and police stations

Question 27

How many arrests were made?

Answer 27

Over 100,000

Question 28

What happened to demonstrators in public?

Answer 28

Subjected to public flogging

Question 29

How long did the violence last?

Answer 29

9th August to 21st September 1942

Question 30

What did the Quit India Movement attack?

Answer 30

550 post offices 250 railway stations 70 police stations + burned 85 gov buildings

Question 31

How many telegraph wires were cut?

Answer 31

2,500

Question 32

How many times did policemen and soldiers open fire?

Answer 32

369 times

Question 33

How many people were 'officially' killed?

Answer 33

Just under 1000

Question 34

How many people were injured?

Answer 34

Over 2,000

Question 35

What did Congress challenge?

Answer 35

That the death-toll had actually been between 4,000-10,000

Question 36

How many battalions of British troops did the Gov of India deploy?

Answer 36

57 battalions

Question 37

How did national leaders influence propaganda?

Answer 37

Broadcasted messages via clandestine radio stations Distributed pamphlets

Question 38

What did most Indian soldiers do?

Answer 38

Stayed loyal; only 216 desertions during the uprising

Question 39

How did authority at the top remain strong?

Answer 39

British leadership didn't waver from what they saw as their duty

Question 40

What did Churchill say?

Answer 40

"I have not become the King's first minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire"

Question 41

Why didn't the campaign succeed?

Answer 41

British had been forewarned of Congress' plans

Question 42

What happened whilst the campaign was underway?

Answer 42

Police raids on Congress' offices further revealed its plans

Question 43

How was there a local impact in some areas?

Answer 43

Satara in Maharashtra

Question 44

What happened in Ballia?

Answer 44

District administration overthrown, jailbreaks, released the arrested Congress leaders

Question 45

What was the most significant thing in Ballia?

Answer 45

People had established their own independent rule

Question 46

What happened in rural west Bengal?

Answer 46

The movement was fuelled by peasants' resentment against the new war taxes and forced rice exports

Question 47

What was the campaign a demonstration of?

Answer 47

Congress' continued hold over the masses Proof that India demanded an end to the Raj

Question 48

What were demonstrators willing to do?

Answer 48

Become martyrs for the cause