IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : Modern India - INDIAN NATIONALISM DURING THE WORLD WAR 11: QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT AND INA

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

Modern India 1857-1964

INDIAN NATIONALISM DURING THE WORLD WAR 11: QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT AND INA

Structure
34.0 Objectives
34.1 Introduction
34.2 1939 to 1941
34.2.1 Attitude Towards War
34.2.2 Indlvldual Satyagrah
34.3 Towards Quit India Movement
34.4 The Movement
34.4.1 Spread of the Movement
34.4.2 Responses and Trends
34.4.3 Repression
34.5 Indian National Army
34 5.1 Formation of INA
34.5 2 Actions of INA
34.5.3 Impact
34.6 Let Us Sum Up
34.7 Key Words
34.8 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

34.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this Unit you will be able to:

know about the circumstances leading to the beginning of the Quit India Movement,
explain the attitude of the various sections of Indian people towards this movement,
learn about the response to this movement in different regions of the country,
know about the repressive methods adopted by the British to crush the movement,
understand the characteristics and the significance of this movement, and
learn about the formation of the Indian National Army and the role it played in India's struggle for independence.

34.1 INTRODUCTION

In this Unit an attempt is made to familiarise you with the main political currents in the freedom struggle during 1939-1945. The emphasis in this Unit is on the Quit India Movement (QIM) and the role played by the Indian National Army (INA) during the
struggle.

We discuss here the chain of events which led to the launching of the QIM. The Congress had hardly planned for directing or organising the movement when the Government unleashed repression to nip it in the bud. However, the calculations of the Government were falsified because the people, after the arrest of the Congress leadership, decided their own course of action and challenged the British in a way which to an extent I' could be compared to the struggle of 1857. New leadership emerged at local levels and their role was at variance with the Gandhian form of struggle. Non-violence was no more a guiding principle and all over there were attacks on Government property. Though the Government was able to crush the movement, its intensity had made it clear that the British would not be able to rule over India for much longer. This was also demonstrated through the formation and actions of the Indian National Army under the commandership of Subhas Chandra Bose. The Indians were not only capable of, but had :ictually confronted the British in armed struggle and formed the Azad Hind Government.