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Gandhian Era – (1917-1947)

Mahatma Gandhi
 Real Name - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
 Born at porbandar in Gujarat on 2 October 1869- UNO declared Oct 2 as "International Non- Violence Day"
 Father: Karamachand Gandhi & Mother: Putali Bai
 Political Guru: Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Private Secretary: Mahadev Desai.
 Other Names:
1. Mahatma (Saint) - by Rabindranath Tagore, 1917
2. Nanga Faqir by Winston Churchill, 1931
3. Rashtrapita (the Father of the Nation)- by Subhash Chandra Bose, 1944
 Literary Influence on Gandhi: John Ruskin’s Unto the Last, Emerson, Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, the Bible & the
Gita.
 Literary Works: Hind Swaraj (1909), My Experiments with Truth (Autobiography, 1927)
 Editor
1. Indian Opinion: 1903–15 (in English & Gujarati, for a short period in Hindi & Tamil),
2. Harijan: 1919-31 (in English, Gujarati and Hindi)

Important Year & Events:

 Went to England in 1888 and studied law to train as a barrister and returned to India in 1891
 In 1893 went to South Africa, and accepted a job at an Indian law firm in Durban
 The Natal Indian Congress was founded in 1894 by Gandhi aimed to fight discrimination against Indians in South
Africa
 1903: Foundation of Indian Opinion (magazine)
 Mahatma Gandhi founded the Phoenix Settlement (first ashram-like settlement) in 1904 in Durban, South Africa
 1906: First Civil Disobedience Movement (Satyagaraha) against Asiatic Ordiannce in Transvaal.
 1907: Satyagraha against Compulsory Registration and Passes for Asians (The Black Act) in Transvaal.
 1908: Trial and imprisonment-Johanesburg Jail (First Jail Term).
 1909: wrote ‘Hind Swarajya’
 1910: Foundation of Tolstoy Farm (Later-Gandhi Ashrama), near Johannesburg.
 1914: Awarded Kaisar-i-Hind for raising an Indian Ambulance Core during Boer wars
 1915: Arrived in Bombay (India) on 9 January 1915- Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Day or Overseas Indian
Day)) - Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
 1915: Foundation of Satyagraha Ashrama at Kocharab near Ahmedabad. In 1917, Ashrama shifted at the banks
of Sabarmati.
 Made his first major public appearance at the inauguration of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Feb 1916
 1916: he attended Lucknow session of INC held in 1916, met Raj Kumar Shukla, a cultivator from Bihar,
requested him to come to Champaran
 1917: Champaran campaign to redress grievances of the cultivators Oppressed by Indigo planter of Bihar.
Champaran Satyagraha was his first Civil Disobedience
 Batak Mian, was a cook who saved the life of Mahatma Gandhi from a murder attempt by food poisoning in 1917
 1918: In Febuary 1918, Ahmedabad Mill Strike (First Hunger Strike)
 1918: In March 1918 Kheda Satyagraha -First Non- Cooperation Movement owing to failure of crops.
 1919: Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act on April 6, 1919 and (First all-India Political Movement),
 Gandhi returns Kaisar-i-Hind gold medal as a protest against Jallianwala Bagh massacre-April 13, 1919
 1920-22: Gandhi leads the Non-Cooperation
 Gandhi calls off Movement (Feb. 12, 1922), after the violent incident at Chauri-Chaura on Febuary 5, 1922.
Non-Co- operation Movement was the First mass based politics under Gandhi.
 1924: Presided over the Belgaum Congress Session (only)
 1930–34: Gandhi launches the Civil Disobedience Movement with his Dandhi march/Salt Satyagraha (First
Phase): March 12, 1930–March 5, 1931, Second Phase: January 3, 1932-April 17, 1934).
 Gandhi-Irwin Pact: March 5, 1931
 Attended 2nd Round Table Conference in London as sole representative of Congress: Sep-Dec 1931
 1933: Commenced of Publication of Harijan (Harijan sevak in hindi and Harijanbandhu in Gujrati)
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 1934–39: Sets up Sevagram (Vardha Ashram).
 Mahatma Gandhi established the Sevagram Ashram in Maharashtra in April 1936 to support local farmers
 1940–41: Gandhi launches Individual Satyagraha Movement.
 1942: Call to Quit India Movement & raised the slogan, ‘Do or die), Gandhi was arrested (August 9, 1942).
 1942–44: he was kept in jail at Aga Khan Palace, near Pune (August 9, 1942-May, 1944) - last prison term.
 Gandhi lost his wife Kasturba (Febuary 22, 1944)
 1946: Cabinet Mission Plan came to India
 1946: Muslim League’s Direct Action call
 1948: Gandhi was shot dead by Nathu Ram Godse, while on his way to the evening prayer meeting at Birla
House, New Delhi (Jan 30, 1948).- Raj Ghat is the final resting place of Indian politician Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi's Experiments of Satyagraha:-

Champaran movement (1917) or Champaran Satyagraha:-
 First satyagraha movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in British India
 He was invited by Rajkumar Shukla.
 First Civil Disobedience in India
 Tinkathia system of indigo farmer-peasants were forced to grow indigo on 3/20 part of their total land.
 Gandhi intervened in the matter & was able to convince the government about the illness of the tinkathia system.
 The government appointed a committee and nominated Gandhi as a member- the tinkathia system was abolished
 Participants: Rajendra Prasad, Narhari Parekh, and J.B. Kripalani

Mill workers strike and Gandhi's Fast at Ahmedabad (1918):-

 First hunger strike
 In Ahmedabad there was a dispute between the textile workers and the mill owners over the issue of
discontinuation of the Plague bonus
 Gandhiji met both the parties- owners refused to accept the demands of the low paid workers.
 Gandhi advised them to go on strike demanding a 35% increase in their wages.
 Gandhi intervened at the request of Anusuya Sarabhai and undertook a fast unto death.
 Gandhi's fast ultimately forced the mill owners to agree to the 35% wage hike.

The Kheda Struggle (1918):-

 First Non-Cooperation Movement
 The Crops failed due to the failure of monsoon were in distress in 1918 in Kheda district of Gujarat
 According to the government's famine code, cultivators were entitled to total remission if crop yield fell below
25% of the average. But the authorities rejected it. As a result, peasants turned to Gandhi.
 Gandhi intervened on behalf of the poor peasants, advising them to withhold payment and 'fight unto
death against such a spirit of vindictiveness and tyranny.'
 The struggle was withdrawn when the Government declared that revenue should be collectec from only those
peasants who could afford to pay.
 Participants: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Narahari Parikh, and Indulal Yagnik

 Note:-
 In 1905 servants of Indian society was founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
 It was the first secular organization in the country.
 The Organization has its headquarters in pune (Maharashtra)

Satyagraha against the Rowlatt Act (1919)

 In 1917, a committee was set up under the presidentship of Sir Sydney Rowlatt to look into the militant
Nationalist activities.
 On the basis of its report the Rowlatt act (Anarchic and Revolutionary Offenses Act of 1919) was passed in
March 1919 by the central legislative council to limit the liberty of the
 The Rowlatt Act allowed political and revolutionary activists to be tried without judicial proceedings or even
imprisoned without trial for two years.
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 As per this Act, any person could be arrested on the basis of suspicion. No appeal or petition could be filled
against such arrests.
 It also suspended the right to habeas corpus and the right to appeal.
 Gandhiji called it the “Black Act '' and launched the Satyagraha against the Act.
 Gandhi launched Satyagraha against Rowlatt Act on 6 April 1919-Mahatma Gandhi was arrested near Delhi.
 Two prominent leaders of Punjab, Dr.Satyapal and Dr.Saifuddin Kitchlew, were arrested in Amritsar.
 The phrase "no dalil, no vakil, no appeal" is associated with the Rowlatt Act of 1919

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

 April 13, 1919, Baisakhi Festival Day
 A demonstration against the Rowlatt act resulted in the Amritsar Massacre by British tropps
 A large but unarmed crowd had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar to protest against the arrest of their
popular leaders Dr.Satyapal and Dr.Saifuddin Kitchlew
 Michael O' Dyer became the Lt.Governor of Punjab and the military commander was General Reginald Dyer.
Facing a violent situation, the Government of Punjab handed over the administration to the military authorities
under General Dyer
 General Dyer, military commander-oredred to open fire on the mass gathered around
 The Hunter Commission was appointed to probe into the incident-Gandhiji described the report of the
commission as a whitewash
 Rabindranath Tagore returned his Knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala incident
 Gandhji was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind (emperor of India gold medal in 1915 for distinguished service to the
British Raj). In 1920 he returned the medal to protest the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
 On 13 April 1919, a Sikh teenager named Udham Singh saw happening with his own eyes and avenged
killings of more than 1300 countrymen by killing Michael O’Dwyer in Caxton Hall of London on 30 March
1940
 Udham Singh was hanged at Pentonville jail London

Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919):-

 Edwin Montagu – The secretary of state for India & Chelmsford – Viceroy
 It was known as the Indian Council Act.
 Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms which came into force in 1921
 The Act established the concept of dyarchy at the provincial level, dividing powers between British and Indian
ministers
1. Transferred subjects: Education, public health, agriculture, and local self-government handled by elected
Indian representatives.
2. Reserved subjects: Finance, law enforcement, and land revenue, remained under the control of British
governors.
 Women were granted the right to vote
 A bicameral arrangement was introduced at the central level in India - lower house or Central Legislative
Assembly and upper house or Council of State
 The Montagu-Chelmsford report stated that a review must be conducted after 10 years
 The Congress termed the scheme 'disappointing and unsatisfactory'.

Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement

Khilafat Movement
 The Khilafat Movement in India began in 1919
 The chief cause of the Khilafat Movement was the defeat of Turkey in the First World War.
 The harsh terms of the Treaty of Sevres (1920) was felt by the Muslims as a great insult to them.
 The whole movement was based on the Muslim belief that the Caliph (the Sultan of Turkey) was the religious
head of the Muslims all over the world
 The Ali brothers, Shoukat Ali and Mohammad Ali started the Khilafat Movement against British government
 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, M.A. Ansari, Saifuddin Kitchlew and the Ali brothers were the prominent
leaders of this movement.
 Mahatma Gandhi was particularly interested in bringing the Hindus and the Muslims together to achieve the
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country’s independence.
 The Khilafat Movement merged with Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920-
marked the height of Hindu-Muslim unity as a result of the merger of Khilafat movement
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922)
 The Non-Cooperation Movement is a Satyagraha movement launched by Gandhi on 1 August 1920
 In September 1920, the Congress held a special session in Calcutta and resolved to accept Gandhi's proposal of
non-cooperation , session Presided over by Lalalajpat
 It was approved by the Indian National Congress at the Nagpur session in December, 1920, session presided
over by C Vijayaraghavachariar
 The programmes of the Non-Cooperation Movement were:
1. Surrender of titles and honorary positions
2. Resignation of membership from the local bodies.
3. Boycott of elections held under the provisions of the 1919 Act
4. Boycott of government functions.
5. Boycott of courts, government schools and colleges.
6. Boycott of foreign goods
7. Establishment of national schools, colleges and private panchayat courts.
8. Popularizing Swadeshi goods and khadi
 National colleges like the Jamia Millia Islamia and the Kashi, Bihar and Gujarat Vidyapeeths were set up after
the launch of Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920
 In 1921, mass demonstrations were held against the Prince of Wales during his tour of India.
 Non-cooperation movement in Tamilnadu was organised by - C.Rajagopalachari, S.Satyamurthi & Periyar
E.V.R.
 But movement was called off on 11th February 1922 by Gandhi following the Churi Chaura incident
 In Gorakhpur district of U.P. on 5 th February an angry mob set fire to the police station at Churi Chaura and
22 police men were burnt to death

Chauri Chaura incident

 Took Place on 5 Feb 1922-Chauri Chaura a village in Gorakhpur district of Up
 A violent clash erupted between protesting Indian villagers and the British police
 resulting in the death of 22 policemen when a police station was set ablaze
 The 10th March 1922, Gandhi was arrested and sentenced to 6 years in prison.
 Thus ended the non-cooperation movement.

Swaraj Party
 The suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement led to a split within Congress in the Gaya session of the
Congress in December 1922.
 Leaders like Motilal Nehru and Chittranjan Das formed a separate group within the Congress known as the
Swaraj Party on 1 January 1923.
 The Swarajists wanted to contest the council elections and wreck the government from within
 In the Central Legislative Council Motilal Nehru became the leader of the party whereas in Bengal the party was
headed by C.R. Das.
 After the passing away of C.R. Das in June 1925, the Swarj Party started weakening.

Simon Commission (1927)

 The Act of 1919 included a provision for its review after a lapse of ten years.
 The review commission was appointed-By the British Government two years earlier of its schedule in 1927. It
came to be known as Simon Commission after the name of its chairman, Sir John Simon.
 All its seven members were Englishmen. As there was no Indian member in it
 Almost all the political parties including the Congress decided to oppose the Commission.
 On the fateful day of 3 February 1928 when the Commission reached Bombay, a general hartal was observed all
over the country.
 Everywhere it was greeted with black flags and the cries of ‘Simon go back’
 At Lahore, the students took out a large anti-Simon Commission demonstration on 30 October 1928 under the

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leadership of Lala Lajpat Rai-In this demonstration, Lala Lajpat Rai was seriously injured in the police lathi
charge and he passed away after one month.
 The report of the Simon Commission was published in May 1930
 It was stated that the constitutional experiment with Diarchy was unsuccessful
 In its place the report recommended the establishment of autonomous government.
 Simon Commission’s Report became the basis for enacting the Government of India Act of 1935.

Nehru Report (1928)

 In the meanwhile, the Secretary of State, Lord Birkenhead, challenged the Indians to produce a Constitution
 The challenge was accepted by the Congress, which convened an all-party meeting on 28 February 1928
 A committee consisting of eight was constituted to draw up a blueprint for the future Constitution of India.It
was headed by Motilal Nehru
 The Report published by this Committee came to be known as the Nehru Report.

The Report favoured:

 Dominion Status as the next immediate step
 Full responsible government at the centre.
 Autonomy to the provinces
 Clear cut division of power between the centre and the provinces.
 A bicameral legislature at the centre.
 Mohammad Ali Jinnah regarded it as detrimental to the interests of the Muslims
 Jinnah convened an All India Conference of the Muslims where he drew up a list of Fourteen Points as
Muslim League demand.

INC Lahore Session 1929 and Poorna Swaraj

 INC President - Jawaharlal Nehru
 INC passed the ‘Purna Swaraj’ resolution at its Lahore session on - 19th December 1929
 It also declared that a civil disobedience movement would be started under the leadership of Gandhi
 On December 31, 1929 at midnight, Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the tricolour flag of India on the banks of
the Ravi River in Lahore and January 26, 1930 as declared the First Independence day.
 INC celebrated the first Independence Day in Colonial India on - 26 January 1930
 The same date later became the Republic Day when the Indian Constitution was enforced in 1950.

Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934)

 Also known as Salt Satyagraha
The Dandi March
 On 12th March 1930, Gandhi began his famous March to Dandi with his chosen 79 followers to break the salt
laws.
 He reached the coast of Dandi on 5 April 1930 after marching a distance of 385 km and after travelling 25 days
miles.
 On 6 April formally launched the Civil Disobedience Movement by breaking the salt laws.
 On 9 April, Mahatma Gandhi laid out the programme of the movement which included making of salt in every
village in violation of the existing salt laws;
 Picketing by women before the shops selling liquor, opium and foreign clothes;
 Spinning clothes by using charkha fighting untouchability;
 Students, workers, farmers and women, all participated in this movement with great enthusiasm.
 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay persuaded Mahatma Gandhi to allow women participation in Salt Satyagraha
 Inspired by the Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi, a group of 100 men led by C Rajagopalachari marched to
Vedaranyam (Tamil Nadu) and extracted salt from seawater in April 1930
 The Lal Kurti or Red Shirt Movement was launched by Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1930–31. It is also called
the "Khudai Khidmatgar" Movement. Khudai Khidmatgar is a Persian word that means in Hindi 'Servant of
God'. Aim: To support the Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhiji
 The movement was called off in the year 1934

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Round Table Conference

 Organized at London in 1930 to discuss simon commission report
 Labour Government, led by Ramsay MacDonald, decided to hold a series of Round Table Conferences in
London.
 First time that Indians and the British met as 'equals.' On November 12th, 1930, the first conference began.

The first Round Table Conference

 Held in November 1930 at London.
 Presided by- Ramsay MacDonald (Prime Minister of Britain)
 Lord Irwin was the Viceroy of India
 The Princely States, Muslim League, and Hindu Mahasabha attended
 Dr Ambedkar attended First Round Table Conference & demanded separate electorates for depressed class
 It was boycotted it by the Congress

Gandhi-Irwin Pact
 In January 1931 government lifted the ban on the Congress Party and released its leaders from prison.
 On 5 March 1931 the Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed
 As per this pact, Mahatma Gandhi agreed to suspend the Civil-Disobedience Movement and participate the
Second Round Table Conference.
 Irwin agreed to release all political prisoners except Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev

Second Round Table Conference-1931

 Presided by- Ramsay MacDonald (Prime Minister of Britain)
 Lord Willingdon was the Viceroy of India
 was held at London in September 1931
 Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar attended the RTC
 Mahatma Gandhi participated in the Conference but returned to India disappointed
 As no agreement could be reached on the demand of complete independence and on the communal question.
 In January 1932, the Civil-Disobedience Movement was resumed
 The government responded to it by arresting Mahatma andhi and Sardar Patel and by reposing the ban on the
Congress party
 Mr. Winston Churchill called Gandhi ji Nanga Fakir

Poona Pact (1932)

 Dr Ambedkar attended First Round Table Conference & demanded separate electorates for depressed class
 British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award on August 16, 1932
 According to this award, the depressed classes were considered as a separate community andas such provisions
were made for separate electorates for them.
 Mahatma Gandhi protested against the Communal Award and went on a fast unto death in the Yeravada jail on
20 September 1932.
 Finally, an agreement was reached between Dr Ambedkar and Gandhi-This agreement came to be called as the
Poona Pact 1932. The British Government also approved of it.
 Gandhiji set up All India Anti Untouchability league in Sep 1932 and started weekly Harijan (children of
God) -Harijan sevak in hindi and Harijanbandhu in Gujrati in 1933

The third Round Table Conference came to an end in 1932

 The Congress once more did not take part in it
 Muslim League and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar attended the RTC
 Discussion led to the passing of Govt. of India act 1935
 Tej Bahadur Sapru participated in all three Round Table Conferences that were held in London between 1930 and
1932

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The Government of India Act of 1935
 Provincial Autonomy-allowing to govern themselves in most areas, except for matters specified as central.
 Bicameral Legislature: established a bicameral legislature at the provincial level in some provinces
(Madras, Bombay, Bengal, United Provinces, Bihar, and Assam), consisting of a Legislative Assembly and
a Legislative Council.
 Division of Powers: The Government of India Act of 1935 divided powers between central and provincial
governments into three lists:
1. Federal List: Exclusively under central government control, defence, foreign affairs, & communications.
2. Provincial List: Solely under provincial jurisdiction, including police, public health, and agriculture.
3. Concurrent List: Shared authority b/w central & provincial governments,-subjects like criminal law &
marriage.
 Expansion of Franchise: Voting rights were extended to approximately 30 million people or roughly 10% of
the population based on criteria such as property, education, and income
 Federal Court: It provided for the establishment of a Federal Court, which was established in 1937. Privy
Council in London remained the final court of appeal.
 Communal Representation: separate electorates was expanded to include not only Muslims, but also depressed
classes (scheduled castes), women, and labour (workers), thereby expanding communal representation.
 Establishment of Public Service Commissions

The Second World War and National Movement

 In 1937 elections were held under the provisions of the Government of India Act of 1935
 Congress Ministries were formed in seven states of India.
 On 1 September 1939 the Second World War broke out.
 The British Government without consulting the people of India involved the country in the war.
 As a mark of protest the Congress Ministries in the Provinces resigned on 22 December 1939
 The Muslim League celebrated that day (22 December 1939) as the Deliverance Day
 In March 1940 the Muslim League demanded the creation of Pakistan.

The August Offer

 The August Offer was a proposal made by Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy of India, on August 8, 1940
 The offer was an attempt to gain Indian cooperation during World War II
 The August Offer envisaged that after the War a representative body of Indians would be set up to frame the new
Constitution & offering dominion status
 The Indian National Congress (INC) rejected the offer
 Gandhi was not satisfied with is offer and decided to launch Individual Satyagraha

Individual Satyagraha
 Individual Satyagraha was a direct result of August Offer
 Acharya Vinoba Bhave was the first to offer Satyagraha and he was sentenced to three months imprisonment
 Jawaharlal Nehru was the second Satyagrahi and imprisoned for four months.

Cripps Mission (1942)

 In March 1942, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill sent Sir Stafford Cripps
 Came to India from 22 March to 11 April 1942- led by Sir Stafford Cripps (other officials-Lord Privy Seal, Sir
Reginald Maxwell)
 Its aim was to obtain Indian cooperation for the British war in the 2nd World war
 Lord Linlithgow was the Viceroy of India when the Cripps Mission visited India in March 1942

The main recommendations of Cripps were:

 The promise of Dominion Status to India
 Protection of minorities
 Setting up of a Constituent Assembly in which there would be representatives from the Princely States along with
those of the British Provinces-There would be provision for any Province of British India not prepared to accept
this Constitution, Either to retain its present constitutional position or frame a constitution of its own.
 Gandhi called Cripp’s proposals as a “Post-dated Cheque”.
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 The Muslim League was also dissatisfied as its demand for Pakistan had not been conceded in the proposal
 All political parties rejected the proposal

Quit India Movement (1942-1944)

 The failure of the Cripps Mission, the hardships caused by World War II and the fear of an impending
Japanese invasion of India led Mahatma Gandhi to begin his campaign for the British to quit India
 The Quit India Movement (August Kranti Movement) was the ‘third great wave’ of India’s struggle for
freedom, launched on August 8, 1942, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
 Mahatma Gandhi believed that an interim government could be formed only after the British left India and the
Hindu-Muslim problem sorted out.
 On the same day, Gandhi gave his call of ‘do or die’
 On 8th and 9th August 1942, the government arrested all the prominent leaders of the Congress.
 Mahatma Gandhi was kept in prison at Poona
 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, and other leaders were imprisoned in the Ahmednagar Fort
 Ram Manohar Lohia, Jai Prakash Narain, Aruna Asaf Ali carried out the struggle after the arrest of congress main
 In 1944 Mahatma Gandhi was released from jail.
 Quit India Movement was the final attempt for country’s freedom.
 Kaushal Konwar was the only martyr of the Quit India phase of the freedom movement who was hanged

Indian National Army (INA)

 The first Indian National Army (INA) was formed in 1942 under Captain Mohan Singh
 In 1943, Bose arrived in Singapore and formed The Azad Hind Fauj, or second INA by unifying the residual
soldiers of the first INA
 Subhas Chandra bose gave rousing war cry of ‘Dilli Chalo’ to motivate the Indian National Army (INA) in 1943
 Subhash Chandra Bose set up two INA headquarters at Rangoon and Singapore
 Subhash Chandra was made the President of Indian Independence League and soon became the supreme
commander of the Indian National Army.The Indian Independence League (IIL) was established in 1942 in
Tokyo, Japan by Rash Behari Bose-Rash Behari Bose handed over the leadership of the Indian
Independence League (IIL) and the Indian National Army (INA) to Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943
 The names of the INA’s three Brigades were the Subhas Brigade, Gandhi Brigade and Nehru Brigade
 The women’s wing of the army was named after Rani Jhansi regiment
 Subhash Chandra Bose refer to Mahatma Gandhi as the "Father of the Nation" during a radio broadcast on the
Azad Hind Radio from Singapore on July 6, 1944.
 After Japan’s surrender in 1945. The INA failed in its efforts.
 The trial of the soldiers of INA was held at Red Fort in Delhi
 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhulabhai Desai and Tej Bahadur Sapru fought the case on behalf of the
soldiers

C.R. Formula
 C. Rajagopalachari Formula, also known as the Rajaji Formula
 The plan was proposed in 1944 by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Congress leader from Madras.
 To solve the political issue b/w All India Muslim League & Indian National Congress on the independence of
British India
 C.R. Formula
1. The Muslim League should support Congress in demanding complete independence from British rule.
2. After India gains independence, a plebiscite (vote) would be held in Muslim-majority areas (like Punjab, Bengal,
and Northwest India) to decide if they wanted a separate state (Pakistan).
3. If partition happens, both countries (India and Pakistan) must ensure religious freedom for minorities.
4. If Pakistan is formed, there should be agreements for defense, trade, and communication between India and
Pakistan.
 Reaction:
1. Jinnah rejected the proposal, insisting that Pakistan was a precondition and wanted only muslims of the
Northwest and east of India to vote in the Plebiscite
 Hindu leaders led by Vir Savarkar condemned the CR plan

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The Shimla Conference
 The Shimla Conference was called in July 1945 to discuss the Wavell Plan.
 To reach an agreement b/w the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League on forming a new
government in British India
 The plan called for a new Executive Council with all Indian members, including separate representation for
Muslims and other religious groups
 Lord Wavell was Viceroy of India
 Jinnah demanded that only the Muslim League should represent all Muslims- led to a deadlock, and the
conference failed
 The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) mutiny began on February 18, 1946.The mutiny started as a strike by sailors on
the HMIS Talwar, a British naval base in Bombay-Protested against poor quality of food & racial discrimination

Cabinet Mission (1946)

 After the Second World War, Lord Atlee became the Prime Minister of England
 On 15 March, 1946 Lord Atlee made a historic announcement and sent 3 members of the British Cabinet known
as the Cabinet Mission to transfer of power to India
1. Pathick Lawrence
2. Sir Stafford Cripps
3. A. V. Alexander
 Provision was made for three groups of provinces to possess their separate constitutions
 Three Groups (Provinces Divided) –
1. Group A: Hindu-majority provinces (like UP, Bihar, Bombay)
2. Group B: Muslim-majority provinces (Punjab, Sindh, NWFP)
3. Group C: Bengal and Assam
 The center would be responsible for foreign affairs, defense, currency, and communications
 No Partition – India would remain united. Rejected the demand of a full-fledged Pakistan
 Constituent Assembly – A body would be elected to draft India’s future Constitution.
 Interim Government – A temporary government would be formed until independence.
 Consequently, elections were held in July 1946 for the formation of a Constituent Assembly.
 An Interim Government was formed under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 September 1946 in
accordance with Cabinet Mission’s Plan
 Both the Muslim League (initially) and the Congress accepted the plan
1. Muslim League initially accepted but later rejected.
2. Jinnah called for ‘Direct Action Day’ (16 August 1946), leading to communal riots.

Mountbatten Plan (1947)

 Also known as the 3 June Plan, marked the final blueprint for India's independence from British rule
 On 20 February l947, Prime Minister Atlee announced in the House of Commons the definite intention of the
British Government to transfer power to responsible Indian hands
 To transfer power Atlee decided to send Lord Mountbatten as Viceroy to India on 24 March 1947.
 Lord Mountbatten put forth the plan of partition of India on 3 June 1947.
 The Congress and the Muslim League ultimately approved the Mountbatten Plan.

Indian Independence Act 1947

 The Indian Independence Act, passed by British Parliament on July 18, 1947, formalized provisions of the
Mountbatten Plan
 The partition of the country into India and Pakistan would come into effect from 15 August 1947.
 The Radcliff Boundary Commission drew the boundary line separating India and Pakistan
 On 15th August 1947 India, and on the 14th August Pakistan came into existence as two independent states.
 Lord Mountbatten was made the first Governor General of Independent India
 Mohammad Ali Jinnah became the first Governor General of Pakistan
 Tricolour Indian flag was hoisted in the place of British union Jack on the Historic Red fort at Delhi.
 C.Rajagopalachariar became the first and last India Governor-General of free India.
 On 30 January 1948, when Mahatma Gandhi – the father of the nation – was assassinated by Nathuram Godse