Quit India

By the late 1850s, Britain was firmly in control of India through the “British Raj,” or Crown rule, and by the end of World War I, a new Indian middle class started to call for independence more publicly. However, the massive territory under British Raj contained modern day India and Pakistan and was extremely diverse, so different factions of people wanted to go about independence in different ways. Around this time, the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi was gaining popularity as a political and spiritual leader who preached non-violence. He and other leaders in the All India Congress began to explore avenues to achieve Indian independence through what became known as the Quit India Movement. However, he did have local Indian opposition: “Mainly three groups did not support the movement and continued to collaborate with the British Empire: the Communists, the Muslim League and the Hindu Mahasabha” (Laliwala, Sharik. “During the Quit India Movement, the Hindu Mahasabha Played the British Game.” The Wire, 8 Aug. 2022). Since all three of these groups were represented in the All India Congress, much of Gandhi’s famous “Quit India” speech was geared toward convincing these groups that they should unite under one cause: Indian independence.