From the Second World War to Independence and Integration (1939-1947)

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War, the August Offer and Individual Satyagraha

When the Second World War began in September 1939, Viceroy Linlithgow declared India at war without consulting its leaders, and the Congress ministries resigned. The Muslim League's Lahore Resolution of 23 March 1940 demanded separate Muslim-majority states. The August Offer of 8 August 1940 promised dominion status as the eventual goal, more Indians in the Executive Council and an Indian body to frame a constitution after the war, with a veto for minorities; the Congress rejected it. Gandhi, avoiding a mass movement during the war, launched the Individual Satyagraha on 17 October 1940; Vinoba Bhave was the first satyagrahi and Jawaharlal Nehru the second.

Cripps Mission, 1942

As Japan advanced through South-East Asia, Sir Stafford Cripps came to India in March 1942 offering dominion status and a constitution-making body after the war, with the right of any province to stay out of the new union; defence would stay in British hands. The Congress and the League both rejected it, and Gandhi called it a post-dated cheque.

Quit India, 1942

The Working Committee passed the Quit India resolution at Wardha on 14 July 1942, and the All India Congress Committee adopted it at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, on 8 August 1942, where Gandhi gave the call Do or Die. Early on 9 August all major leaders were arrested; Gandhi was held in the Aga Khan Palace at Poona, where Kasturba died in 1944. The leaderless people rose: Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank, Usha Mehta ran an underground Congress Radio and Jayaprakash Narayan led underground resistance. Parallel governments arose at Ballia (Chittu Pandey), Tamluk (Jatiya Sarkar) and Satara (Prati Sarkar). The Muslim League, the Communists and the Hindu Mahasabha stayed away; though crushed, the movement showed that British rule could no longer rest on consent.

Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA

Bose escaped from house arrest in January 1941, reached Germany via Kabul and in 1943 came to South-East Asia by submarine. Captain Mohan Singh had first raised the Indian National Army in 1942 from Indian prisoners of war with Japanese help; Subhas took command in July 1943 and proclaimed the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind) at Singapore on 21 October 1943, and its women's Rani Jhansi Regiment was led by Lakshmi Swaminathan. The INA fought in the Imphal-Kohima campaign (1944), raising the tricolour at Moirang in Manipur, but retreated with Japan's defeat; Bose is reported to have died in an air crash at Taipei on 18 August 1945. He gave the slogans Dilli Chalo and Give me blood and I will give you freedom, and in 1944 he addressed Gandhi as the Father of the Nation.

INA trials and the naval mutiny

The Red Fort trial (November 1945) of INA officers Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sahgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, defended by Bhulabhai Desai and Nehru, set off nationwide protests, and their sentences were remitted. On 18 February 1946 ratings of HMIS Talwar in Bombay struck against bad food and racial discrimination; the naval mutiny spread to Karachi and Calcutta until the ratings surrendered on the advice of Patel and Jinnah, showing that Britain could no longer rely on Indian forces.

Cabinet Mission and Direct Action

After Viceroy Wavell's Shimla Conference (1945) failed, Attlee's Labour government sent the Cabinet Mission of Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps and A.V. Alexander. Its plan of 16 May 1946 rejected Pakistan and proposed a Union in charge of defence, foreign affairs and communications, grouping of provinces into three groups, a Constituent Assembly of 389 members and an interim government. Disputes over grouping led the League to withdraw and call Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946, setting off the Great Calcutta Killings and riots in Noakhali and Bihar. The interim government headed by Nehru took office on 2 September 1946, and the Constituent Assembly first met on 9 December 1946 without the League.

Mountbatten Plan and the Independence Act

Attlee announced on 20 February 1947 that Britain would leave India by June 1948. Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, announced the plan of 3 June 1947: the Punjab and Bengal assemblies would vote on partition, the North-West Frontier Province and Sylhet would hold referendums, Cyril Radcliffe would draw the boundaries, and power would pass earlier, on 15 August 1947. The Indian Independence Act (royal assent 18 July 1947) created the dominions of India and Pakistan, ended British paramountcy over the princely states and abolished the office of Secretary of State for India. Mountbatten stayed on as free India's first Governor-General, followed by C. Rajagopalachari, the only Indian to hold the post.

Integration of the princely states

Vallabhbhai Patel, heading the States Department with V.P. Menon as its secretary, brought over 560 princely states into India, mostly through Instruments of Accession ceding defence, external affairs and communications. Junagadh joined after a plebiscite in 1948, Hyderabad after the police action called Operation Polo in September 1948, and Jammu and Kashmir when Maharaja Hari Singh, facing a tribal invasion from Pakistan, signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947.

Key facts

August Offer, 8 August 1940 (Linlithgow): dominion status as the goal, an enlarged Executive Council, a constitution-making body after the war - the first admission of Indians' right to frame their constitution; rejected by the Congress.
Individual Satyagraha from 17 October 1940: the first satyagrahi was Vinoba Bhave, the second Jawaharlal Nehru.
Cripps Mission, March 1942: dominion status after the war, provinces could opt out; Gandhi called it a post-dated cheque.
Quit India: resolution at Wardha 14 July 1942, adopted at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, 8 August 1942; Do or Die; Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag; Usha Mehta's Congress Radio.
Parallel governments of 1942: Ballia (Chittu Pandey), Tamluk (Jatiya Sarkar) and Satara (Prati Sarkar).
Azad Hind government, Singapore, 21 October 1943; INA's Rani Jhansi Regiment under Lakshmi Swaminathan; Andaman and Nicobar renamed Shaheed and Swaraj.
INA trial at the Red Fort, 1945: Shah Nawaz Khan, P.K. Sahgal and G.S. Dhillon, defended by Bhulabhai Desai. Naval mutiny: HMIS Talwar, Bombay, 18 February 1946.
Cabinet Mission 1946: Pethick-Lawrence, Cripps and A.V. Alexander; plan of 16 May 1946; Constituent Assembly of 389 members; Direct Action Day 16 August 1946.
Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947; Indian Independence Act, royal assent 18 July 1947; independence 15 August 1947; Radcliffe drew the boundaries.
Integration: Patel and V.P. Menon; Junagadh by plebiscite (1948), Hyderabad by Operation Polo (September 1948), Kashmir's accession on 26 October 1947.

Quick revision

India declared at war Sept 1939; Lahore Resolution 23 Mar 1940; August Offer 8 Aug 1940; Individual Satyagraha 17 Oct 1940 (Vinoba first); Cripps Mar 1942; Quit India 8 Aug 1942, Do or Die; Azad Hind govt 21 Oct 1943; INA trials 1945; naval mutiny 18 Feb 1946; Cabinet Mission plan 16 May 1946; Direct Action 16 Aug 1946; Mountbatten Plan 3 Jun 1947; Independence Act 18 Jul 1947; Patel integrated the states

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