*🛡️Quit India Movement* ♟️The Quit India Movement also known as the August Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British Rule of India. ♟️The Cripps Mission had failed, and Gandhi made a call to Do or Die in his Quit India speech, followed by the launch of a mass protest demanding what Gandhi called “An Orderly British Withdrawal” from India. ♟️Almost the entire leadership of the Indian National Congress was imprisoned without trial within hours of Gandhi’s speech. 💎 *Extent of Mass Participation* ♟️The participation was on many levels. ♟️Youth, especially the students of schools and colleges, remained in the forefront. ♟️Women, especially school and college girls, actively participated, and included Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kripalani and Usha Mehta. ♟️Workers went on strikes and faced repression. ♟️Peasants of all strata were at the heart of the movement. Even some zamindars participated. These peasants concentrated their offensive on symbols of authority and there was complete absence of anti-zamindar violence. ♟️Government officials, especially those belonging to lower levels in police and administration, participated resulting in erosion of government loyalty. ♟️Muslims helped by giving shelter to underground activists. There were no communal clashes during the movement. ♟️The Communists did not join the movement; in the wake of Russia (where the communists were in power) being attacked by Nazi Germany, the communists began to support the British war against Germany and the ‘Imperialist War’ became the ‘People’s War’ ♟️The Muslim League opposed the movement, fearing that if the British left India at that time, the minorities would be oppressed by the Hindus. ♟️The Hindu Mahasabha boycotted the movement. ♟️The Princely states showed a low-key response. 💎 *Lack of Unity* ♟️The British had the support of the Viceroy’s Council (which had a majority of Indians), of the All India Muslim League, the princely states, the Indian Imperial Police, the British Indian Army, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Indian Civil Service. ♟️Many Indian businessmen profiting from heavy wartime spending did NOT support the Quit India Movement. 💎 *Result* ♟️Due to various reasons including effective arrests (over 100,000 arrests were made) by the British and lack of unity, the Quit India campaign was effectively crushed. ♟️Many students paid more attention to Subhas Chandra Bose, who was in exile and supporting the Axis Powers. ♟️The only outside support came from the Americans, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressured Prime Minister Winston Churchill to give in to some of the Indian demands. ♟️The British refused to grant immediate independence, saying it could happen only after the war had ended.