Quit India Movement was one of the last organized attempts made by Indian nationalists to expel the British from India. The movement was named after the “Quit India” resolution passed by an All-India Congress committee in Bombay (now Mumbai) in August 1942.
During World War II (1939-1945), the United Kingdom needed India’s help to repel the invading Japanese. But the Indian National Congress decided its best hope lay in expelling the British altogether from India.
After the “Quit India” resolution was passed, the Indian people, under the leadership of Mohandas K. Gandhi, began a campaign of nonviolent resistance against the British. The British arrested Gandhi and other Indian leaders. This shocked Indian patriots into attacks on police stations and other symbols of British authority.
The government reacted harshly by flogging, fining, and sometimes shooting demonstrators. The movement was soon suppressed, but it had demonstrated the depth and fervor of nationalist feelings.
