Question

Assertion (A): The Quit India Movement, launched in 1942, was a spontaneous mass uprising.
Reason (R): On the eve of the movement, Gandhiji and all major Congress leaders were arrested, leaving the movement leaderless.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true, but (R) is false.
• D. (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)

Quit India Movement (1942)

• Background: The Quit India Movement was a pivotal moment in India's struggle for independence, launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 8, 1942, at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay (now Mumbai).
• Call for Independence: The movement's main demand was for the immediate end of British rule in India, with the famous slogan 'Do or Die' (Karo ya Maro) given by Gandhiji.
• Nature of the Movement: It was a mass civil disobedience movement that witnessed widespread participation across India, characterized by strikes, protests, and demonstrations. While planned, its subsequent trajectory saw spontaneous and decentralized participation due to leadership arrests.
• Leadership Arrests: On the dawn of August 9, 1942, the British government arrested almost all prominent leaders of the Indian National Congress, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. This was done under the 'Operation Zero Hour'.
• Impact of Arrests: The arrest of top leaders left the movement largely without central direction, leading to spontaneous uprisings and localized protests across the country. This decentralized nature made it difficult for the British to suppress it effectively in its early stages.
• Government Repression: The British government responded with severe repression, arresting thousands of activists, imposing collective fines, and using force to quell the protests.
• Significance: Despite the brutal suppression, the Quit India Movement demonstrated the widespread desire for independence and significantly weakened the British resolve to continue their rule in India, paving the way for independence in 1947.
• Competitive Exam Focus: Remember the date (August 8/9, 1942), the key slogan ('Do or Die'), the location of the launch (Bombay), and the impact of the 'Operation Zero Hour' arrests on the movement's nature.