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respective communities and not of the country. and the last mass movement under Gandhi’s
Neither the princes nor the communal leaders leadership. Gandhi gave his mantra of ‘Do or
were interested in India’s independence. Die’ and asked the British to quit leave India to
Therefore, no agreement could be reached and indians and anarchy. They were countrywide
the Second Round Table Conference ended in a hartals and processions in open defiance. Mass
failure. Gandhi returned to India and relaunched civil disobedience was started and the railways,
The Civil Disobedience Movement, which police, law courts, etc., were all affected.
marked a critically important stage in the prog- Uprooting of lines and telegraph posts also
ress of the nationalist struggle. The number of occurred. This August Movement, as it was also
people who went to jail was estimated at over called, spread to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra
90,000—more than three times the figure of the Pradesh, Orissa, Bengal and Bombay.
Non-Cooperation Movement of 1920-22. The government, Gandhi and other leaders were
Later in 1932, the Third Round Table arrested and the Congress was declared illegal.
Conference was held which was a failure, as the The leaderless mobs started a revolt more
Congress did not participate in it. severely and often became violent. The govern-
THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT 1935 ment used ruthless measures to put down the
unrest. Imprisonments, raids, firing and lathi
To meet the growing nationalist demand the
charges became a common affair. British author-
government passed the Government of India Act
ity almost disappeared and parallel governments
of 1935. According to this Act :
were set up at various places for e.g., Satara and
g India was to be a Federation of British
Midnapore. In spite of the ruthlessness and harsh
Indian provinces and the princely states.
measures, the struggle continued.
g The federal legislature was to consist of Two
The movement was short lived and ruthlessly
Houses.
crushed but the people had shown undaunted
g At the center, Dyarchy was introduced and
courage to face all odds. There was a large-scale
the Viceroy became very powerful and was
participation of the masses. It was clear now that
not responsible to the legislature.
the transfer of power to an independent India
g In the provinces, the system of dyarchy was was around the corner and the sacrifices made
abolished and Provincial Autonomy was by the people would not go in vain.
granted. The powers of the legislatures were During the Second World War India also suffered
increased and answerable to the legislature, due to inflation, food shortages, involvement of
a practice which is followed in present day
Indian soldiers in the war. there was also a
India also.
terrible famine in Bengal in 1943, which took a
g Right to vote or franchise was granted only toll of thirty lakh people.
to those who had property. This meant that SUBHASH CHNADRA BOSE AND THE
only 14 percent of the population could INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY
vote and this was not democratic.
After the Quit India Movement, there was a lull in
QUIT INDIA RESOLUTION (1942) political activity in India till Subhash Chandra
The Congress now pressed for complete inde- Bose came to the fore. In 1945, he organised the
pendence and passed the Quit India Resolution Indian National Army (INA) abroad to carry on
on 8th of August, 1942. This was the greatest India’s freedom struggle.
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