Quit India

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most influential political and spiritual figures of the past century. He is most well-known for his role in the largely nonviolent campaign to end British colonialism in India in the 1940s. Although he was assassinated just one year after India gained freedom, he inspired so many civil rights leaders and politicians that his influence still carries on to this day.

Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to a Hindu family in 1869 under the British Raj in India, Gandhi did not receive the honorary title “Mahatma” until later in life. He studied law in both India and London, and he became recognized for his work around civil rights law in South Africa in the early 1900s. Charlie Andrews, a missionary in South Africa, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who was an Indian politician, convinced him to return to India. (Both these men are mentioned in the English portion of Gandhi’s speech.) Some of Gandhi’s early work included creating relationships between Hindus and the Muslim caliphate and promoting nonviolence despite worsening conditions for Indians under British rule. However, his most famous nonviolent action prior to his “Quit India” speeches was the Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, in which he walked over 200 miles to campaign against the salt tax. Implemented by the British government in 1882, the Salt Act prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt. This forced them to buy the essential yet heavily taxed mineral from the British, which put an unnecessary burden on the poor.

In 1921, Gandhi became the leader of the All India Congress, though he eventually moved out of that role due to frustrations with political factions. However, in the time leading up to World War II, he was pivotal in attempting negotiations for Indian freedom from Britain. With Britain unwilling to give in, Gandhi and others launched the Quit India Movement. This movement reached a tipping point upon the famous “Quit India” speeches delivered in August of 1942. He was jailed by the British government the next day and served two years out of a six-year sentence; in 1944, he was released unconditionally due to severe illness. In 1947, India gained its freedom and was recognized by the United Nations as a sovereign nation.

In 1948, a Hindu nationalist named Nathuram Godse—who was part of a team of conspirators—shot Gandhi three times. The assassin believed that Gandhi was responsible for the suffering of Hindu people, as the nonviolence he promoted left Hindus vulnerable to Muslim attacks. Gandhi died almost instantly, but his death stunned India and its people as it meant they had lost one of the strongest and most influential leaders of peace. Ultimately, Gandhi is a revered character not only in India, but also around the world to this day.