Towards Independence and Partition
Freedom struggle 1935–1947 for UPSC — Government of India Act 1935, Cripps, Quit India, INA, Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan and Partition.
SyllabusGS I · The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors and contributions from different parts of the country
The last twelve years of British rule moved fast and in two directions at once: towards freedom, and towards division. This chapter follows that double movement — from the Government of India Act, 1935 and the 1937 provincial ministries, through the Second World War, the August Offer and the Cripps Mission, to Quit India, the Indian National Army, the Cabinet Mission, the Mountbatten Plan and the Indian Independence Act, 1947.
What UPSC asks. Prelims picks the provisions of each British proposal (who came, what was offered, what was rejected) and the people of Quit India and the INA. Mains asks why Partition happened, how the Cabinet Mission failed, and what the Act of 1935 left to the Constitution.
| Sub-topic | Key years |
|---|---|
| Government of India Act; provincial elections | 1935–1937 |
| War, resignation of ministries, Lahore Resolution | 1939–1940 |
| August Offer, Individual Satyagraha | 1940 |
| Cripps Mission, Quit India | 1942 |
| INA and the Azad Hind government | 1942–1945 |
| Simla Conference, INA trials, RIN revolt | 1945–1946 |
| Cabinet Mission, Interim Government, Constituent Assembly | 1946 |
| Attlee’s statement, Mountbatten Plan, Independence Act | 1947 |
Begin with the topic page, then revise with the one-page sheet and the practice set.