When World War II broke out in 1939, Britain declared war on India’s behalf. Viceroy Linlithgow declared India at war with Germany and Japan without consulting Indian politicians. In protest all provincial Congress governments resigned.
The Congress demanded independence and leaders like Nehru insisted that India would only fight alongside Britain as a free country. The Congress launched the Quit India Movement against the British in August, 1942. Wide scale protests erupted all over India which Britain suppressed by arresting thousands of Congress supporters. Nehru was sentenced for making ‘seditious’ speeches and the British government denounced him as “the most disruptive single force in the politics of the country”.
The Indian Army was crucially involved in the Allied campaign in the Second World War. Indian troops distinguished themselves on all fronts in many countries during World War II. More than 2.5 million Indian troops fought Axis forces around the globe and over 87,000 Indian soldiers died. The British knew that they had little chance of winning the war without India’s help and refused to hand over power during this time. Key Congress leaders, including Nehru, were kept in prison till 1945 and only released after the war was over.
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