India Independence in 1947: The real reasons

The purpose of the post is to try and find out the real reasons and circumstances which led to the Independence of India in 1947. Many would attribute it to the efforts of Indian National Congress under the leadership of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. But, in my opinion, the theory lacks supports in historical documents except those school textbooks (prepared by congress itself over the years). Feel free to comment and provide citations/sources for more information on the topic

Some facts:

1. Pre-Independence Congress had attained its height of popularity during 1935-1945. During the 1937 elections, it won 711 out of total of 1585 seats (less than 45%), rest went to muslim league and regional parties.




2. Congress split over the support to Britain in WWII in 1939. Subhash Chandra Bose had to move out even after winning the presidential election in Tripuri Session in 1939.




3. Quit India Movement was announced on 8 August 1942 by M K Gandhi after the failure of Cripps Mission. But, before the dawn of 9 Aug 1942 all the major leaders of Congress were under arrest including Gandhi. Infact, a relatively unknown Aruna Asaf Ali had to preside over the AICC session on 9th August. The movement is supposed to be over by March 1943. Even the then congress considered it a failure. Gandhji was released in 1944 on account of his failing health. He underwent lot of personal losses during this time. His wife Kasturba as well as his secretary Mahadev Desai died during this period.




4. In July 1943 Subhash Chandra Bose assumed the leadership of Indian National Army.




5. On 18 April 1944 INA broke into Moirang in Manipur. Following that INA breached the Kohima Road and penetrated around 250 miles inside the Indian Territory. But, the supplies from Japan failed them and British troops overthrew them again.




6. Though the Azad Hind Movement died prematurely, the trials of INA troops in 1945 inflamed the masses in general. Such, was the effect that British government forbid the BBC from broadcasting their story. During and after the trial, mutinies broke out in the British Indian Armed forces, most notably in the Royal Indian Navy which found public support throughout India, from Karachi to Bombay and from Vizag to Calcutta and ultimately came to involve 78 ships, 20 shore establishments and 20,000 sailors.




7. After the WWII ended in 1945 the financial condition of Britain was in shambles.
   By 1945 British economic interests in India were considerably less than they had been. In 1900 British goods represented 69 percent of Indian imports but in 1945 the figure was less than 20 percent. In 1870 India had sent 53 percent of its exports to Britain while in 1945 only 28 percent of its exports were. Although still of some importance to the British economy India did not play as important role as, for example, Malaya which was a dollar-earner useful in the support of sterling. During the inter-war depression the value of exports to India had fallen by half, foreign penetration and import substitution contributing to the decline. On balance it was no longer worth the cost of attempting to further delay the granting of independence—better to pull out as gracefully as possible and try and maintain links with a new leadership which still had some sympathy and respect for things British^Source.
   Also, running the day to day administration of a colony like India was a big burden given that trade could be carried out even after granting the political independence.




8. INC between 1943-1946
   ****
   1943-44 Allied victories in the war leading to intransigent British position
   
   1943-44 Gandhiji and Congress leaders released from Prison but British refuse to negotiate
   
   1943-44 Jinnah adamant on Partition
   
   1945 Simla Conference fails
   
   1946 INA Trial
   
   1946 Naval Mutiny
   
   1946 Cabinet Mission to decide fate of India
   
   1946 Congress wins an overwhelming majority in Elections to the Constitutional Assembly
   ****
   No major efforts towards the achievement of freedom are visible from INC's side.
   




9. Dhanjaya Bhat, writing in The Tribune
   
   An extract from a letter written by P.V. Chuckraborty, former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, on March 30 1976, reads thus:
   
   When I was acting as Governor of West Bengal in 1956, Lord Clement Attlee, who as the British Prime Minister in post war years was responsible for India’s freedom, visited India and stayed in Raj Bhavan Calcutta for two days. I put it straight to him like this: ‘The Quit India Movement of Gandhi practically died out long before 1947 and there was nothing in the Indian situation at that time which made it necessary for the British to leave India in a hurry. Why then did they do so?’ In reply Attlee cited several reasons, the most important of which were the INA activities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which weakened the very foundation of the British Empire in India, and the RIN Mutiny which made the British realise that the Indian armed forces could no longer be trusted to prop up the British. When asked about the extent to which the British decision to quit India was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s 1942 movement, Attlee’s lips widened in smile of disdain and he uttered, slowly, ‘Minimal’.