ICSE Class 8 · The Gandhian Era and Independence

The Gandhian Era (1917-1947): Movements, Quit India and Independence (ICSE Class 8 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In the Gandhian era (1917-1947) the national movement became a mass movement: Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad (1917-18); the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh and Khilafat; Non-Cooperation (1920-1922, withdrawn after Chauri Chaura); Civil Disobedience (1930); and Quit India (1942). The Cabinet Mission (1946), the Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947) and the Indian Independence Act led to independence and partition on 15 August 1947.

Understand Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence

1. Satyagraha and early campaigns. Satyagraha means insistence on truth: non-violent resistance, willing to suffer but never to hurt the opponent. *Champaran (Bihar, 1917):* indigo planters forced peasants to grow indigo on part of their land (tinkathia system); Gandhi went at the peasants' invitation, defied an order to leave, and an enquiry abolished the system. *Kheda (Gujarat, 1918):* crops failed but revenue was demanded; Gandhi supported refusal to pay, with Vallabhbhai Patel; relief was given to the poorest. *Ahmedabad (1918):* mill workers demanded higher wages; Gandhi led them and fasted; owners agreed to an increase. These made Gandhi known and linked the movement with peasants and workers (a brief description only).

2. Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, Khilafat. Rowlatt Act (March 1919) allowed arrest and imprisonment without trial for up to two years; called the 'Black Act'; hartal on 6 April 1919. Jallianwala Bagh (13 April 1919, Amritsar, Baisakhi day): after Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal were arrested, a crowd gathered in the walled ground; General Dyer blocked the exit and ordered firing without warning; the official figure was 379 killed, Indian estimates were higher; Tagore gave up his knighthood. Khilafat: after the First World War the Ottoman Sultan, regarded by many Muslims as the Khalifa, lost power; the Ali brothers and Maulana Azad led the movement and Gandhi supported it as a chance to unite Hindus and Muslims.

3. Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-1922). Causes: Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh (the Hunter Committee did not punish Dyer severely); Khilafat; disappointment with the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919); post-war hardship. Programme (Congress, 1920): surrender of titles; boycott of government schools, courts, councils and foreign cloth; swadeshi, khadi and the charkha; national schools such as Jamia Millia Islamia and Kashi Vidyapith. Withdrawal: at Chauri Chaura (4 February 1922) a crowd set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen; Gandhi called off the movement and was arrested in March 1922. Impact: the first truly mass movement; high Hindu-Muslim unity; fear of British rule and jail lost; khadi spread; the Congress became a mass organisation.

4. Civil Disobedience Movement (causes) and Lahore Session. The all-British Simon Commission (1927-1928) was met with black flags and 'Simon, go back'; Lala Lajpat Rai was beaten by police at Lahore and died soon after. The Nehru Report (1928) was not accepted. The Lahore Session (December 1929), under Jawaharlal Nehru, adopted Purna Swaraj; the tricolour was hoisted on the Ravi and 26 January 1930 celebrated as Independence Day. The world depression hit peasants; Gandhi's eleven demands to Lord Irwin, including abolition of the salt tax, were ignored. The Dandi March (12 March-6 April 1930) began the movement.

5. Quit India (1942). Causes: failure of the Cripps Mission (March 1942); fear of Japanese invasion; wartime shortages. On 8 August 1942 at Bombay the Congress passed the Quit India resolution; Gandhi gave the call 'Do or Die'. Leaders were arrested on 9 August; people continued with strikes, attacks on railways and telegraph lines; Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag at Bombay; Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia worked underground; parallel governments appeared at Ballia, Tamluk and Satara. It was suppressed with force but showed India would accept nothing less than independence.

6. Forward Bloc and INA (objectives only). Forward Bloc (Subhas Chandra Bose, 1939): unite radical groups within the Congress, struggle uncompromisingly for complete independence, use the Second World War to press Britain. INA (Azad Hind Fauj): free India by armed struggle with Japanese help from South-East Asia; Bose took command in 1943 and formed the Provisional Government of Free India in Singapore; slogans 'Delhi Chalo', 'Jai Hind'.

7. Independence and partition (clauses only). *Cabinet Mission Plan (1946):* rejected a separate Pakistan; proposed a federal union controlling defence, foreign affairs and communications, with provinces in three groups and a Constituent Assembly; the League called Direct Action on 16 August 1946; an interim government under Nehru took office in September 1946. *Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947):* partition into India and Pakistan; Punjab and Bengal assemblies to vote on partition; referendums in the NWFP and Sylhet; a boundary commission; princely states free to join either dominion; transfer on 15 August 1947. *Indian Independence Act, 1947:* two independent dominions from 15 August 1947; no British control afterwards; a Governor-General in each; Constituent Assemblies as legislatures; paramountcy over princely states lapses; the office of Secretary of State for India abolished; the Government of India Act, 1935 to apply with changes until new constitutions.

Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence: key facts

Early campaigns: Champaran 1917
Kheda 1918
Ahmedabad 1918
Mass movements: Rowlatt Act March 1919
Jallianwala Bagh 13 April 1919
Non-Cooperation 1920-1922
Chauri Chaura 4 February 1922
Civil Disobedience: Simon Commission 1927-1928
Lahore Session December 1929
Dandi March 12 March to 6 April 1930
Independence: Quit India 8 August 1942
Cabinet Mission 1946
Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947
Independence 15 August 1947

How to answer Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence questions

For each movement, write causes, programme, course, result in that order.

1Give exact dates and places.
2For Forward Bloc and INA, give objectives only.
3For the plans, list clauses as numbered points.
4Link movements into a chain from 1917 to 1947.

Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A hartal and a march

Suppose a leader calls for people to stop all work for a day to protest an unjust law, and later leads a march to the sea to make salt in defiance of a tax on it.

Which two events of the Gandhian era do these resemble and what was achieved?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

A nationwide hartal resembles the Rowlatt Satyagraha (6 April 1919).
A march to make salt resembles the Dandi March (1930) that began the Civil Disobedience Movement.
They showed non-violent mass protest against laws seen as unjust.

Answer: Rowlatt hartal (1919) and Dandi March (1930); non-violent mass protest.

Memory hook: Hartal then salt march.

Tricks to remember Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Champaran-Kheda-Ahmedabad
C-K-A: three early campaigns in 1917-1918.
Use it when: Early campaigns.
Chauri Chaura 1922
Gandhi withdrew Non-Cooperation after 22 policemen died.
Use it when: Withdrawal.
Three plans
Cripps 1942, Cabinet Mission 1946, Mountbatten 1947.
Use it when: Sequence.

Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Early campaigns · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Name the three early campaigns of Gandhi in India with the year and issue of each.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Champaran (1917): indigo cultivators forced by planters.
Kheda (1918): land revenue demanded despite crop failure.
Ahmedabad (1918): mill workers' wage demand.

Answer: Champaran 1917; Kheda and Ahmedabad 1918, with issues as above.

Example 2: Chauri Chaura · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

What happened at Chauri Chaura and how did Gandhi respond?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

On 4 February 1922 an angry crowd set fire to a police station, killing 22 policemen.
Gandhi, committed to non-violence, called off the Non-Cooperation Movement.
He was arrested in March 1922.

Answer: Police station burned; Non-Cooperation withdrawn.

Example 3: Non-Cooperation · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the causes and programme of the Non-Cooperation Movement.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Causes: Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, Khilafat issue, Montagu-Chelmsford disappointment, post-war hardship.
Programme: surrender of titles; boycott of government schools, courts, councils and foreign cloth.
Constructive side: swadeshi, khadi, charkha and national schools.

Answer: Causes as listed; boycott and constructive programme.

Example 4: Jallianwala · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and two reactions to it.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

On 13 April 1919 at Amritsar a crowd gathered in a walled ground with narrow exits; Dyer blocked the exit and ordered firing without warning; the official figure was 379 dead.
Reactions: Rabindranath Tagore gave up his knighthood; the Hunter Committee did not punish Dyer severely, which angered Indians and led to Non-Cooperation.

Answer: Firing at an enclosed crowd; Tagore returned knighthood; anger led to Non-Cooperation.

Example 5: Plans compared · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Compare the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946) with the Mountbatten Plan (1947) on the question of Indian unity.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Cabinet Mission: rejected a separate Pakistan and proposed a united India as a federation with provinces in three groups.
Congress and the League disagreed over its meaning; the League called Direct Action on 16 August 1946, followed by communal violence.
Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947): partition into India and Pakistan, with power transferred on 15 August 1947.

Answer: Cabinet Mission aimed at unity; Mountbatten Plan accepted partition.

Where students lose marks in Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Mixing the dates of Rowlatt and Jallianwala
March 1919 and April 1919 interchanged.
Do this: Rowlatt Act: March 1919; Jallianwala Bagh: 13 April 1919.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Writing details of INA battles
The syllabus asks for the objectives only.
Do this: Give objectives: armed struggle, Japanese help, Provisional Government.
Usually costs: Time.
Mistake: Missing the Chauri Chaura cause
Withdrawal reason omitted.
Do this: Non-Cooperation was withdrawn after the violence at Chauri Chaura.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Listing Independence Act clauses in prose
Clauses are not numbered.
Do this: Number clauses, as the syllabus asks for clauses only.
Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

Treat early campaigns as brief descriptions.
Use numbered clauses for the Independence Act.
Always attach a date to each movement.
Write about partition in neutral, factual terms.

Practice questions on Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The Lahore Session of the Congress (1929) adopted the goal of:
(a) dominion status
(b) Purna Swaraj
(c) Home Rule
(d) separate electorates
Hint
Complete independence.
Answer
(b) Purna Swaraj.
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Which march began the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930?
Hint
Salt.
Answer
The Dandi March (12 March to 6 April 1930).
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
State two reasons for the Quit India Movement.
Hint
Cripps and Japan.
Answer
Failure of the Cripps Mission (March 1942), fear of a Japanese invasion and belief that Britain could not defend India, and wartime shortages.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What was the Simon Commission? Why was it boycotted?
Hint
No Indian member.
Answer
A commission of seven British members appointed in 1927 to review the 1919 reforms. It had no Indian member, so it was met with black flags and the slogan 'Simon, go back'.
Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level
Assertion (A): The Khilafat issue helped to bring Muslims into the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Reason (R): Gandhi saw it as a chance to unite Hindus and Muslims in a common struggle.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Hint
Gandhi's aim.
Answer
(a).
Q6 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level
List five provisions of the Indian Independence Act of 1947, including what happened to the princely states.
Hint
Dominions and paramountcy.
Answer
Two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, from 15 August 1947; no British control afterwards; a Governor-General for each; the Constituent Assembly of each to act as its legislature and frame a constitution; paramountcy over princely states lapses; the office of Secretary of State for India abolished; the Government of India Act, 1935 to apply with changes until new constitutions.
Q7 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Trace the changing aims of the national movement from 1917 to 1947 in four stages.
Hint
Local to complete independence.
Answer
1917-18: local grievances (Champaran, Kheda, Ahmedabad). 1919-22: mass non-violent boycott (Rowlatt, Khilafat, Non-Cooperation). 1929-30: Purna Swaraj at Lahore and civil disobedience through salt law. 1942-47: Quit India, then negotiations (Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan) leading to independence on 15 August 1947.
Q8 · 3 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency
Source-based. "Do or Die. We shall either free India or die in the attempt." (i) Who gave this call and when? (ii) Name the movement. (iii) Name one underground leader and one parallel government.
Hint
8 August 1942.
Answer
(i) Gandhi, at Bombay on 8 August 1942. (ii) The Quit India Movement. (iii) Jayaprakash Narayan (or Ram Manohar Lohia); parallel governments at Ballia, Tamluk and Satara.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Date of Jallianwala Bagh?Show answer
13 April 1919.
2.Where was Purna Swaraj adopted?Show answer
Lahore, December 1929.
3.Who founded the Forward Bloc?Show answer
Subhas Chandra Bose (1939).
4.Date of Independence?Show answer
15 August 1947.
5.Slogan of Quit India?Show answer
Do or Die.

Gandhian Era: Movements, Quit India and the Road to Independence: frequently asked questions

What was the tinkathia system?

Forcing peasants to grow indigo on part of their land.

Who were the Ali brothers?

Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, leaders of the Khilafat Movement.

What was Direct Action Day?

The League's call for direct action on 16 August 1946, followed by communal violence.

What did the Mountbatten Plan say about princely states?

They would be free to join either dominion.