Last Phase of Freedom Struggle of India

The Last Phase  of Freedom Struggle of India was started at the beginning of 2nd World War , 1939 when Britain was at Difficulty and as Subhas Chandra said, "Britain's difficulty   is India's opportunity". This situation also arrived   in Tilak Era in 1916 when Tilak noted, "England's need is India's Opportunity", and "Home Rule League" was formed separately by Tilak (left) and Annie Basant (right).   But Congress was divided, at that time,  into " moderates and extremists" and the chances were missed.
This time the Freedom Struggle was, ultimately, spread over three fronts;
  
1. Outside India - Violent; Led by Subhas Chandra Bose; In Europre
2.      ,,         ,,     -     ,,           ,,           ,,            ,,           ,,   ; In south-east Asia
3. Inside India - Led by Gandhi.

In this Great War ( WW II), 61 countries  with 70 crores of people ( world population in 1939 was 230 crores i.e., about 30% of world population) and 11 crores of soldiers were involved in which about 5.5 crores of people died.  
Though the WWII, officially, started when Germany invaded Poland on 1 Sept 1939, virtually, Europe was at War earlier than the declaration of WWII by Britain and France. The important incidents that took place, before the beginning of 2nd WW,  were ;

• 1 Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935)
• 2 Spanish Civil War (1936–39)
• 3 Japanese invasion of China (1937)
• 4 Japanese invasion of the Soviet Union and Mongolia (1938)

The Congress Working Committee regarded the Viceroy's (Lord Linlithgow ) statement as "an unequivocal reiteration of the old imperialist policy" and therefore declared itself unable to give any support to Great Britain , for it would amount to an  endorsement of the Imperialist policy , which it has always sought to end.As a first step in the direction , the Committee called upon the Congress ministers to resign.

All the Congress Ministries accordingly resigned between 27 Oct and 15 Nov 1939.  

The Congress "declined to consider any steps to further co-operation."unless the British Govt. clearly declared its policy in favour of Indian Independence.

The Congress reiterated its objective in even clearer and stronger terms in the Ramgarh session in March 1940. The resolution adopted by it declared that " nothing short of complete independence can be accepted by the people of India." and they " alone can properly shape their own constitution."..

According to the majority of the Congress leaders , could only be carried on under the leadership Gandhi. So, Gandhi once more regained the supremacy in the Congress.Gandhi began the campaign on 17 Oct 1940, by selecting one individual at a time to go out in the street shouting anti-war slogans , and get arrested. On 17 Nov , the individual Satyagraha was replaced by what Gandhi called representative Satyagraha . The Satyagrahis were selected from groups  from the Congressmen in  different position.

On 17 Dec 1940, Gandhi suspended the campaign as it created little interest and less excitement among the Congress Working Committee , meeting at Wardha on 16th Jan 1942, passed a resolution offering co-operation in the War effort once again.       

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