DAYS OF DECISION Gandhi and the Quit India Movement Heinemann LIBRARY Chicago Illinois Jen Green
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An Arrest in Bombay It is just before dawn on Malabar Hill a wealthy suburb of the great port of Bombay now called Mumbai India The date is August 9 1942 almost midway through World War II 1939 1945 The heat is oppressive even at this hour Only a few people are out and about to witness the sudden uproar as a group of police cars heads up the street The cars screech to a halt outside an imposing dwelling called Birla House Policemen swarm out of the cars and knock loudly on the door with their wooden batons After a short while the door opens and the police pour inside 1 What is going on The Indian politician Mohandas Gandhi is staying in the house Gandhi is a leader of the Indian National Congress INC This is a political party that has been campaigning for Indian independence from the United Kingdom for many years India has been ruled by the United Kingdom since 1858 Now an old man of 73 Gandhi is one of the British Empire’s most outspoken critics Gandhi’s most recent criticism is about India’s role in World War II In 1939 the United Kingdom declared war on Germany It announced that India part of its empire was also at war but Indian leaders were not consulted Since then India’s contribution to the war has been huge As a believer in nonviolence Gandhi has been firmly against India’s involvement in the war Instead he has launched a campaign called Quit India calling on the British to leave India immediately and grant India its independence In the thick of war World War II began in 1939 In 1941 the war became a truly global conflict as German forces invaded the Soviet Union Japan had entered the war on the side of Germany and soon after mounted an attack on the U S naval fleet in Pearl Harbor Hawaii This brought the United States into the war on the side of the Allies which included the United Kingdom its empire and the Soviet Union
