Gandhian Movements, Revolutionaries, Quit India and Independence
Gandhian Movements, Revolutionaries, Quit India and Independence
From Gandhi's return in 1915 to independence in 1947, the freedom struggle is the most asked part of modern history. NTPC asks the year and place of each movement, the events that started or ended them, revolutionaries and their organisations, and the plans that led to partition.
1. Gandhian Movements
| Movement (year) | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Champaran (1917) | Indigo farmers, Bihar; Gandhi's first satyagraha in India |
| Kheda (1918) | Peasants, Gujarat; with Sardar Patel |
| Ahmedabad mill strike (1918) | First hunger strike |
| Rowlatt Satyagraha (1919) | Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Amritsar, 13 April 1919 (General Dyer) |
| Non-Cooperation (1920-22) | With the Khilafat movement; withdrawn after Chauri Chaura (February 1922) |
| Civil Disobedience (1930) | Dandi March, 12 March to 6 April 1930, salt law; Gandhi-Irwin Pact 1931 |
| Quit India (1942) | Resolution passed 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank, Bombay (AICC session); movement began 9 August (August Kranti Day) after the leaders' arrest; slogan "Do or Die" |
2. Revolutionaries
| Revolutionary or group | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev | HSRA; hanged on 23 March 1931 |
| Chandrashekhar Azad | HSRA; died at Alfred Park, Allahabad (1931) |
| Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan | Kakori train action (1925) |
| Subhas Chandra Bose | Indian National Army; "Dilli Chalo"; Azad Hind government (1943) |
| Ghadar Party | Founded 1913 in San Francisco (Lala Har Dayal) |
3. Road to Independence
| Event (year) | Facts |
|---|---|
| Cripps Mission (1942) | Dominion status offer, rejected |
| Cabinet Mission (1946) | Plan for a Constituent Assembly |
| Mountbatten Plan (3 June 1947) | Partition of India |
| Indian Independence Act (1947) | India and Pakistan independent; India free on 15 August 1947 |
✗ The Non-Cooperation movement was withdrawn after Jallianwala Bagh | ✓ It was withdrawn after Chauri Chaura in 1922
✗ The Quit India movement was launched in 1940 | ✓ It was launched on 8 August 1942
हिंदी नोट: गांधीजी का पहला सत्याग्रह चंपारण (1917) में हुआ। असहयोग आंदोलन चौरी-चौरा (1922) के बाद वापस लिया गया। दांडी यात्रा 12 मार्च से 6 अप्रैल 1930 तक चली। भारत छोड़ो आंदोलन 8 अगस्त 1942 को "करो या मरो" नारे के साथ शुरू हुआ।
Exam Pointer: Verified NTPC patterns: Champaran and the Rowlatt "Black Act" (October 2025 Graduate CBT-2) and the HSRA revolutionary behind the 1929 Assembly bomb (August 2025 UG CBT-1). Movement-date and partition-plan questions are tagged syllabus-based.
Pariksha Pattern: Every Way NTPC Asks This Topic
Pattern 1: Gandhi's early satyagrahas
[PYQ: NTPC Graduate CBT-2 13-Oct-2025 Shift-1]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Where did Gandhi lead his first satyagraha in India?
Champaran in Bihar, in 1917, for indigo farmers.
Answer: Champaran
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which satyagraha in 1918 involved Sardar Patel, and what was special about the Ahmedabad mill strike?
The Kheda satyagraha in Gujarat. In the Ahmedabad mill strike Gandhi used a hunger strike for the first time.
Answer: Kheda; first hunger strike
Pattern 2: National movements: start and end
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which incident led Gandhi to withdraw the Non-Cooperation movement?
Chauri Chaura, February 1922.
Answer: Chauri Chaura
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. When did the Dandi March start and end, and where was the Quit India movement launched?
It ran from 12 March to 6 April 1930. The Quit India resolution was passed at Gowalia Tank, Bombay, on 8 August 1942; the movement began on 9 August.
Answer: 12 March to 6 April 1930; Gowalia Tank, Bombay
Pattern 3: Revolutionaries
[PYQ: NTPC UG CBT-1 22-Aug-2025 Shift-2]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Who were hanged along with Bhagat Singh on 23 March 1931?
Rajguru and Sukhdev.
Answer: Rajguru and Sukhdev
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Who gave the slogan "Dilli Chalo", and where and when was the Ghadar Party founded?
Subhas Chandra Bose. The Ghadar Party was founded in San Francisco in 1913.
Answer: Subhas Chandra Bose; San Francisco, 1913
Pattern 4: Missions, plans and independence
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Which plan announced the partition of India?
The Mountbatten Plan of 3 June 1947.
Answer: Mountbatten Plan
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Which mission of 1946 proposed the Constituent Assembly, and which mission of 1942 offered dominion status?
The Cabinet Mission (1946) and the Cripps Mission (1942).
Answer: Cabinet Mission; Cripps Mission
60-Second Revision
- Champaran 1917, Kheda 1918, Jallianwala 13 April 1919.
- Non-Cooperation ended after Chauri Chaura 1922.
- Dandi 12 March-6 April 1930; Quit India 8 August 1942.
- Cripps 1942, Cabinet Mission 1946, Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947.