Revolutionaries, the INA and Independence
Revolutionaries, the INA and Independence
The final topic covers the armed strand of the freedom struggle and the last five years before 1947. It contributes 1 to 2 questions, most often on Subhas Chandra Bose or on the sequence of missions and plans that led to independence and partition.
The Revolutionary Strand
| Name | Associated with |
|---|---|
| Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev | Hanged in 1931, Lahore Conspiracy Case |
| Chandrashekhar Azad | Hindustan Socialist Republican Association |
| Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan | Kakori train action, 1925 |
| Khudiram Bose | Muzaffarpur, Bihar, 1908 |
| Surya Sen | Chittagong armoury raid, 1930 |
Note the Bihar entry: Khudiram Bose was involved in the 1908 action at Muzaffarpur and was among the youngest revolutionaries to be executed. A Bihar paper can ask the place rather than the person.
Subhas Chandra Bose and the Azad Hind Fauj
- Bose was elected Congress president at Haripura in 1938 and again at Tripuri in 1939, then resigned after differences with Gandhi.
- He founded the Forward Bloc in 1939.
- He escaped from India and took charge of the Indian National Army, the Azad Hind Fauj, in 1943.
- He set up the Provisional Government of Free India at Singapore on 21 October 1943.
- His slogans are asked directly: Give me blood and I will give you freedom, and Jai Hind.
The INA trials at the Red Fort in 1945-46 produced a wave of public sympathy and unrest, including the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946, which pushed the British further towards withdrawal.
The Road to 15 August 1947
| Step | Year | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Cripps Mission | 1942 | Offered dominion status; rejected |
| Cabinet Mission | 1946 | Proposed a federal union; Constituent Assembly formed |
| Interim Government | 1946 | Nehru headed it |
| Mountbatten Plan | 3 June 1947 | Accepted partition |
| Indian Independence Act | 1947 | Passed by the British Parliament |
| Independence | 15 August 1947 | Two dominions created |
The Constituent Assembly that met from 1946 was presided over by Dr. Rajendra Prasad of Bihar, which ties the freedom struggle directly back to the polity topic in this chapter.
✗ The Mountbatten Plan was announced in 1946 | ✓ The Mountbatten Plan was announced on 3 June 1947
आजाद हिंद सरकार — 21 अक्तूबर 1943, सिंगापुर में सुभाष चंद्र बोस द्वारा।
TRE pointer: Two things repay attention here. First, the Khudiram Bose link to Muzaffarpur is a Bihar hook that national material passes over in a line. Second, the 1946-47 sequence is regularly set as an ordering question, so learn Cabinet Mission, Interim Government, Mountbatten Plan and the Independence Act as a chain. With five options and −1/3 for a wrong answer, an ordering question you half-remember is a genuine candidate for option E.
60-Second Recap
- Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged in 1931; Kakori action was in 1925.
- Khudiram Bose was linked to the 1908 Muzaffarpur action in Bihar.
- Bose was Congress president at Haripura 1938, founded the Forward Bloc in 1939.
- He led the Azad Hind Fauj and set up the Provisional Government at Singapore on 21 October 1943.
- INA trials of 1945-46 and the naval mutiny of 1946 hastened British withdrawal.
- Cabinet Mission 1946, Mountbatten Plan 3 June 1947, independence on 15 August 1947.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was the Provisional Government of Free India set up?
At Singapore on 21 October 1943, by Subhas Chandra Bose, alongside his leadership of the Indian National Army. Bose had earlier been Congress president at Haripura in 1938 and founded the Forward Bloc in 1939 after differences with the Congress leadership.
Which revolutionary is connected with Muzaffarpur in Bihar?
Khudiram Bose, who was involved in the 1908 action at Muzaffarpur and was executed while still very young. Bihar state papers sometimes ask for the place rather than the person, so link Khudiram Bose and Muzaffarpur together when you revise.
What was the Mountbatten Plan?
Announced on 3 June 1947, it accepted the partition of India and set out how power would be transferred. It was given legal form by the Indian Independence Act of 1947, and on 15 August 1947 two dominions, India and Pakistan, came into existence.
How did the INA trials help the freedom movement?
The public trials of Indian National Army officers at the Red Fort in 1945 and 1946 turned the accused into national heroes and produced widespread protest across communities. Combined with the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946, they convinced the British that continued rule was untenable.
Next step: History is remembered through recall, not rereading. Test this chapter's dates and leader-place pairs in the BPSC TRE 4.0 mock test on ExamAtlas — five options, −1/3 negative marking, and the same Bihar-weighted question mix you will face in Part-II.