The Indian Independence Movement
The Indian independence movement was the long struggle of the people of India to end British rule. It grew over many decades, from early local revolts to the great national campaigns led by Mahatma Gandhi and many others, and it ended with independence on 15 August 1947. This post gives a simple timeline of the main events, explains the key ideas and leaders, and shows how the different strands came together.
Our old post on this topic had several factual errors and a long list of names without context. We have rewritten it in plain English and checked the main dates against standard histories.
Table of Contents
How British Rule Began
The English East India Company received its charter in 1600 and came to India to trade. As the Mughal Empire weakened in the eighteenth century, the Company began to take part in Indian politics.
In 1757, at the Battle of Plassey, Company forces under Robert Clive defeated Siraj ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. In 1764, at the Battle of Buxar in Bihar, the Company defeated the joint armies of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, Mir Qasim of Bengal and Shuja ud Daula of Awadh. After Buxar, the Company gained the right to collect revenue in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Over the next century it fought the Mysore rulers, the Marathas and the Sikhs, and took control of most of India.
Early Resistance
Indians resisted from the start. In the south, leaders such as Puli Thevar, Veerapandiya Kattabomman and Pazhassi Raja fought Company power in the eighteenth century. In 1806 Indian soldiers rose at Vellore. In Odisha, the Paika rebellion broke out in 1817. Tribal groups also rose up, including the Santhal Hul of 1855.
These revolts were local and were put down, but they showed that Company rule was never fully accepted.
The Revolt of 1857
The biggest early challenge came in 1857. On 10 May, Indian soldiers at Meerut turned on their officers. They marched to Delhi and asked the old Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, to lead them. Revolts spread across northern and central India, with leaders such as Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh. Shortly before, the sepoy Mangal Pandey had defied his officers at Barrackpore and was executed.
The British crushed the revolt, but it changed everything. Under the Government of India Act 1858, rule passed from the Company to the British Crown. Read more in our post on the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
The Rise of National Politics
After 1857, educated Indians began to organise politically. The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. Its early leaders, such as Dadabhai Naoroji and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, were moderates. They asked for reforms, fair taxes and more Indians in government jobs.
Others wanted faster change. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal, known together as Lal Bal Pal, called for self rule and mass action. Tilak’s slogan that self rule was his birthright became famous.
The Partition of Bengal
In 1905 the Viceroy, Lord Curzon, divided the province of Bengal. Many Indians saw this as a way to divide Hindus and Muslims and weaken the national movement. People responded with the Swadeshi movement, boycotting British goods and using Indian products. The partition was reversed in 1911. In 1906 the All India Muslim League was founded at Dhaka. In 1907 the Congress split between moderates and radicals.
Gandhi and Mass Movements
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915. He brought the method of satyagraha, or nonviolent resistance. He first led local campaigns, including the Champaran movement of indigo farmers in Bihar in 1917.
In 1919 the British passed the Rowlatt Act, which allowed detention without trial. Protests followed. On 13 April 1919, at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, troops under General Dyer fired on an unarmed crowd, killing hundreds. The massacre shocked the country. Our post on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre tells the full story.
Non Cooperation, 1920 to 1922
Gandhi launched the Non Cooperation Movement. Indians were asked to give up British titles, schools, courts and cloth, and to use khadi. Millions joined. In February 1922, after a crowd set fire to a police station at Chauri Chaura and police were killed, Gandhi called off the movement to keep it nonviolent.
Complete Independence and the Salt March
In 1928 Indians protested the all British Simon Commission. At its Lahore session in December 1929, the Congress adopted the goal of complete independence, or Purna Swaraj. On 26 January 1930, Indians took a pledge for freedom.
On 12 March 1930 Gandhi began the Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram with 78 followers. They walked about 387 kilometres to Dandi on the Gujarat coast and broke the salt law on 6 April. This started the Civil Disobedience Movement, and thousands were jailed. Read more about his life in our post on Mahatma Gandhi.
Revolutionaries
Alongside nonviolent campaigns, some young Indians chose armed struggle. Groups in Bengal, Punjab and elsewhere carried out attacks on British officials. Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla Khan were linked to the Kakori train robbery of 1925. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged in 1931. Chandrashekhar Azad led the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association. Their courage inspired many, even those who did not share their methods.
The 1930s and the Second World War
The Government of India Act 1935 gave Indians more power in the provinces. The Congress won provincial elections in 1937. When Britain declared India part of the Second World War in 1939 without asking Indian leaders, Congress ministries resigned in protest. In 1940 the Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution, calling for separate Muslim majority states.
Quit India, 1942
On 8 August 1942 the Congress launched the Quit India Movement, demanding that the British leave at once. The British arrested Gandhi and almost every Congress leader. More than one hundred thousand people were arrested, and many were killed in the crackdown.
Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA
Subhas Chandra Bose took a different path. He led the Indian National Army, or Azad Hind Fauj, which fought alongside Japan against the British. The INA surrendered in 1945, but trials of its officers caused huge public anger. In February 1946, sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutinied in Bombay.
Independence and Partition
After the war, Britain was weak and pressure in India was intense. On 3 June 1947, the last Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, announced a plan to divide British India into two countries. The British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act 1947. Pakistan became independent on 14 August and India on 15 August 1947, with Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister.
Partition brought terrible violence and one of the largest migrations in history. To learn what came next, see our post on independence and partition.
India’s Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950, the day now celebrated as Republic Day.
Ideas That Shaped the Movement
The Indian independence movement was more than a fight against foreign rule. Its leaders also argued about what kind of country India should become. Over time, the mainstream movement came to stand for economic self reliance, democracy, equal rights for citizens and a state that treated all religions fairly. Writers and poets such as Rabindranath Tagore and Subramania Bharati spread national feeling through songs, poems and essays. Social reformers pushed for the rights of women and of groups who faced caste discrimination.
Key Dates at a Glance
- 1757: Battle of Plassey.
- 1857: Revolt begins at Meerut.
- 1885: Indian National Congress founded.
- 1905: Partition of Bengal.
- 1919: Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
- 1930: Salt March.
- 1942: Quit India Movement.
- 15 August 1947: India becomes independent.
Women played a large part at every stage. Leaders such as Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asaf Ali, Usha Mehta and Kasturba Gandhi joined marches, ran underground radio and went to jail.
When you study this period, remember that the movement had many voices. Moderates, radicals, Gandhians, revolutionaries, peasants and workers often disagreed, but together they made British rule impossible to sustain.
Many places from the struggle can still be visited, including Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands.
What We Changed From the Old Post
We rewrote the post in plain English with a clear timeline.
We fixed several errors. Tipu Sultan was not defeated at Buxar; the Company fought the Mughal emperor and the Nawabs of Bengal and Awadh. We corrected the Constitution dates and the role of Nehru, and separated Purna Swaraj, the Simon Commission and the Lahore Resolution, which the old post mixed up.
We replaced a long list of names with short explanations of key leaders and links to detailed posts.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Indian independence movement start?
Many historians date the organised national movement from the founding of the Congress in 1885, though resistance began much earlier.
What was the Quit India Movement?
A mass campaign launched on 8 August 1942 demanding that the British leave India at once.
Why is 26 January important?
Indians took a freedom pledge on 26 January 1930, and the Constitution came into force on that date in 1950.
Who led the Salt March?
Mahatma Gandhi led it from Sabarmati to Dandi in March and April 1930.