India at the outbreak of war
By the time the Second World War began, Indian nationalism was large, well organised and confident. Much of that strength came from Gandhi's campaigns between the wars, which are covered in the lesson on the nationalist movement in India. India had also gained some real independence from British control. It ran its own tariff system against British goods and had a well-developed civil service.
The war tested this relationship almost at once. When Britain declared war on Germany, the Viceroy announced that India was at war as well. He did not consult Indians. For Congress, this showed that on the biggest decision any country can take, Indians still had no say.
Congress leaders were angry, but they did not refuse to help. They offered to cooperate with the war effort on two conditions:
- a British promise that India would become independent after the war
- the immediate inclusion of Indians in the Viceroy's government
Britain refused both. In protest, the Congress ministries in all eight provinces it governed resigned in October and November 1939. British governors then ran most of those provinces directly.
The resignations mattered because Congress gave up real power it had won through elections.
British rule in much of India became more direct, and trust between Congress and the British government fell sharply at the very moment Britain needed Indian support.
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