The Quit India movement, which began in the early 1940s, was an intense last-ditch effort to remove the British imperial government. Although the movement was linked to encouragement from Mahatma Gandhi, some historians argue that this violent protest was far from what he approved of during his time of influence. However, others might argue that Gandhi did not discourage the violence that broke out, because he felt it might have been India’s last chance for freedom, especially because of the impending threat of Japanese invasion.

The people of India created chaos by destroying government buildings, civic areas, and transportation centers to get their point across. However, this crusade eventually led the British to remove themselves from the country. The financial toll of World War II and the massive cost of repairs at home may have been a major factor in stopping British rule.

Moreover, after this massive revolt, the country of India may have been viewed as unconquerable, and this also helped the citizens to gain their independence. Yet, Quit India did come at a high cost. The uprising left the country in a ruined state and resulted in a massive loss of life and more financial issues for the country.

In August of 1942, Gandhi began the Quit India movement by giving a speech that called for passive resistance to British rule in India. As a result, the All-India Congress Movement started a mass protest to call for the peaceful British withdrawal from the country. In the short term, the Quit India movement had a deleterious effect on the struggle for Indian freedom, as almost all the leaders of the All-India Congress Movement were jailed within hours of Gandhi's speech. Opposition to the speech came not only from the British but also from internal sources. This speech, demanding the end to British rule in India, took place during World War II, and many Indian businesspeople resisted Gandhi's call, as they were profiting from British wartime spending.

However, in the long term, the movement spurred international support, as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to convince British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to grant some of Gandhi's demands.  In the end, Britain decided to leave India after World War II because the cost of running the country was too great, given Britain's wartime debts.