Cripps Mission – March 1942
Why did the British send the Cripps Mission?
🔹 World War II was not going well for the British.
🔹 The Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy) were winning.
🔹 Japan was advancing towards India (Burma, Ceylon, Calcutta, Madras were under threat).
🔹 Britain needed India’s support in the war to stop Japan.
🔹 U.S. President Roosevelt, China’s Chiang Kai-shek, and the British Labour Party pressured Churchill to involve Indians in war efforts.
➡ To gain India’s support, the British sent a delegation led by Sir Stafford Cripps.
➡ Cripps was a Labour Party member in Churchill’s War Cabinet.
➡ This delegation is known as the Cripps Mission.
Cripps Proposals (What did the British offer?)
1. Dominion Status
✅ After World War II, India would be given "Dominion Status" (semi-independent within the British Commonwealth).
✅ India would be free to join the United Nations and other international organizations.
2. Constituent Assembly (To Frame a New Constitution)
✅ A Constituent Assembly would be formed after the war.
✅ Members would be selected in two ways:
-
Provincial Assemblies would elect members by proportional representation.
-
Indian Princely States would nominate their representatives.
3. New Constitution & Right to Secede
✅ The British government would accept the new constitution but with two conditions:
-
Any province could opt out and form a separate nation if it did not want to join India.
-
The British and Indian leaders would sign a treaty to ensure a smooth power transfer and to protect minorities (religious and racial groups).
4. Defence Still Under British Control
❌ For now, the British would keep control over India’s Defence.
❌ The Governor-General’s powers would remain the same (he would not just be a ceremonial head).
Responses to the Cripps Proposals (Why Did Indians Reject It?)
1. Congress’ Objections
🚫 Wanted full independence, not just Dominion Status.
🚫 Princely states’ representatives would be "nominated" (not elected), making it undemocratic.
🚫 Allowing provinces to secede could divide India.
🚫 No immediate transfer of power – everything was promised after the war.
🚫 Governor-General’s power was still intact (Congress wanted him to be just a symbolic head).
2. Gandhiji’s Response
❌ Called it "a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank" (a fake promise that would never be fulfilled).
3. Muslim League’s Objections
🚫 Opposed the idea of a single Indian Union (wanted a separate Pakistan).
🚫 Didn’t like the way the Constituent Assembly was to be formed.
🚫 Believed the proposals did not give Muslims the right to form Pakistan.
4. Other Reactions
-
Depressed Classes, Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians – Demanded more safeguards.
-
Hindu Mahasabha – Opposed the right to secede.
-
Liberals – Believed secession was against India’s unity and security.
Consequences (What Happened Next?)
❌ Cripps Mission Failed!
❌ Stafford Cripps returned to Britain in April 1942 without any agreement.
❌ Indians were angry and frustrated because the British were not serious about giving real power.
❌ This failure led to the Quit India Movement in August 1942 (Congress launched a final mass struggle against British rule).
Extra Note
➡ After Cripps Mission failed, Congress Working Committee met in Wardha on July 14, 1942.
➡ They passed the Quit India Resolution, which was later confirmed at the AICC meeting in Bombay in August 1942.
Final Summary (In Super Simple Words)
✔ British sent Cripps Mission in March 1942 to gain Indian support for World War II.
✔ They promised Dominion Status and a new constitution, but after the war.
✔ Congress, Gandhiji, and the Muslim League rejected the plan because it had too many flaws.
✔ Since Cripps Mission failed, Indians started the Quit India Movement in August 1942.