World War I (1914-1918)

India, as the largest and most important part of the British Empire, was automatically and without consultation declared to be at war with Germany in 1914. The impact of this global conflict on India was immense and multifaceted.

**Military Contribution:** India made one of the largest troop contributions to the war. Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers, both combatants and non-combatants, served overseas. They fought in crucial theaters of war, from the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium to the deserts of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), Egypt, Palestine, and the hills of Gallipoli and East Africa. The Indian Army played a vital role in many British victories, particularly in the Middle East against the Ottoman Empire. This massive contribution came at a heavy cost, with tens of thousands of Indian soldiers killed.

**Economic Impact:** The Indian economy was heavily harnessed for the war effort. India supplied vast quantities of food, raw materials like jute and cotton, and money to Britain. Taxes were increased, and war loans were raised from the Indian populace. This led to severe economic distress, with high inflation and shortages of essential goods causing hardship for the common people. However, the war also provided a stimulus for some Indian industries, such as steel (Tata Steel), textiles, and cement, as they had to meet wartime demands and faced less foreign competition.

**Political Consequences:** Mainstream nationalist leaders in the Indian National Congress, including Mahatma Gandhi (who had recently returned from South Africa), initially supported the war effort. They hoped that India's loyalty and sacrifice would be rewarded with significant political concessions, possibly even "Swaraj" or self-government (dominion status) after the war. However, the end of the war brought disillusionment. Instead of reforms, Britain imposed the repressive Rowlatt Act in 1919, which allowed for detention without trial. This was seen as a betrayal and led to widespread protests, culminating in the horrific Jallianwala Bagh massacre and fueling Gandhi's first nationwide Non-Cooperation Movement.

World War II (1939-1945)

When World War II broke out, the Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, once again declared war on Germany on India's behalf without consulting any Indian political leaders. This unilateral action was fiercely condemned by the Indian National Congress.

**Political Division and the Quit India Movement:** In protest, the elected Congress ministries in the provinces, which had taken office in 1937, resigned. The political situation became complex. The British government, desperate for India's manpower and resources, made promises of post-war independence, most notably in the Cripps Mission of 1942. However, these proposals were seen as inadequate and were rejected. Gandhi famously called the Cripps offer "a post-dated cheque on a failing bank." The failure of the mission led Gandhi to launch the Quit India Movement in August 1942, with the call to "Do or Die." It was a mass uprising that, despite being brutally suppressed, signaled the end of British rule. In contrast, the Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, chose to cooperate with the British war effort. This tactical cooperation strengthened the League's political position and its demand for a separate state of Pakistan.

**Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA:** A different path was chosen by Subhas Chandra Bose, a former Congress President who disagreed with Gandhi's non-violent methods. He made a dramatic escape from India and sought help from the Axis powers (Germany and Japan). In Southeast Asia, he formed the Indian National Army (INA), or Azad Hind Fauj, from Indian prisoners of war captured by the Japanese. The INA fought alongside the Japanese against the British in Burma. While the INA's military campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, the subsequent trials of its soldiers at the Red Fort in Delhi after the war created a massive wave of nationalist sentiment and patriotic fervor across India.

**The Aftermath:** WWII was the final nail in the coffin of the British Empire. It left Britain exhausted, both economically and militarily. The war shattered the myth of British invincibility and moral superiority. The immense pressure from the invigorated Indian independence movement, combined with Britain's weakened global position and pressure from the new superpowers (USA and USSR), made holding onto India impossible. Indian independence in 1947 was now a certainty.