The immediate cause of the Quit India Movement was the participation of the Indian soldiers in the World War II. The Indian troops were forced to participate in the World War II and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) and other leaders of the Indian National Congress protested against this move by the British Empire. Lord Linlithgow the British Governor-General of India made the Indian soldiers part of the World War II without any consultation of the Congress leaders. The leaders of the All India Muslim League supported the war and thus resulted in the division of the Indian National Congress. The India August Movement or the Quit India Movement was launched on 8th August 1942 during the World War II at the Bombay session of the All-India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi with the demand of immediate end of the British Rule in India. 

On 8th August 1942 at the Gowalia Tank Maidan, in his quit India speech, Mahatma Gandhi called for ‘Do or Die’ notion. A mass protest was launched by the All-India Congress Committee with the motto of ‘Jai Hind’ and majority of the leaders were put behind bars hours after the speech by Mahatma Gandhi. Several incidences of violence broke out through the country. However, with the support of the All-India Muslim League, the British Indian Army, the Indian Civil Service, the Indian Imperial Police, the Indian businessmen and the Viceroy’s Council (consisting of Indians in majority) the British Empire refused to grant immediate independence to India giving the reason that independence can only be granted after the end of the World War II.

Many Indian leaders were imprisoned until 1945 and the Quit India movement was effectively crushed. The main reason behind the failure of the Quit India Movement was weak co-ordination, heavy-handed suppression and lack of a clear-cut programme of action.