The British were prepared for a massive uprising by the Indians. Within a few hours of a speech by Gandhiji calling for an orderly withdrawal of the British from Indian soil, the top leaders of the Indian National Congress leaders were swiftly arrested.
Most of them spent the next three years in jail. There were lathi-charges, public floggings and firing at the unarmed demonstrators. Protestors were arrested and tortured, and their homes raided and destroyed. The Quit India Movement became rudderless.
However, in spite of its flaws, the movement had made the British realize that they would not be able to govern India successfully in the long run. They began to think of ways they could exit the country in a peaceful and dignified manner, after the end of World War II.
