Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History · specification 4HI1 · Paper 1 · Free · no account needed
India 4 — The impact of the Second World War on India (4HI1 specification)
Britain lost India during the war rather than after it — the Lahore Resolution, Quit India, the Cripps Mission, the Bengal famine and the Indian National Army between them removed the argument for staying.
Learn it on Incandio
The 3 Incandio pages that teach this — each explained in full, then proved in marked questions, taught back to an AI pupil and defended in a debate. Completely free.
- The Lahore Resolution (1940) — Why does the resolution demanding Pakistan never use the word, and say 'states' in the plural?
- Quit India and the Cripps Mission — Who gained more from the war — the party that resisted or the party that cooperated?
- The importance of Chandra Bose — Why did a man who lost every battle do more damage to British rule than any general?
The teaching route this belongs to: The impact of the Second World War on India — Colonial rule and the nationalist challenge in India — the lessons in order, with every gate.
Specification coverage
Paper 1 — Colonial rule and the nationalist challenge in India, 1919–47, key topic 4
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2, AO4. Suggested learning time: 100 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Relations between Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah, and their policies
- Attitudes towards, and the political and economic impact of, the Second World War
- The significance of the Lahore Resolution (1940) and the 'Quit India' campaign
- The Cripps Mission and its failure
- The role of Wavell
- The importance of Chandra Bose
Required skills
- Explain and analyse using second-order concepts: causation, consequence, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance
- Analyse and evaluate a written interpretation of this period (AO4)
- Reach a supported judgement rather than describing events
How it is examined
- (a) 6 marks — “What impression does the author give about…?” (AO4)
- (b) 8 marks — “Explain two effects of…” (AO1 4, AO2 4)
- (c) 16 marks — a statement, “How far do you agree?”, choice of two (AO1 7, AO2 9)
Common mistakes
- Reading the Lahore Resolution as an unambiguous demand for Pakistan. It does not use the word, and whether it was an aim or a lever is the debate.
- Leaving out the Bengal famine because this key topic does not name it. It is the political and economic impact of the war, which the specification does name.
- Treating Bose as a footnote. His importance is not the campaign, which failed, but the trials afterwards and what Indian opinion did with them.
This page maps the specification. The pages above teach it, and the History lessons hold the whole course — completely free.