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Q93 (IAS/2016) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Constitutional plans and missions Official Key

The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

Cripps promised Dominion Status and a constitution-making body after the war.[1] The offer Cripps made was of dominion status, and not freedom.[3] This is why option D is correct.

Option A is incorrect because the proposal was for dominion status, not complete independence. Option B is misleading—while the draft spelt out the prospect of Pakistan by allowing any province not prepared to accept the new constitution to enter into a separate agreement with Britain[1], partition before independence was not the primary envisaged outcome. Option C is not supported by the sources; the proposal was specifically for dominion status, not necessarily a republic within the Commonwealth. Congress and the Muslim League rejected the proposals as vague and unsatisfactory[2], highlighting why the mission ultimately failed.

Sources
  1. [1] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: Last Phase of Indian National Movement > Cripps Proposals > p. 86
  2. [3] https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-how-quit-india-movement-gave-a-new-direction-to-indias-freedom-struggle-6547701/
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Q. The plan of Sir Stafford Cripps envisaged that after the Second World War [A] India should be granted complete independence. [B] India …
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 2.5/10
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This is a foundational 'Sitter' question found in every standard Modern History text (Spectrum, NCERT, Laxmikanth). It tests the core distinction between 'Dominion Status' (the British offer) and 'Purna Swaraj' (the Congress demand). Missing this indicates a gap in basic syllabus coverage.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did Sir Stafford Cripps's 1942 plan (Cripps Mission) envisage that after the Second World War India should be granted complete independence?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"the offer Cripps made was of dominion status, and not freedom. Congress and the Muslim League rejected the proposals as vague and unsatisfactory."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states the Cripps offer was for dominion status, not full independence.
  • Notes the Mission's failure increased demands for complete independence, implying the plan did not grant it.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"the offer Cripps made was of dominion status, and not freedom. Also, there was a provision of the partition of India, which was not acceptable to the Congress."
Why this source?
  • States the Cripps offer promised 'the earliest possible realisation of self-government' but was 'of dominion status, and not freedom'.
  • Shows Congress rejected the offer because it was not full independence.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"offering post-war self-determination (dominion status) with conditions that included the possibility of provinces seceding from a future Indian union"
Why this source?
  • Describes the Cripps Mission as offering post-war self-determination in the form of dominion status rather than full independence.
  • Notes conditions (e.g., provinces seceding) that show it was not unconditional complete independence.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: Last Phase of Indian National Movement > Arrival of Cripps > p. 86
Strength: 5/5
“A delegation headed by Sir Stafford Cripps reached India in March 1942. That Cripps, a Labour party representative in the War cabinet under Churchill, was chosen to head the delegation lent credibility to the mission. Before setting out to India, he announced that British policy in India aimed at 'the earliest possible realisation of selfgovernment in India'. But the draft declaration he presented before he began negotiations fell far short of independence.”
Why relevant

Explicitly states Cripps announced aim of 'earliest possible realisation of self-government' but that his draft declaration 'fell far short of independence'.

How to extend

A student could compare the phrase 'fell far short of independence' with standard definitions of 'complete independence' (sovereignty and end of Crown paramountcy) to judge whether the plan envisaged full independence.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 2: Making of the Constitution > DEMAND FOR A CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY > p. 11
Strength: 4/5
“It was in 1934 that the idea of a Constituent Assembly for India was put forward for the first time by M.N. Roy, a pioneer of the communist movement in India. In 1935, the Indian National Congress (INC), for the first time, officially demanded a Constituent Assembly to frame the Constitution of India. The demand was finally accepted in principle by the British Government in what is known as the 'August Offer' of 1940. In 1942, Sir Stafford Cripps, a Member of the Cabinet, came to India with a draft proposal of the British Government on the framing of an independent Constitution to be adopted after World War II.”
Why relevant

Says Cripps brought a draft proposal on framing 'an independent Constitution to be adopted after World War II'.

How to extend

A student could reconcile 'independent Constitution' with other snippets on Crown paramountcy (e.g., check if 'independent constitution' meant full sovereignty or limited self-government under the Crown).

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 34: The Indian States > VI. Integration and Merger > p. 607
Strength: 5/5
“After World War II began and a position of non-cooperation was adopted by the Congress, the British government tried to break the deadlock through the Cripps Mission (1942), Wavell Plan (1945), Cabinet Mission (1946) and Attlee's statement (February 1947). Cripps held that the British government did not contemplate transferring paramountcy of Crown to any other party in India. The states tried various schemes to forge a union of their own, envisaging themselves as sovereign in status or as a third force in the Indian political scene. The June 3rd Plan and Attlee's statement made it clear that the states were free to join either of the two dominions, and Mountbatten refused to give a sovereign status to the states.”
Why relevant

States Cripps held the British government did not contemplate transferring paramountcy of the Crown to any other party in India.

How to extend

Using the concept that 'paramountcy' implies ultimate sovereignty, a student could infer that absence of transfer of paramountcy argues against granting complete independence.

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 4: OUTSTANDING FEATURES OF OUR CONSTITUTION > Incidents of Paramountey. > p. 51
Strength: 4/5
“When Sir Stafford Cripps came to India with his Plan, it was definitely understood that the Plan proposed by him would be confined 10 settling the political destinies of British India and that the Indian States would be left free to retain their separate status. Proposal of the Cabinet Mission. But the Cabinet Mission supposed that the Indian States would be ready to cooperate with the new development in India. So, they recommended that there should be a Union of India, embracing both British India and the States, which would deal only with Foreign Affairs, Defence and Communications, while the State would retain all powers other than these.”
Why relevant

Notes Cripps' plan was confined to settling political destinies of British India and left princely states free to retain separate status.

How to extend

A student could test whether a plan that excludes princely states from a united sovereign transfer could be consistent with 'complete independence' for a single Indian polity.

India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > Quit India Movement > p. 49
Strength: 4/5
“The failure of the Cripps Mission and the effects of World War II created widespread discontentment in India. This led Gandhiji to launch a movement calling for complete withdrawal of the British from India. The Congress Working Committee, in its meeting in Wardha on 14 July 1942, passed the historic 'Quit India' resolution demanding the immediate transfer of power to Indians and quit India. On 8 August 1942 in Bombay, the All India Congress Committee endorsed the resolution which called for a non-violent mass struggle on the widest possible scale throughout the country. It was on this occasion that Gandhiji delivered the famous 'Do or Die' speech.”
Why relevant

Records that the failure of the Cripps Mission prompted the Quit India demand for immediate transfer of power, implying Cripps' proposals did not meet demands for immediate/full independence.

How to extend

A student could use timing (Cripps 1942 → Quit India call for immediate transfer) to judge whether Cripps envisaged immediate full independence or a post-war/limited solution.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2003 · Q136 Relevance score: 3.89

An important aspect of the Cripps Mission of 1942 was

IAS · 2021 · Q3 Relevance score: 1.02

With reference to 8th August, 1942 in Indian history, which one of the following statements is correct?

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Which one of the following statements abuuL Ciipp^ Mission is NOT correct ?

NDA-I · 2012 · Q47 Relevance score: -0.09

Consider the following statements about Cripps Proposals of 1942 : 1. Provision was to be made for participation of Indian States in the Constitution-making body. 2. British Government undertook to accept and implement the Constitution. 3. All provinces of British India were to give an undertaking about the acceptance of the Constitution. 4. In the ongoing World War, no resources of British India would be used. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

IAS · 2009 · Q17 Relevance score: -0.10

Consider the following statements : The Cripps Proposals include the provision for 1. Full independence for India. 2. Creation of Constitution-making body. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?