India The Indian independence movement began with the 1857 rebellion and ended in 1947 when India became independent from Britain. One of the key figures was Mahatma Gandhi, who led a campaign of ‘civil disobedience’ (disobeying British rule in a non-violent manner). He organised boycotts of British goods and was imprisoned four times for his activities. He also went on hunger strike to protest against his treatment by the British. In 1942 Gandhi launched the Quit India movement, which rapidly became a mass rebellion across the country involving millions of people. There were widespread strikes (refusing to work) and acts of sabotage (destroying British property such as railways and police stations), as well as large peaceful demonstrations. The British government responded by imprisoning around 100,000 people and killing thousands, however the demand for independence was too strong and by 1947 they had given in and granted India its independence. Ghana In 1957, Ghana became the first country in Africa to become independent from Britain. The independence movement was led by Kwame Nkrumah, who led the Convention People’s Party. In early 1950 the CPP launched the ‘Positive Action Campaign’ which called for mass strikes and rebellions across the country but led to Nkrumah being imprisoned. However, the British realised that they needed to introduce democracy to maintain control so they allowed an election in 1951 which was won by Nkrumah while he was in jail! The CPP continued to push for full independence for Ghana which they eventually gained in 1957. Kenya The Kenyan independence movement was led by the Mau Mau, a militant (violent) group with over a million members that opposed Britain’s exploitation of Kenyans. From 1952 Mau Mau members carried out violent attacks on colonial leaders and white settlers. Britain responded by brutally crushing the rebellion. The Kenya Human Rights Commission estimates that 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed and 160,000 were imprisoned in concentration camps. However, the Mau Mau rebellion also persuaded the British that some change was necessary and in 1957 they allowed Kenyans to stand in elections. Finally, in 1963 Kenya was granted independence and Jomo Kenyatta, who had been imprisoned from 1952-61, became prime minister. .