Gandhi thought the British government was evil, and believed that the British would be defeated by non-violent struggle so he advocated a campaign of non-cooperation. He and his followers marched 400 kilometres to the coast and picked up salt from the sea there. This challenged the British law that taxed salt and prohibited Indians from avoiding the tax by making their own salt.

Gandhi refused to live in the expensive hotel and live in the social-services community which made him become popular with the British workers. While in London, Gandhi also traveled to Lancashire in the north of England to meet with cotton mill workers. Although many of them had lost their jobs as a result of their campaign against British cotton, they still welcomed him warmly.

Jinnah claimed that India was never a country and demanded to create a separate Muslim country after India's independence, claiming that Muslims are a country by the definition of any country and that they should have their own country. This new country will be named Pakistan and it was against the idea of Congress leaders who believe that they represent all Indians.

Many Indians had gained senior positions in the army and civil service during the war, which allowed them to manage their affairs in a more regulated manner. Therefore, when Gandhi and other nationalist leaders were released in 1944-1945, they could continue to agitate for independence under circumstances more favourable to their demands.

During the Second World War, India was no longer able to give Britain any economic advantage, India supplied 86% of the fabric and the tax revenue was now spent on Indian projects. By 1945, Britain owed India a debt of 1.3 billion pounds.