Book 3: Part 2 Votes For Women

Question 1

What was the woman’s franchise league?

Answer 1

1889

Takes up rights for married women and campaigns for equality for women in divorce, inheritance and custody of children.

Question 2

What was the factory act?

Answer 2

1896
Band the employment of children under 11
This includes women

Question 3

Arguments for women having the vote (4 mark)

Answer 3

They could vote in local elections in 1900 so people questioned why they couldn’t vote in a general election

Other countries have women the vote : New Zealand 1893, Norway 1911

Women pay taxes like men

Parliament’s decisions affected both men and women so women should have the vote

Question 4

Arguments against women having the vote (4 mark)

Answer 4

Influential Queen Victoria opposed saying women were from “different spheres in life”

Some believed women could not be trusted as they weren’t rational

Women don’t fight in wars so shouldn’t have a say whether a country goes to war

People thought women would be encouraged to develop careers and neglect their family duties

Question 5

What were the political reasons women could not get the vote?

Answer 5

Liberal backbench wanted the vote
Leaders opposed

Conservative backbench didn’t want the vote
Conservative leaders did

So nothing was done!

Question 6

When were the suffragists formed?

Answer 6

1897

Question 7

What happened with bills in parliament up to 1900

Answer 7

They received a bill to get women the vote 15 times and it failed all 15 times

Question 8

Who were the suffragists?

Answer 8

NUWSS
National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies
Non radicals
Lead by Millicent Fawcett
Believed in constitutional campaigning which uncover talking to MPs and handing leaflets.

Question 9

Statistics for the suffragists?

Answer 9

100,000 members by 1914
500 local branches
67,000 signatures of textile worker were collected in 1901-02 to show parliament

Question 10

When were the suffragettes formed?

Answer 10

1903

Question 11

Who were the suffragettes?

Answer 11

WSPU
Women’s social and politician Union
Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst wanted a more radical approach.
Prime Minister Asquith was under fire
They would disrupt meetings and harass ministers

Question 12

What happened in 1908?

Answer 12

Suffrage bill ran out of time so women didn’t get the vote… Again! (Oh lawd no)

Question 13

What were the reactions to the 1908 bill failing from the suffragettes?

Answer 13

Woman began chaining themselves to railings and throwing stones at Downing Street

• more militant = less support

Question 14

What happened in 1911?

Answer 14

Government promised Conciliation bill which had all party support but the prime minister dropped the bill!

Suffragettes even stopped militant action for this and it didn’t even happen lol peak

Question 15

What were the reactions to the 1911 bill falling through by the suffragists?

Answer 15

They began to support labour

They had a peaceful pilgrimage

Question 16

What were the reactions of the 1911 bill falling through from the suffragettes?

Answer 16

They cut telephone wires
They bombed David George's house 
They bombed churches 
They went on hunger strike in prisons
Overall they got much more serious...

Question 17

What happened with the hunger strikes?

Answer 17

When they were locked up after 1909 they went on hunger strike
They were force fed which caused Lord of public sympathy.
This led to the cat and mouse act of 1913 which meant they were let out of prison to recover but then had to go back to finish their sentence. But then they just went on hunger strike again!

Question 18

What was the cat and mouse act?

Answer 18

the cat and mouse act of 1913 which meant the people on hunger strike were let out of prison to recover but then had to go back to finish their sentence. But then they just went on hunger strike again!

Question 19

What were suffragists propaganda methods?

Answer 19

Votes for women: the newspaper had a circulation of 40,000

Rallies were often attended by 20,000

Question 20

How many members did the suffragists have?

Answer 20

100,000 by 1914

Question 21

How many members did the suffragettes have?

Answer 21

2000

Question 22

Who was Emily Davison?

Answer 22

Ran out in front of the king’s horse in 1913 at the Epsom Derby.

Some thing she died for the cause, others believe she was trying to pin a flag on the horse to further women’s suffrage cause.
She had a return railway ticket in her belongings!

Question 23

What was the impact of Emily Davison?

Answer 23

It drew attention to the cause.
Suffragettes praised her as a “martyr”

Others used this as evidence for women being too irrational to have the vote

Question 24

What happened in 1914?

Answer 24

War broke out and suffragists and suffragettes stopped campaigning

All political prisoners were released

Question 25

What did women do in the war?

Answer 25

800,000 women took jobs in engineering
Women’s land army 260,000
1.6 million women took part in war work

Question 26

What happened in 1918?

Answer 26

Representation of the people act 1917: gave women over the age of 30 who were householders or married to one the vote

Question 27

Why might some argue the representation of the people act wasn’t fair?

Answer 27

Women who worked during the war were mainly working class so they did not gain the right to vote

Question 28

What was life like for women in the 1800s?

Answer 28

They were second class and were banned for many professions
Little improvements
1882: women’s property act-women could own their own home
NUWSS set up 1897