British Depth: Women's Rights

Question 1

Who were the suffragists?

Answer 1

The peaceful protest movement of women who originally led the movement for women’s suffrage

Question 2

Who, predominantly, was the suffragist movement made up of?

Answer 2

Middle class women

Question 3

What were the suffragists also known as?

Answer 3

NUWSS: The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies

Question 4

When was the NUWSS formed?

Answer 4

1897

Question 5

In 1901-1902 how many signatures were gathered for a petition to parliament and by who?

Answer 5

Eva Gore-Booth gathered 67,000 signatures of textile workers in Northern England

Question 6

By 1900 who was in support of the suffragists?

Answer 6

Many Liberal MPs, a few leading Conservatives and the small, newly-formed labour party

Question 7

Who was the leader of the suffragist movement?

Answer 7

Mrs Millicent Fawcett

Question 8

What kind of campaigning did the suffragists carry out?

Answer 8

Constitutional campaigning- arguing their case with MPs; leaflets; petitions and organising meetings

Question 9

Who were the Suffragettes?

Answer 9

The suffragettes were militant movement in order to promote women’s suffrage

Question 10

Why did the suffragettes form?

Answer 10

They were infuriated by the lack of progress of the suffragists

Question 11

When were the suffragettes formed?

Answer 11

1903

Question 12

Who led the suffragettes?

Answer 12

Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst

Question 13

What was the suffragette movement also known as?

Answer 13

The WSPU: the Women’s Social and Political Union

Question 14

What kind of campaigning did the suffragettes carry out?

Answer 14

Militant campaigning: disrupting political meetings; harassing ministers; chaining themselves to railings and throwing rocks through windows

Question 15

When did militancy for women’s suffrage intensify, and why?

Answer 15

1908: when the long line of women’s suffrage bills ran out of time

Question 16

What happened at Downing street 1908?

Answer 16

Suffragettes threw rocks through the windows of Downing Street

Question 17

What happened in October 1908?

Answer 17

Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst, her daughter Christabel and ‘General’ Flora Drummond were sent to prison for inciting a crowd to rush the House of Commons

Question 18

Why were the suffragettes so militant?

Answer 18

They believed that the issue was ignored by the government because they did not believe that it was a serious issue - so they made it one

Question 19

Why did the suffragists not become militant?

Answer 19

They believed that you could not claim a democratic vote through undemocratic methods

Question 20

Why did the suffragettes and suffragists not join forces?

Answer 20

Millicent Fawcett did not want her movement to be associated with militancy

Question 21

What was the conciliation bill?

Answer 21

It was a bill (1911) which won all-party support, a majority of 167- the biggest ever. The suffragettes ceased militant action- success seemed imminent; but the bill was dropped by Prime minister Asquith

Question 22

What was the suffragette response to the 1911 setback?

Answer 22

They became more militant: smashing windows, setting fires, bombing churches and warehouses and cutting telephone wires.

Question 23

How did suffragettes protest in prison?

Answer 23

By going on hunger strike

Question 24

How did the government respond to hunger strikers?

Answer 24

They did not want suffragettes to die and become martyrs; so they ordered force feeding. However this backfired and won sympathy for the suffragettes

Question 25

What act did the government pass in when force feeding hunger strikers backfired?

Answer 25

The Cat and Mouse act 1913: allowing hunger strikers to leave prison, recover and be reimprisoned

Question 26

What event occurred later in 1913?

Answer 26

On the 5th June 1913 Emily Davison ran in front of the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby and was killed almost instantly- skull fatally fractured

Question 27

What extremes had Emily Davison previously gone to for the suffragette cause?

Answer 27

She had been imprisoned 9 times, set fire to post boxes and even a post office, as well as going on hunger strike while in prison

Question 28

What are the two main theories of what Emily Davison had planned?

Answer 28

Some thought that it was a suicide; to become a martyr for the cause
Others thought that it was a misjudged publicity stunt- trying to pin a WSPU flag to the King’s horse

Question 29

What secondary cause had the suffragettes’ militancy had?

Answer 29

Although they had raised the issue of the profile, their militancy alienated support for the cause; they gave opponents a reason to reject their ideas

Question 30

How did the suffragette leaders argue that militancy was the only way?

Answer 30

They pointed out that nothing but empty promises had come from the suffragist campaigning and that the government had only truly considered it when it became a pressing issue

Question 31

Why did the suffragettes call off their campaign?

Answer 31

The beginning of WW1 in August 1914

Question 32

Why did the suffragettes support the war effort?

other than to support their country

Answer 32

They wanted to show the impact that women could have - and how women could help the war effort

Question 33

When did women eventually get the vote?

Answer 33

1918

Question 34

Which women were given the vote in 1918? Who else was given the vote?

Answer 34

All women over the age of 30, but all men over the age of 21 were also allowed to vote