British Depth: Women's Rights Flashcards
Who were the suffragists?
The peaceful protest movement of women who originally led the movement for women’s suffrage
Who, predominantly, was the suffragist movement made up of?
Middle class women
What were the suffragists also known as?
NUWSS: The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies
When was the NUWSS formed?
1897
In 1901-1902 how many signatures were gathered for a petition to parliament and by who?
Eva Gore-Booth gathered 67,000 signatures of textile workers in Northern England
By 1900 who was in support of the suffragists?
Many Liberal MPs, a few leading Conservatives and the small, newly-formed labour party
Who was the leader of the suffragist movement?
Mrs Millicent Fawcett
What kind of campaigning did the suffragists carry out?
Constitutional campaigning- arguing their case with MPs; leaflets; petitions and organising meetings
Who were the Suffragettes?
The suffragettes were militant movement in order to promote women’s suffrage
Why did the suffragettes form?
They were infuriated by the lack of progress of the suffragists
When were the suffragettes formed?
1903
Who led the suffragettes?
Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst
What was the suffragette movement also known as?
The WSPU: the Women’s Social and Political Union
What kind of campaigning did the suffragettes carry out?
Militant campaigning: disrupting political meetings; harassing ministers; chaining themselves to railings and throwing rocks through windows
When did militancy for women’s suffrage intensify, and why?
1908: when the long line of women’s suffrage bills ran out of time
What happened at Downing street 1908?
Suffragettes threw rocks through the windows of Downing Street
What happened in October 1908?
Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst, her daughter Christabel and ‘General’ Flora Drummond were sent to prison for inciting a crowd to rush the House of Commons
Why were the suffragettes so militant?
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
Why did the suffragists not become militant?
They believed that you could not claim a democratic vote through undemocratic methods
Why did the suffragettes and suffragists not join forces?
Millicent Fawcett did not want her movement to be associated with militancy
What was the conciliation bill?
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
What was the suffragette response to the 1911 setback?
They became more militant: smashing windows, setting fires, bombing churches and warehouses and cutting telephone wires.
How did suffragettes protest in prison?
By going on hunger strike
How did the government respond to hunger strikers?
They did not want suffragettes to die and become martyrs; so they ordered force feeding. However this backfired and won sympathy for the suffragettes
What act did the government pass in when force feeding hunger strikers backfired?
The Cat and Mouse act 1913: allowing hunger strikers to leave prison, recover and be reimprisoned
What event occurred later in 1913?
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
What extremes had Emily Davison previously gone to for the suffragette cause?
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
What are the two main theories of what Emily Davison had planned?
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
What secondary cause had the suffragettes’ militancy had?
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
How did the suffragette leaders argue that militancy was the only way?
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
Why did the suffragettes call off their campaign?
The beginning of WW1 in August 1914
Why did the suffragettes support the war effort?
other than to support their country
They wanted to show the impact that women could have - and how women could help the war effort
When did women eventually get the vote?
1918
Which women were given the vote in 1918? Who else was given the vote?
All women over the age of 30, but all men over the age of 21 were also allowed to vote
