How far was the liberal government to blame for the continued failure of legislation for female suffrage between 1909 and 1913? Flashcards
What are the 3 political obstacles to the successes of measures to give women the vote introduced by the govt
- Asquith’s personal oppositión to women’s suffrage
- The 1910 constitutional crisis
- Disagreements over what form female suffrage would take
In additition to the 3 major political obstacles to the success of the WSPU’s campaign to enfranchise women, the WSPU’s increased use of violent militancy left many…
- pro-women’s suffrage MPs disillusioned and unwilling to support legislation (laws) which would grant them the vote
1909 Women’s suffrage bill
How did this bill come about
A private members bill introduced by Liberal MP Geoffrey Howard
1909 Women’s suffrage bill
Who would this have given suffrage to
- Male & Female suffrage based upon 3 month residential qualification
1909 Women’s suffrage bill
How did the WSPU respond to this bill
- Both Christabel Pankhurst & Millicent Fawcett disliked the bill believing full adult suffrage was unpractical
- & that the bill represented the govt’s attempt to introduce a measure so radical that it could never pass
- Both WSPU and NUWSS possessed a pragmatic approach - conceived of only a limited extension of franchise
1909 Women’s suffrage bill
What happened to the bill in parliament
- Carried by 35 votes on its second reading, yet failed to proceed after extensive debate wasted the time allocated to its passing
1909 Women’s suffrage bill
Why did this bill fail - parties
Party deadlock between Cons and Libs
1909 Women’s suffrage bill
Why did this bill fail - Asquith
- Asquith who did his best to undermine attempts at reform
- Asquith was often the target of suffragette action (assaults, heckling etc) yet this merely strengthened his resolve
Why could the political parties not agree on the form female suffrage would take
- Conservatibes wanting property based franchise
- & Liberals wanting to extend suffrage criteria so that women and more w/c men would have the vote
Why did the Prime Minister Asquith oppose women’s suffrage
- He believed that too much change too quickly would fundamentally damage political stability
- He was relluctant to allow militancy to dictate govt policy, fearing that agitation was not the same as political opinion
- Ultimately he was more concerned with issues of Ireland, social reform, industrial unrest and HofL crisis
1910 First Concilliation Bill
How did this bill come about
- Despite losing a majority in the 1910 election, the Liberals returned to government, albeit without a majority
- Most MPs still wanted women’s suffrage
- Therefore, an all-party committee was set up of 54 MPs to address the question
- The committee drew up a bill, which was approved by both Conservative and Liberal representatives
1910 First Concilliation Bill
Who would this have given suffrage to
- 1 million women
- householders & business occupants, with an income of £10 a year or more, would be allowed to vote
- Marriage would not be a disqualification, so unmarried women & widows, but a husband & wife could not both vote on the basis of the same property
- Women who could already vote in municipal elections would get the vote
1910 First Concilliation Bill
How did the WSPU respond to this bill
- WSPU suspended militancy whilst HofC debated measure
- Christable denounced the bill, preferring extended female suffrage, but it passed its second reading nonetheless
- riot in parlianent square - 300 women arrested, 3 women died
1910 First Concilliation Bill
What happened to the bill in parliament
- Though it was criticized in HofC for giving the vote to only 1million women, mostly widows and spinsters,
- it did however pass its second reading by 110 votes
1910 First Concilliation Bill
Why did this bill fail
- 1910 Constitutional Crisis - Asquith prioritized govt business in the cabinet, taking women’s suffrage off the agenda, so further parliamentary time for the first CB was refused
1910 First Concilliation Bill
Suffragettes had expected…
- liberal support with the election close by but Asquith not willing to put party behind movement
1911 Second Concilliation Bill
How did this bill come about
- A private member’s bill - so not officially supported by the govt
1911 Second Concilliation Bill
Who would this have given suffrage to
- same as 1st bill
1911 Second Concilliation Bill
How did the WSPU respond to this bill
- returned to militant tactics with increased violence
1911 Second Concilliation Bill
What happened to the bill in parliament
- It passed in May 1911 by 255 votes (in favour) to 88 votes
- This was a staggering majority of 167 votes
1911 Second Concilliation Bill
Why did this bill fail
- However Lloyd George announced his opposition fearing it would add thousands of Cons voters;
- the cabinet refused to give it more parliamentary time,
- but agreed that a week would be given to a similar measure in 1912, if it could again pass its second reading
- Asquith personally agreed to this
1912 Third Concilliation Bill
How did this bill fail
- Cabinet refused bill more parliamentary time but agreed to give time to debate similar bill in 1912 if it could pass its second reading
1912 Third Concilliation Bill
How did the WSPU respond to this bill
- NUWSS made alliance with labour
- WSPU resumed militant tactics even more aggressively
1912 Third Concilliation Bill
What happened to the bill in parliament
- Defeated by 14 votes, disappointing to the WSPU as the last bill was passed with a healthy majority
- 42 MPs who previously voted for the bill voted against it
- 91 MPs who had voted for it, abstained
- 74 Irish MPs, changed their vote against it
1912 Third Concilliation Bill
Why did this bill fail - Asquith
- Asquith persuaded 74 Irish Nationalist MPs to drop their support for the bill in order to secure legislation for Irish Home Rule, to which he did not keep his promise
1912 Third Concilliation Bill
Why did this bill fail - Militancy
- Doubt created by the WSPU’s militant violence
- Violence suicidally turned opinion against the women’s cause - for many the vote was a responsibility not a right, & the WSPU’s tactics called into question the character of women
- While many Cons feared change would create disorder, Libs worried that giving in to militancy would encourage violence from Irish protestors
1913 Government Franchise Bill
How did this bill come about
- Was supported by all 3 parties - Labour, Liberal & Tory MPs
1913 Government Franchise Bill
Who would this have given suffrage to
- all working-class men
- & an amendment was proposed by Lloyd George to strike the word ‘male’ from the bill to include women, including those from the w/c
1913 Government Franchise Bill
What happened to the bill in parliament
- While this found support from the HofC, the Speaker (James Lowther) shocked everyone by declaring that such an amendment would change the character of the bill and invalidate it
- Asquith was greatly pleased and refused to draft a replacement bill
1913 Government Franchise Bill
How did the WSPU respond to this bill
- violent response to Asquith’s refusal to draft a replacement bill
1913 Government Franchise Bill
Why did this bill fail
- Asquith was greatly pleased and refused to draft a replacement bill; more WSPU violence followed
- Asquith’s opposition, parliamentary procedure, and political deadlock over the form female suffrage should take were all important for the failure of the govt to give women the vote between 1909 and 1913
What evidence is there that WSPU militancy contributed to the failure of legislation giving women the vote, from Lloyd George’s POV
- MF discussed legislation with LG, she was informed that recent militancy made legislation impossible
- Lloyd George grew increasingly displeased with the WSPU, believing that in Nov 1911 Christabel Pankhurst had lost all sense of proportion
- The intense wave of violence triggered by Asquith’s failure to grant time to the recently passed second Concilliation Bill persuaded Lloyd George that militancy was out of control
What evidence is there that WSPU militancy contributed to the failure of legislation giving women the vote, from Asquith & other MP’s POV
- Window smashing and hunger strikes were regarded as a hysterical response to the bill’s failure
- In late 1910, the WSPU feared Asquith was delaying the vote, & Downing Street was attacked, accosting Asquith and smashing his car’s windows, many pro-suffrage MPs lost enthusiasm for the cause
- From late 1910 there was reduced support within parliament for women’s suffrage
What evidence is there that WSPU militancy contributed to the failure of legislation giving women the vote, from anti-suffrage groups’ POV
- Furthermore the aggressive waves of violence between 1911 and 1913, played into the hands of anti-suffrage groups, who used such actions as evidence of women’ unsuitability for politics
