Power and the people - Women's rights and the campaign for the vote

Question 1

what are the causes of the suffrage movement?

Answer 1

• during the industrial revolution, women had begun to work in factories and therefore earned more money
• despite this, middle-class women’s lives still revolved around the home
• the married women’s property Act of 1870 allowed women to control their income and property, this signalled the beginning of change
• However, most professions still expected women to leave their job if they got married and women were paid less than men

Question 2

Who was Millicent Fawcett?

Answer 2

The leader of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies 1897

Question 3

Who was Emmeline Pankhurst?

Answer 3

the leader of the women’s social and political union (WSPU) in 1903

Question 4

What group did Charlotte Despard and Teresa Billington lead?

Answer 4

the women’s freedom league 1907

Question 5

what beliefs did the NUWSS support?

Answer 5

• they consisted of middle-class women who believed in peaceful methods
• they were suffragists

Question 6

what is the definition of suffragists?

Answer 6

one whose goal was to achieve the right to vote for women through peaceful means

Question 7

what was the method used by the NUWSS?

Answer 7

• they aimed to use peaceful methods to show that they are kind and gentle, in order to convince men to give them the vote
• used political contacts to lobby MPs
• petitions and pamphlets

Question 8

What beliefs did the WSPU support?

Answer 8

• they believed in “deeds not words”
• they believed in achieving publicity
• they were suffragettes

Question 9

What were the methods used by the WSPU?

Answer 9

• they used violent methods
• heckled MPs during speeches
• in 1912 there was a stone-throwing campaign
• windows were smashed
• caused arson attacks and blew up buildings

Question 10

What beliefs did the women’s freedom league have?

Answer 10

• they did not believe in violent methods and were pacifists
• they also campaigned for equal pay

Question 11

What were the methods used by WFL?

Answer 11

• refused to pay taxes
• chained themselves to railings

Question 12

What occurred during the Epsom Derby?

Answer 12

• in 1913, suffragette Emily Davidson, deliberately walked into the racecourse in front of the oncoming horses, she later died from her wounds in a hospital
• Historians are divided over whether her death was intentional but regardless of this matter, it demonstrated how committed their members were

Question 13

What was the ‘Cat and Mouse Act’?

Answer 13

• the suffragettes’ tactics extended to their time in prison
• when they were in prison, many went on hunger strikes. This is a tactic used by prisoners as a way to continue their campaign by gaining publicity
• Because the women were middle class and many had husbands or fathers who held influential jobs, prison officers initially tried force-feeding the suffragettes
• However due to the dangers of force-feeding, the government passed the Prisoners Act in 1913. This allowed them to release women when they became too weak from starvation
• Once they had been rehabilitated and were healthy enough to return to prison, they would be re-arrested. The act thus became known as the “Cat and Mouse Act”

Question 14

How did many people feel about the suffragette’s violent actions?

Answer 14

their violent actions made them look irrational and unbalanced. Many people felt their actions prevented them getting the vote, rather than helping

Question 15

Why did other women object to the campaign for universal suffrage?

Answer 15

Some women believed that a woman’s place was at home, supporting her husband and caring for her children

Question 16

What did Herbert Asquith believe about the suffrage movement?

Answer 16

• the liberal PM Herbert Asquith believed that a woman’s place was her home
• he believed the decision should only be made if it improved government and the political process
• this was significant because since he was PM, he had control over decisions

Question 17

What were the NUWSS and WSPU’s roles in WW1?

Answer 17

• when war broke out in 1914, both the NUWSS and WSPU united to support the war effort, and stopped their militant campaign
• they earned the nickname “angel of the factory”

Question 18

what was the role of the WFLs during WW1?

Answer 18

• the women’s freedom league refused to support the war effort.
• this is because they were pacifists they did not want to support the men fighting in Europe

Question 19

Why did women finally get the vote?

Answer 19

• During the war, women worked in factories, on farms and as nurses. This showed that women could do the same jobs as men
• It also proved that women could make clear-headed decisions.
• The argument that women were not as intelligent was contradicted by the fact they manage to successfully look after the family, run the home and do the jobs their husbands had done.
• Thus, in 1918 the Representation of the People Act was passed

Question 20

What did the Representation of the People Act state?

Answer 20

• In 1918, this gave all men over the age of 21 the vote, and for some women over the age of 21, if they owned property, otherwise they had to be over 30
• in 1928, all women over 21 gained suffrage

Question 21

What were the short-term impacts of the suffrage movement?

Answer 21

• achieved suffrage. However, arguably not the campaign that did but war
• mobilised public opinion and forced the issue onto the governmental agenda - shows the success of violent protest for the only time

Question 22

what were the long-term impacts of the suffrage movement?

Answer 22

• led to the women’s movement in Britain and the USA no longer campaigning for the vote but for the equality
• led to the passing of legislation to give women more equality - Divorce reform Act 1969, 1970 Equal Pay Act
• however, even in the long term, equality does not exist. There is still higher number of men in higher education and women on average earn 18% less than men