Reasons why some women got the vote in 1918

Question 1

Reasons why some women got the vote in 1918
Introduction:

Answer 1

• BK: In the late 19th century, Britain more democratic, eg working class men could vote
• BK: Women couldn’t vote until 1918 representation of the people act
• Factors: Suffragists, Suffragettes, Changes in society regarding women, Role of women in WW1
• LOA: This essay will argue that the most important reason why some women got the vote in 1918 was because of the actions of the Suffragists

Question 2

Reasons why some women got the vote in 1918 The Suffragists:

Answer 2

• KU: National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies was created in 1897 and led by Millicent Fawcett. This was known as the Suffragists and were made up of largely ‘respectable, middle class women.”
• KU: They had a gradualist approach and used tactics such as petitions, speeches, lobbying and marches such as the 1907 Mud March
• A: Gained support of the newly formed Labour Party and key Liberal MPs such as J.S. Mill and David Lloyd George
• A+: The individual groups had been around since the mid 1800s, and women didn’t get the vote until 1918, suggesting that they were ineffective.
• E: Most important because they kept reconciliation bills relevant in parliament, discussed in 1910, 11, and 12 and respectable middle class women overlapped with property owning women over 30

Question 3

Reasons why some women got the vote in 1918 Suffragettes:

Answer 3

• KU: The Women’s Social and Political Union branched off from the Suffragists in 1903 and was led by Emmeline Pankhurst, they were tired of waiting for the Suffragists’ tactics to work so they used violent tactics such as arson to implement their ‘Deeds not Words’ motto.
• KU: Imprisoned Suffragettes protested their right to be held as political prisoners by hunger striking, resultant force feeding could cause death.
• A: The Suffragettes had a lot of press attention, putting pressure on the Government to make changes
• A+: The aggressive actions towards politicians such as stalking and vandalism made them less likely to support their cause and give women the vote
• E: No new laws relating to women’s suffrage were passed while they were at the height of their actions, and many of their membership left to rejoin the Suffragists, showing that they were more effective.

Question 4

Reasons why some women got the vote in 1918 Changes in Society

Answer 4

• KU: Women were gaining more legal rights throughout the 19th century, such as the Married Women’s Property Act (1882) which allowed women to retain ownership of their property after marriage.
• KU: Education Act 1872 and women’s colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, more women and girls becoming educated
• A: By the early 20th century, women’s literacy up from 77% to 97%, challenging the idea that women are ‘too uneducated’ to vote.
• A+: However Queen Victoria and many other influential people in Britain were against the changing role of women in society
• E: Not the most important factor because no reforms were passed for decades before 1918, but the Suffragists actively campaigned up to 1918 when some women got the vote

Question 5

Reasons why some women got the vote in 1918 Role of Women in WW1

Answer 5

• KU: By 1917, 80% of British shells were made by women in dangerous munitions factories. They were called ‘Canary Girls’ as the chemicals such as sulfur turned their skin yellow.
• KU: Women also worked in transport or as police officers. For example, Edie Smith was the first woman police officer to have the power of arrest in 1915.
• A: Women may have been given the vote as a ‘thank you’ for helping to keep Britain afloat during the war
• A+: Women also helped in the war effort in France, but didn’t get enfranchised until 1944
• E: Most of the working women were young and working class, but the women who were enfranchised in 1918 were property owning women over the age of 30, which aligns more with the Suffragist membership rather than the demographic who were working during WW1

Question 6

Reasons why some women got the vote in 1918 Example of other Countries (only use if isolated factor)

Answer 6

• KU: Some countries in the British Empire gave women the right to vote before Britain did, such as New Zealand in 1893 and Australia in 1902.
• KU: Other countries also had suffrage movements, Kate Shepherd moved from Liverpool to New Zealand and as the leader of a suffrage movement was involved in a 1916 petition to get New Zealand to lobby the UK to give women the vote.
• A: Britain was seen as falling behind the rest of the empire in terms of democracy
• A+: It took Britain 25 years from New Zealand giving women the vote in 1893 until 1918
• E: Similar countries to the UK such as France and Italy didn’t give women the vote until 1944, and Portugal didn’t enfranchise women until 1976, showing their limited impact on Britain. However, the Suffragists made sure the British government wa facing internal pressure to enfranchise women by gaining support of labour and liberal MPs.