The Main Events 1906-1914 Flashcards
In 1906 who was the PM and what was his stance on votes for women?
Henry Campbell-Bannerman, he supported votes for women, but ministers were divided
In October 1906, what were the NUWSS doing?
Continuing campaign of petitions and meetings
In October 1906, what were the WPSU doing ?
Member protest outside Houses of Parliament. They were arrested and sent to prison. WSPU start campaign of noisily opposing MPs at by-elections
What did the NUWSS do in February 1907?
Organised a procession in London. Over 3000 women march. Called ‘mud march’ because of bad weather
Who became PM in 1908 and what did he tell the women?
Herbert Asquith. He was against votes for women and told them to prove there is popular support for the idea
What did both suffragettes and suffragists do in June 1908?
Organised massive processions in London with supporters coming from all over the country
What did Asquith do about this?
He did nothing. He said women would be poor voters
What did the suffragettes do in frustration about this?
They started smashing windows in Downing Street and chaining themselves to railings. Lessemouth golf course was attacked by 2 women
Why was Asquith against votes for women at this time?
Because they kept attacking him
What was happening to the size of both the NUWSS and WSPU?
They were both increasing
When did the split between the NUWSS and WSPU start?
Late 1908
What were the suffragists worried about in late 1908?
The suffragettes activities’ are making the Government hostile to votes for women
In 1909 what happened to WSPU members?
More members sent to prison. Demanded to be treated as political prisoner and went on hunger strikes. Government starts force feeding them.
Why did the government start force feeding women?
Because they didn’t want dead women on their hands
When was the peak time of violence?
Late 1908 + 1909
Why did the WSPU call of their violent protests in 1910 ?
Asquith agreed to work with them and NUWSS to produce a conciliation bill giving women the vote
Why did WSPU start protesting again?
Although initially the conciliation bill went down in House of Commons, Asquith began to stall
What was ‘Black Friday?’
A fight with police resulting in many women being physically and sexually assaulted by officers
How many women were arrested and how many died?
115 arrested and 2 died as a result of their injuries
When and why did WSPU call a truce ?
1911, in the hope that the conciliation will be passed
In 1911, What did the government do with the conciliation bill and what did they introduce?
The government stalled again and announced they were dropping the bill. They introduced the new reform bill to give votes to more men
How did the WSPU react to the conciliation bill being dropped ?
They were furious and re-started their campaign of violence
When did WSPU begin the campaign of window smashing ?
1912
In 1912, what happened to WPSU headquarters?
They were raided and some of its leaders arrested
Where did Christabel Pankhurst flee to?
Paris
What did the NUWSS do in 1913 to try and win over public opinion?
In the women’s pilgrimage, women walk to London from all over Britain, raising 1000s of £ on the way
In 1914 what was the public opinion towards the suffragettes ?
It was firmly against them
Where were women banned from?
Art galleries and museums
When did the government release all WSPU prisoners?
At the start of WW1
Why were women unlikely to get the vote at the start of WW1?
The government couldn’t back down to violence. The war gave them an excuse to give them the vote
