The Women's social and political union, 1903-14 Flashcards
(24 cards)
In what years were the following formed?
NUWSS
WSPU
NUWSS: 1897.
WSPU: 1903.
Why did Suffragists have to rely on private members bills to get parliament to debate women’s suffrage?
Because no political party was willing to adopt women’s suffrage as an official policy.
Give two example of peaceful methods used by the NUWSS and initially by the WSPU?
- Holding public meetings.
- Leaflets.
- Petitioning parliament.
- Writing letters.
Give one way in which the WSPU was different to the NUWSS from the outset?
- No men allowed to join.
- More confrontational approach.
Who was the founding member of the WSPU and why were most early members well off?
- Emmeline Pankhurst.
- Relied on unpaid work so members had to be economically independent to devote themselves to campaigning.
Apart from the Pankhursts, name 3 key WSPU members?
- The Pethick-Lawrences.
- Teresa Billington-Grieg.
- Anne Kenney.
- Emily Davison.
Which Liberal MP was heckled several times in 1906 and then went on to lose his parliamentary seat?
Winston Churchill.
What was the name of the WSPU journal and its circulation figures in 1910?
- Votes for Women.
- 40,000.
The failure of which large rally in 1908 convinced the WSPU to adopt more violent forms of militancy? How many women attended?
- Hyde park - no influence on the govt at all.
- 250,000-50,000.
Why were the Liberals reluctant to adopt female suffrage as a policy?
Leader - Asquith did not believe in it/ Liberals focused on radical social welfare and question of Irish home rule - Female suffrage not a priority / concerned propertied women would vote for the Conservatives.
Give one way in which suffragette militancy was held against them.
Evidence of unstable nature of women / hysterical tendencies / vote was a responsibility with which they could not be trusted.
Give two reasons used by the Suffragettes to justify militancy.
- Denied main form of peaceful protest - only realistic option now curbed.
- Long tradition of use of force e.g. Reform Acts of 1832 and 1867.
- Chartists.
Which notorious event in November 1910 convinced WSPU to avoid street protests?
Black Friday - women sexually assaulted / injuries.
What evidence is there that the WSPU did not control its members?
- Violence often initiated at local level - only adopted by WSPU later.
- Window smashing, arson and letter box burning.
- Emily Davison’s suicide in 1913.
Give an example of tension between London central WSPU and regional WSPU branches.
- WSPU London tried to get w/c Liverpool branch to hold drawing-room meetings to encourage m/c members.
- Liverpool branch refused.
Which two key figures left the WSPU in 1907 to form the WFL and what percentage of WSPU members went with them?
- Charlotte Despard and Teresa Bilington-Grieg.
- 5%.
When were the Pethick-Lawrences expelled from the WSPU?
1912.
When did Sylvia Pankhurst leave the WSPU and why?
- 1913.
- Disagreed with move to Conservatives - was a socialist.
What consequence did Christabel’s move of WSPU away from ILP in 1906 have on the WSPU?
- Gentrification - attracted more and more m/c and u/c support without socialist connotations / more money - £20,000 in 1907 compared to £2,500 the year before - employed staff.
How did the government initially respond to hunger strikes and how did this help the WSPU?
- Forced feedings - propaganda coup women public support for WSPU.
What was the nickname given to the 1913 Act which allowed women on hunger strike to be released from prison and kept under surveilance until healthy enough to be re-arrested?
Cat and Mouse Act.
Name two organisations set up to oppose female suffrage.
- Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League {1908}.
- Men’s League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage {1909 - 97 branches}.
Why were the Labour Party suspicious of WSPU and who was an exception?
- Disliked m/c and u/c women interfering in their movement.
- Anxious women would vote Conservative and drive wages down.
- Keir Hardie.
How might women have benefitted from the Franchise Bill of 1913 and why did it fail?
- Amendment extending vote to women.
- Speaker of House of Commons ruled amendment changed bill too much.
