Women Flashcards
What was NUWSS?
The suffragists led by Millicent Fawcett built up an impressive organisation (by 1914 they had over 400 branches and 100,000 members), mainly middle class women, very good at propaganda, ran many campaigns and held large rallies such as Hyde Park 1908 and the Women’s Pilgrimage in June 1913
What was WSPU?
The suffragettes led by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters in 1903 and it was more radical, angry at the lack of progress
They used Direct Actions to show it was a major issue, in 1908 they broke windows in Downing street and chained themselves to railings, in other demonstrations they were treated harshly. Government used force feeding which was painful and degrading. They called off violence in 1910 but carried on in 1912 with arson and vandalism after the failure of the Conciliation Bill. On the 4th June 1913 Emily Wilding threw herself in front of King George V’s horse at the Epsom Derby dying four days later.
They used hunger strikes and got themselves deliberately arrested and demanded to be political prisoners
How effective were these tactics?
They failed to get the vote in 1914
- many suffragists did manage to get women’s suffrage bills proposed to parliament, they also managed to keep the issue in the public eye
- the suffragettes divided the women movement as the suffragists distance themselves from them, violence turned opinions against them, issue was not forgotten, ‘Votes for Women’ newspaper had a circulation of 40,000 in 1914 and many admired the suffragettes willingness for the cause
What reaction did the tactics get from authorities?
Lloyd George and Asquith
What were the attempts to get the bill for women’s suffrage through parliament?
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What was the situation regarding votes for women in 1914?
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What happened to the issue of votes for women during the war?
female suffrage campaigns stopped as women focused more on the war effort and patriotism rather than their rights
what were the arguments for Women’s suffrage?
votes would improve quality of life and mean equal working conditions, education pay, benefits etc.
AUS and NZL had give the women the right to vote in the national election
many women were involved in politics on a local level (board of education and poor law boards)
women are paid the same rates and taxes so should have a say in what is done with it
Britain was not a democracy 50% of the population could not vote
what were the arguments against Women’s suffrage?
women and men had different responsibilities with men suited to work and politics and women suited to the home and caring roles
a lot of women did not want or care for the vote
women were irrational and would not vote wisely
they would have to give the vote to all men, even those who are not worthy
women did not fight in wars
Why were women given the vote in 1918?
In 1916 the Government decided on a new Representation of the People Act to give all men the vote, women argued that they should be given the same law, they publicized the massive contribution to the war from women, and it helped when David George Lloyd became prime minister in December 1916 as he support female suffrage]
In June 1917 most members of the government accepted that women would get the vote in the new act, Millicent Fawcett accepted that only women over 30 could vote and the act was approved in the house of commons in 1917 and the House of lords in January 1918, women voted in the first election in December 1918
Who could vote?
All men over 21 and women over 30 (9 million women)
