Women and the Vote [Isolated] Flashcards
What is the background for the British franchise?
The British Franchise…
- In 1850 was only available to the middle class and aristocracy men of the country
- 17 years later skilled men were starting to gain the vote
- by 1918 women could vote as long as they met the qualifications in place
- 10 years later there were finally equal voting grounds for male and female Brits
What is the line of argument?
The changing attitudes towards woman had the greatest impact on women gaining the vote.
What were the changes in politics for women?
It was believed that women were too irrational and lacking in education to be involved in politics. There was the views that a mans world was work, politics and war whilst a women’s was private and domestic. Between 1869 and 1907 small changes bean to be made in local councils and school boards which allowed women to participate them. Giving women these chances allowed them to show that they could take on responsibilities outside of domestic settings and proved they could be trusted to be politically involved.
What were the changes in education for women?
Queens College was funded for the training of female teachers in 1848 and set new standards for the education available in girls’ schools. Oxford and four Scottish universities began to enrol women and by the next century women ere going into higher professions and education. This challenged the views of women being incompetent and unable to do a man’s academic work. Even though there were mass improvements for women in education, women were attending universities and proving themselves yet still leaving without degrees.
How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the changing attitudes towards women?
The changing attitudes towards women built confidence in them as they slowly gained access to politics, but this didn’t mean all views changed. Women now could achieve higher than before in both politics and education, now having higher professions available to them, but even with that there was still the expectation that they would leave their job once they were married. This meant that no matter how much women proved themselves worthy, they were still relied on for domestic duties.
What were the tactics of the Suffragists?
They would hold meetings, create pamphlets, petitions and go on marches. These peaceful methods gained respect and built a positive and respectable image. Their choice of methods showed their intelligence, capability and trustworthiness, gaining the support of men because they were impressed by their organisation of these demonstrations. On the other hand, these demonstrations were perceived as slow and were quick to lose attention and so weren’t greatly effective.
What were the partnerships of the Suffragists?
They would work with organisations such as trade unions which helped them come to an agreement of support with the New Labour Party. They pressured the Liberals into running against their own candidates whom were against woman suffrage. The Suffragists were able to win over approximately 50% of MP’s which is proven by the bills that were put forward.
How would evaluate the effectiveness of the Suffragists?
They were able to create a respectable image of women and built public trust in the development of women responsibility, but there was very little success with achieving the big changes that women wanted. There were three conciliation bills put forward to the House of Common between 1910 and 1912, but all three often failed to be passed. This shows that there was not enough effort being given from the government which caused women to be unable trust parliament to give them the vote.
What were the tactics of the Suffragettes?
Their motto was “deeds not words” and that’s what they stuck by during their demonstrations. They would participate in marches and rallies, and hackle politicians during public meetings. Then in 1909 things became more violent as they began throwing stones at windows of clubs, setting fire to letter boxes and country homes of politicians, attacking gold greens and even turning to arson. Their methods couldn’t be ignored even if you didn’t agree with them and so they had a large influence because they pressured the government. But they can be seen to be harming the cause more than they did help it because of how drastic some of their methods were.
What was imprisonment like for the Suffragettes?
Many Suffragettes went to prison due to breaking the law during campaigns and they did not like that they were treated like common criminals when they were only protesting their rights. They retaliated by going on hunger strikes but the government didn’t fall beneath this pressure as they only intervened when someone fell ill due to their hunger. Even though the public did not tolerate their law breaking, they did come to respect the bravery of these women.
How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the work of the Suffragettes?
The Suffragettes successfully put pressure on the government but they did seem to harm the cause more than they did help it as they caused people to justify their views that women were irresponsible and irrational. They did play a hand in helping women get the vote but they were not the main cause as their leaders were all imprisoned when the vote was given. Furthermore, when enfranchisement came for women the Suffragette camping was inactive and being ridiculed.
What work did the women do during the war?
Both women suffrage groups would volunteer their members to take on the work men had left to go fight in the war, and this was soon encouraged by the government. They would become munitionettes, nurses for injured soldiers, ambulance drivers, transport and farm hands. This formed new opinions and views on women as they were now being respited for contributing to their country. In 1918, women who met qualifications could vote but they were usually older and married. Younger women were the ones who were participating in the war effort and they were not recognised for another 10 years.
How would you evaluate the impact of the war effort of women?
Those who participated in the war effort built a great public image and identity for women, giving them even more trust and respect because they were proving themselves to their country by contributing to it. Yet, in France, women worked just the same as women did in Britain, contributing to their country by doing jobs that were being left so that men could fight on the battlefield, and still they did not gain the cote not did they receive any gratitude for their actions and so it is highly unlikely that the British women’s war effort was impactful enough to be the main cause for them gaining the vote.
What were the influences of other countries?
New Zealand granted women the vote in 1893, Australia in 1902 and Canada in 1916, along with some other European countries. As the most developed country in the world at this point, it was embarrassing for Britain that other countries seemed to be overtaking them in terms of democracy, particularly with the idea that WW1 was fought to protect democracy in Europe. The fact women had been enfranchised abroad could have pressured politicians but this most likely wasn’t the case as politicians were far more concerned with he war effort on the Western Front and at home than they were with the events abroad.
What are the reasons for your line of argument?
- The gradual changes made in school boards and local councils which allowed women to finally be involved in politics, building trust in men for their responsibility outside the house.
- They now had access to higher education which was disproving the ideas that they were incapable to do a mans academic work when they were proving the total opposite.
