WSPU

Question 1

When were the NUWWS and WSPU formed?

Answer 1

1897 & 1903 respectively

Question 2

Why did suffragists have to rely on private members bills to get parliament to debate Women’s suffrage?

Answer 2

Because no political party was willing to adopt female suffrage as an official policy

Question 3

How many MP’s broadly supported female suffrage in some way or another early on?

Answer 3

in 1906 400/650 MP’s

Question 4

Give examples of peaceful methods used by the NUWWS and initially used by the WSPU

Answer 4

Holding public meetings/ leaflets/ petitioning parliament/ writing letters

Question 5

How was the WSPU different from the NUWWS from the outset?

Answer 5

No men allowed to join & more confrontational approach

Question 6

Who was the founding member of the WSPU and why were most early members well off?

Answer 6

Emmeline Pankhurst
Relied on unpaid work so members had to be economically independent to devote themselves to campaigning

Question 7

Which Liberal MP was heckled several times in 1906 and then went on to lose his parliamentary seat?

Answer 7

Winston Churchill

Question 8

What was the name of the WSPU Journal and what was its circulation figures in 1909?

Answer 8

a relatively small circulation of 22,000, which indicates a lower support base in contrast to that of the NUWWS

YET in 1910 it is said that there was a peak circulation of 33,000

Question 9

What did a leading WSPU member write in the journal Votes for women that was indicative of a change in policy? When?

Answer 9

1908; Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence wrote in the journal votes for women that ‘Nothing but militant action is left to us now’

Question 10

How many members did the NUWSS have by 1913? What was this in contrast to?

Answer 10

over 50,000 members

The WSPU never reached a membership of more than 2000

Question 11

Why were the Liberals reluctant to adopt suffragette policy?

Answer 11

Leader- Asquith (1908) did not believe in it

Liberals were focused on radical social welfare reforms and the question of IHR ( FS wasn’t a priority)

Concerned propertied women would vote conservative

Question 12

The failure of which large rally convinced many in the WSPU to adopt more violent forms of militancy? How many women attended?

Answer 12

Hyde Park 1908- No influence on government at all

250,000-500,000

Question 13

What examples are there of tensions being embedded in the WSPU’s relationship with its regional branches?

Answer 13

WSPU in London tried to get the w/c Liverpool branch to hold drawing-room meetings to encourage m/c members. The Liverpool branch refused.

Question 14

When were the Pethick-Lawrences expelled from the WSPU? Why?

Answer 14

1912

Pethick-Lawrence’s resistance to the militant approaches of the WSPU led to disagreements and Christabel Pankhurst ousted the Pethick-Lawrences from the organisation.

Question 15

Which two figures left the WSPU marking a fragmentation of the movement? What did they form?

Answer 15

Charlotte Despard and Teresa Billington-Greig, left to form the WFL in 1907, taking with them 1/5 of all of the WSPU’s members who had grew increasingly disillusioned towards the undemocratic nature of the WSPU in their bid to forge a more w/c pro-Labour movement

Question 16

What can be said about the rigidity of WSPU tactics?

Answer 16

The autocratic nature of leadership alienated members, causing fragmentations in the movement

Arguably their inability to compromise or concede to any opinions other than their own weakened the movement

Question 17

When did the WSPU move away from the ILP?

Answer 17

1906

Question 18

What limitation to the strength of the WSPU do the actions of Emily Davison reveal?

Answer 18

The sporadic and uncontrolled nature of military protest ,whereby in many cases the WSPU lacked the means to fully control their members pursuit of militancy

evidenced by the death of Emily Davison in 1913 (jumping in front of the kings horse)

Question 19

What positive things can be said about Emmeline’s ability in transforming the WSPU into an effective pressure group?

Answer 19

-Crucial role in providing the movement with a sense of political direction
-Provided a magnetism that attracted many women to the cause
-A naturally skilled orator and passionate leader, leading marches personally such as that at Hyde park in 1908, hence INVOKING A SENSE OF PASSION INTO THE WSPU

Question 20

What can be said about E’s autocratic leadership?

Answer 20

It undermined the effect of her role as an invigorating leader, given its dire ramifications on the cohesiveness of the WSPU

Question 21

What did Christabel and Annie Kenny do in October 1905?

Answer 21

interrupted two leading liberal party politicians, sir Edward grey and Winston Churchill, at an election rally in Manchester.

Christabel deliberately got herself arrested for spitting at a policeman

Question 22

What tactics took root in the WSPU from 1906 onwards?

Answer 22

Suffragettes began to use surprise and disguise to heckle politicians eg:
-Concealed themselves between organ pipes
-lurked under platforms
-were lowered into political meetings at the end of ropes

Question 23

What happened on the 13 February 1907?

Answer 23

WSPU held a women’s parliament in Westminster. Participants then marched down parliament, only to be attacked by police and 38 arrested

Question 24

What can be said about the WSPU when parliament were seriously considering Female suffrage?

Answer 24

Although Emmeline’s role in bringing female suffrage to forefront of political discussion via militancy can be recognised, it is fair to suggest that when parliament were seriously considering the issue of female suffrage the WSPU lacked the means to influence governmental opinion

Question 25

What politician was Christabel in contact with? What can be said about this?

Answer 25

Balfour in 1907, attempting to sway the conservative opinion in favour of a property franchise

This can be seen as a pragmatic move by Emmeline and Charitable, making the principle of women’s votes easier to achieve

Question 26

What consequence did Christabels move away from the ILP in 1906 have on the WSPU?

Answer 26

Gentrification- attracted more m/c and u/c support without socialist connotations… more money
£20,000 in 1907 compared to £2500 the year before

Question 27

How did the government originally respond to hunger strikes and how was this beneficial to the WSPU?

Answer 27

Forced feedings- propaganda coup for women as they were able to galvanise public sympathy

Question 28

What two organisations were set up to oppose female suffrage?

Answer 28

Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League (1908) and Mens league for opposing Women’s suffrage (1909- had 97 branches)

Question 29

What did Sylvia regard the move away from Labour as?

Answer 29

Reflective of Christabels ‘incipient toryism’

Question 30

What was an obvious negative consequence of the WSPU’s gentrification?

Answer 30

It immobilised many working-class women from having an active role in the WSPU

Question 31

Why were the Labour Party suspicious of the WSPU? Who was the exception?

Answer 31

-They were apprehensive of being associated with a predominantly m/c and u/c movement.

-Also, although the Labour Party did support female suffrage they wouldn’t distinguish it from universal suffrage

-Keir Hardie

Question 32

What contentious act was passed by the government?

Answer 32

1913- The Cat and Mouse Act

Allowed women on hunger strike to be released from prison and kept under surveillance until healthy enough to be re-arrested

Question 33

What raid did Chritsabel lead in 1908?

Answer 33

The ‘Trojan horse’ raid on the House of Commons, whereby 21 women concealed inside vans threw open the doors and rushed into the lobby

By the end of the day 54 women had been arrested

Question 34

What evidence is there of increased militancy from 1909-1910?

Answer 34

CP led a wave of attack on property:
-Windows were broken at the Treasury and Home office
-Throwing stones through the windows of London Social clubs
-Damaged property of DLG and Lord Levehulme

Question 35

What was a key tactic in 1908? Who developed it?

Answer 35

Hunger strikes, made famous by Marrion Wallace-Dunlop

Question 36

What was ‘Black Friday’?

Answer 36

18 November 1910; Approximately 300 suffragettes marched into the house of commons, to which the police responded harshly, using physical force and assaulting the suffragettes to deter them

The event was a reaction to the failure of the first conciliation bill

Question 37

What did the WFL organise in 1911 that was supported by the NUWSS & WSPU?

Answer 37

A boycott of the census whereby large numbers of women made elaborate arrangements to be away from home for the night to avoid people collecting information for the census
eg Emily Davison hid in a broom cupboard in parliament on census night so she could record her address as the HofC

Question 38

What instance of violence was there in 1911?

Answer 38

WSPU members broke windows in several government buildings in London including
the home office,
the war office,
the board of education,
the foreign office.
Windows were also broken at the offices of the daily mail and Daily news

Question 39

What evidence is there of a new period of militancy taking root from 1912-14 with regards to property?

Answer 39

Attacks on property of value in London and elsewhere including shops in the west end of London, post boxes, golf courses, and in 1913 the bombing of the house of DLG

Question 40

What did suffragettes do in Bristol that elucidates militancy?

Answer 40

Burned a timber yard, a university and two mansions

Question 41

What can be said about the cause of the cat and mouse acts?

Answer 41

That they were a consequence of hunger strikes in jail which forced the legislation to avoid the creation of a martyr

Question 42

What happened to Asquith in 1913?

Answer 42

He was targeted and assaulted by women brandishing dog whips, following an earlier event where he was attacked on a golf course;

a reaction to the failure of the gov franchise bill

Question 43

What did WSPU branches increase from?

Answer 43

in 1906 the WSPU had 3 branches
in 1911 it had 122

Question 44

What was the 1909 Women’s franchise bill?

Answer 44

It was a private members bill introduced by Liberal MP Geoffrey Howard, planning to enfranchise both men and women on a 3 month residential qualification

Question 45

What was the WSPU response to the 1909 Women’s franchise bill? Why did it fail?

Answer 45

It was disliked by CP and Millicent Fawcett (NUWSS founder), who believed it represented a government attempt to pass a measure so radical it wouldn’t pass

Carried by 35 votes yet failed due to Asquiths opposition

Question 46

What was the 1910 first CB?

Answer 46

Despite losing a majority in the 1910 election, the liberals returned to gov, crreating an all-party committee of 54 MP’s to address the question of FS

It planned to enfranchise Women householders and business occupants with an income of £10 pa/ marriage not a disqualification but husband and wife couldn’t both vote/ limited suffrage to 1 million women; most widows and unmarried

Question 47

What was the WSPU response to the 1910 first CB? Why did it fail?

Answer 47

Christabel denounced the bill and its failure underpinned Black Friday (the arrest of 300 women and 2 deaths)

Despite 300 MP’s who promised to support the bill and its passing of the second reading by 100 votes, due to the 1910 constitutional crisis, whereby conservative lords blocked the liberals 1909 budget, Asquith declared no time to debate

Question 48

When was the second CB? How many votes did it pass by?

Answer 48

1911 (Private members bill); it passed by 255 votes to 88, a staggering majority of 167 votes

Question 49

Why did the second CB fail?

Answer 49

DLG announced opposition to it, fearing it would create thousands of conservative voters.

Cabinet refused to give the bill more parliamentary time

Question 50

When was the third CB? How many votes did it fail by?

Answer 50

1912 (Since the cabinet refused the 1911 bill more time but agreed to debate a similar bill in 1912 if it could pass its second reading)

It was defeated by 14 votes- 42MP’s who previously supported voted against the bill and 91MP’s who previously supported abstained from voting

Question 51

Why did the 3rd CB fail?

Answer 51

Asquith persuaded Irish nationalist MP’s to drop their support in exchange for IHR. This underpinned the 71 Irish MP’s who opposed the bill

Likewise the effect of WSPU militancy alienated many MP’s who previously supported it. Violence undermined the credibility of the WSPU and made women appear irresponsible, while simultaneously evoking fears that enfranchising women would lead to a similar response from the Irish

Question 52

What was the 1913 Government Franchise bill?

Answer 52

It was a bill supported by labour, liberal and conservative MP’s

It intended to enfranchise all w/c men; yet some MP’s including DLG proposed an amendment to remove the word ‘male’ from the bill

Question 53

Why did the 1913 GFB fail?

Answer 53

The conservative speaker- James Lowther said that taking the word male from the bill changed its character and couldn’t be considered & Asquith refused to draft a replacement bill

-A’s opposition, parliamentary procedure and political deadlock underpinned its failure