Women Suffrage

Women Suffrage

1. Suffragists

   • Switch official allegiance from Liberal to Labour in 1912
   • By 1900 had 400 branches
   • Methods
     • Petitions
       • In 1910 gained 300,000 male signatures
     • Canvassing for MPs who supported them
     • Publicity
       • Spent £45,000 in 1913
       • Newspaper: The Suffragist
     • Mud March 1907 (3000)
   • Millicent Fawcett
   • Conservative support
   • Middle Class

2. Suffragettes

   • Methods
     • Heckling
     • Opposition to the church
     • Vandelism
       • Slasher Mary
       • First window broken in 1908
       • Chancellor of the Exchequer's house firebombed in 1913
     • Demonstrations
       • Often led to arrests and fines which they then refused to pay
     • Hunger Striking
       • 1909
       • Forced Fed
       • Cat & Mouse Act
     • Suicide
       • 1913 Derby
       • Emily Davison
     • Magazine: Votes for women
       • Changed to Britania
       • Swapped militancy for military
       • Sold 30,000 copies/week
   • Emmeline Pankhurst
   • Free publicity
   • Violence led to fall in membership
   • Caused embarassment

3. Why did women want the vote?

   • Representation within Parliament by political parties
   • Equality/human rights
   • 'Competitors' had universal suffrage E.g. New Zealand
   • They pay taxes
   • Increasing focus on domestic/welfare issues
   • Growing rights in local government E.g. School boards

4. Why did women win the vote?

   • War
     • Gave Govt. excuse to pass women's suffrage
     • Proved they were capable
     • Needed to reform for men (soldiers)
   • Militancy
   • Successfully involved within local Govt.
   • Legal Campaign
   • Compromise