Suffragettes vs Suffragists: Did violent protest get women the vote?
Summary
TLDRDuring 1912-1913, women's suffrage activists escalated to serious violence, including bombings and arson, causing public alarm. Despite political resistance, by 1910, most MPs supported women's voting rights. The outbreak of WWI provided an opportunity for Emmeline Pankhurst to halt the increasingly violent campaign. Post-war, the government recognized the need for women's enfranchisement, leading to the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which granted voting rights to women over 30 who met certain property qualifications.
Takeaways
- 💥 Women engaged in serious violence during 1912-1913, including bombing campaigns and attacks on homes.
- 🏛️ The political inaction of the time, particularly by the liberal and conservative parties, led to frustration and escalated actions within the suffrage movement.
- 🗳️ By 1910, most MPs were open to the idea of women's parliamentary franchise, but were hesitant due to concerns about their own political survival.
- 🔪 Members of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) attacked political figures, including an incident where they threw a hatchet at John Redmond.
- 🌎 The outbreak of World War I in 1914 provided an opportunity for Emmeline Pankhurst to halt the increasingly violent campaign, as it was reaching a dead end.
- 👥 The suffrage movement was diverse, with a range of activists and tactics, some of which were extreme and uncomfortable.
- 🎖️ The return of young men from the horrors of World War I, who had made the ultimate sacrifice, highlighted the injustice of their lack of voting rights.
- 🏡 Up to 40% of men did not have the right to vote in 1914 due to property qualifications, which was a point of contention.
- 👩💼 Women activists were effective in lobbying for the right to vote, ensuring their cause was discussed at Westminster.
- 👭 The suffrage movement was not a single story; it involved a rich diversity of activists, and there was fluidity between suffragettes and suffragists.
- 🌟 The right to vote was seen as a means to address everyday difficulties such as poor working conditions, low pay, and lack of healthcare.
Q & A
What was the nature of the violence engaged in by women during 1912-1913?
-Women engaged in serious violence such as bombing campaigns, blowing up timber yards, and attacking private homes, which caused significant alarm and concern at the time.
Was there a debate among historians about how to classify the violence of the women's suffrage movement?
-Yes, there is some disagreement among historians about whether the actions should be referred to as terrorist violence or terrorist activity.
What was the political climate regarding women's suffrage by 1910?
-By 1910, most MPs in the House of Commons had come around to the idea of women having the parliamentary franchise, but they were hesitant to implement it due to concerns about self-preservation and how women might vote.
Why were politicians hesitant to extend the vote to women?
-Politicians were worried that if they extended the vote to women, women might vote for the opposing party, thus threatening their own constituencies and power.
What was a notable violent act carried out by members of the Women's Social and Political Union?
-Three members of the Women's Social and Political Union threw a hatchet into a carriage, narrowly missing Irish nationalist leader John Redmond but injuring his ear, and later attempted to burn down a theater where he was attending an event.
How did the outbreak of World War I impact the women's suffrage movement?
-The outbreak of World War I provided an opportunity for Emmeline Pankhurst to halt the campaign, which was escalating into extreme violence, and to refocus efforts.
What was the significance of the First World War for the suffrage movement?
-The war highlighted the sacrifices made by young men and the injustice of their lack of voting rights, which helped to further the argument for women's suffrage.
What percentage of men did not have the right to vote in 1914?
-Up to 40% of men did not have the right to vote in 1914 because they did not own property and did not meet the property qualification.
How did the suffrage movement ensure that women's right to vote was discussed at Westminster?
-The suffrage movement was very effective in lobbying and ensuring that the discussions at Westminster included the right of women to vote.
What did the women's suffrage movement believe would improve if women had the right to vote?
-The movement believed that having the right to vote would alleviate everyday difficulties such as poor working conditions, low pay, and lack of healthcare, as these issues would be more likely to be addressed with women's representation in parliament.
How did the suffragettes and suffragists relate to each other during the movement?
-The suffragettes and suffragists knew each other, worked together, and there was fluid movement between the two groups. One could support both at different times, and there was no strict division between them.
Outlines
💥 Women's Suffrage and Violence
The paragraph discusses the escalation of violence by women during the suffrage movement between 1912-1913. It mentions serious acts of violence such as bombing campaigns, attacks on timber yards, and even targeting private homes and public spaces like post offices. The paragraph highlights the debate among historians about whether to classify these actions as terrorist violence. It also discusses the political climate of the time, where political parties were reluctant to extend voting rights to women due to fear of losing their constituencies. The violence was a response to this inaction. The narrative also includes specific instances of violence, such as an attack on John Redmond, and the eventual impact of World War I on the movement, which led to a cessation of violent tactics. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the extreme tactics used during the movement and the complex nature of social protest.
🌟 Diversity in the Suffrage Movement
This paragraph focuses on the diversity of activists within the suffrage movement and the factors that united them. It discusses the belief that gaining the right to vote would improve the everyday lives of women, addressing issues such as poor working conditions, low pay, and lack of healthcare. The paragraph also emphasizes the fluidity between different factions within the movement, such as suffragists and suffragettes, and the collaborative nature of their work. It concludes by reminding us to be mindful of the diverse stories within the movement and not to oversimplify it into polarized groups.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Suffrage Movement
💡Violence
💡Terrorism
💡Political Parties
💡Franchise
💡Self-Preservation
💡World War I
💡Emmeline Pankhurst
💡Representation
💡Suffragettes vs Suffragists
💡Property Qualification
Highlights
Women engaged in serious violence such as bombing campaigns during 1912-1913.
Timber yards were blown up and homes were attacked.
Disagreement among historians if these actions should be called terrorist violence.
Political parties failed to extend the franchise to women, leading to frustration.
By 1910, most MPs were open to the idea of women's parliamentary franchise.
MPs were worried about women voting for the opposing party.
Three members of the Women's Social and Political Union attacked John Redmond.
The First World War provided an opportunity for Emmeline Pankhurst to halt the campaign.
The suffrage movement used extreme tactics that may be uncomfortable to acknowledge.
Young men returning from WWI should have the right to vote, as they sacrificed for their country.
40% of men did not have the right to vote in 1914 due to property qualifications.
Women's suffrage activists were effective in ensuring the right to vote was discussed in Westminster.
The suffrage movement was not a single story but involved a diversity of activists.
Women saw voting rights as a way to alleviate everyday difficulties like poor working conditions and low pay.
Suffragettes and suffragists knew each other, worked together, and there was fluidity between the two groups.
Remembering the history of the movement requires careful acknowledgment of the diverse groups involved.
Transcripts
vorrei 1912-1913 you had women engaging
in really quite serious violence so
violence such as bombing campaigns
timber yards were blown up and when
piece homes were attacked farmers were
left on trains and in post offices so
it's really going up another level which
there's some disagreement amongst
historians of whether these dis should
be referred to as terrorist violence or
terrorist activity but at the time it
certainly caused huge alarm and concern
[Music]
[Music]
as a result of the failure of the
political parties of our time and
particularly the liberal or the
conservative party to act on these
demands to extend the franchise to women
you have increasing frustration
developing among certain quarters of the
wider suffrage movement
[Music]
by 1910 most MPs in the House of Commons
have come around the idea of women
having the parliamentary franchise they
already could vote local elections so it
was just extending that right to them
for national politics but they couldn't
quite figure out how to do it and they
were all worried about if they did
extend the vote to women with the women
vote for the other party so it was about
self-preservation they wanted to stay in
power they wanted to keep their
constituencies and they felt threatened
by this unknown other of how women might
vote
[Music]
[Music]
three members of the women's social and
political union threw a hatchet into the
carriage that he was travelling along
the street in Dublin it missed him but
nipped the ear of John Redmond the Irish
nationalist leader and then later that
night they didn't give up they weren't
deterred they were quite determined they
that evening they tried to burn down the
theatre that asketh was attending an
event out and all three receive quite
long prison sentences as a result of
their action war First World War breaks
out in 1914 and in in some strange way
it's actually an opportunity for
Emmeline Pankhurst to stop the campaign
because it really was kind of working
itself into a dead end of violence so I
think it's important when we're looking
back and remembering the history of the
suffrage movement that we acknowledge
that when social movements are using
different forms of protest some of those
really can be quite extreme and we can't
really hide away from perhaps being a
bit uncomfortable with some of the
tactics that were used during our time
[Music]
they couldn't have young man returning
for the horrors of the First World War
who had served their countries the
ultimate act of self-sacrifice and the
not be could have the right to vote up
to 40% of men didn't have the right to
vote in 1914 because they didn't own
properties and they didn't meet the
property qualification
[Music]
[Music]
and they were very effective in ensuring
that in those discussions at Westminster
that women would receive the right to
vote
[Music]
except that there wasn't thing one
single story which reflects the suffrage
movement like all protest movements it
involves a really rich diversity of
activists and it's very interesting for
us to find out what draw drew all of
these different women together and
having won gold is very effective when
you're campaigning so of course it's not
surprising that the vote presented that
go to so many women
[Music]
they saw having access to political
citizenship so having the right to vote
would alleviate some of the everyday
difficulties they experienced in their
lives so poor working conditions low pay
lack of health care all of these issues
could be changed and were more likely to
be changed they strongly believed if you
had representation in the houses of
parliament
[Music]
once again remember remembering the
history of this movement it will have to
be careful of not suggesting that these
were too polarized groups they all knew
each other they work together there was
a lot of fluid movement between both
suffragettes and suffragists you could
be both there was nothing saying that
you couldn't at one point support
suffragists activity and another point
be a suffragette
[Music]
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