The Campaign to win the vote

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The Campaign to win the vote

• The issue of the vote became the focus of
  womens struggle for equality
• Women had to fight for themselves getting
  little help from men

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The Campaign to win the vote

• Chartists campaign earlier was rejected, debate
  re-emerged after 1867 Reform bill by John Stuart
  Mill amendment rejected
• Women householders gained the right to vote but a
  further amendment of the third reform bill was
  also rejected by Gladstone

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Why opposition?

• Most Politicians were against reform fearing
  women would vote for the opposition
• Labour Party wanted women suffrage especially for
  working class women rather than just property
  owners

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Why opposition?

• Involvement in politics would threaten the family
  and society
• Corrupt women making them less feminine
• Too emotional and not educated
• Attitude came From all social classes

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Movement to gain votes 2 wings

• Suffragists traced roots back to 19th century
• Millicent Fawcett was the leader from 1887 of the
  NUWSS
• Peaceful persuasion and education always within
  the law
• Suffragists wrote pamphlets and held meetings

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The Suffragists

• Exclusively middle class although acknowledged
  that support of working class women was needed
• Gore-Booth sisters worked in the mills of
  Lancashire to gain their support
• Many of the working class women however found
  themselves to be voices in the wilderness
• Although many women were drawn together as never
  before, giving them an identity

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The Suffragettes

• Born out of the suffragist movement in 1903
• Emmeline Pankhurst broke away from the NUWSS
• Named the WSPU its motto was deeds not words

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The Suffragettes

• The suffragettes were prepared to break the law
• In 1906 politicians, suffragists and suffragettes
  met Campbell Bannermann
• He informed them that although he was in favour
  of womens suffrage his cabinet were divided

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The Suffragettes

• The suffragist response was to launch a campaign
  of leaflets the suffragettes on the other hand
  was to heckle MPs, marches, demonstrations which
  led to arrests
• In 1907 women broke away from the WSPU to form
  WFL, the Pankhursts established an even firmer
  grip

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Militant tactics

• By 1909 tactics had become more militant
• Attacks on MPs, broken windows, chaining
  themselves to railings outside HOC
• Opposition from press and the public increased,
  women were described as unfeminine, masculine and
  frustrated spinsters

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Militant tactics

• Despite this by 1909 there was branches all over,
  the NUWSS had 13,000 members also
• The movements were growing apart as the NUWSS
  believed that militancy was losing them
  supporters

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Conciliation Bill and its failure

• 1910- conciliation bill was drafted under Asquith
  
• Bill was suspended which resulted in further
  campaigns
• Failed in 1912 to get majority
• WSPU committed to programme of violence

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Conciliation Bill and its failure

• wild period paintings slashed, premises
  firebombed, death of Emily Davison
• Hunger strikes
• Did this do more harm than good?
• Mens role

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Did the coming of war delay the franchise?

• Asquith recognised that these women had genuine
  social grievances which could be tackled if women
  had the vote
• In time it was argued that he would have brought
  in a bill to provide for universal suffrage
• War however scaled down the activities
• Women instead had to fill the jobs left by the
  men business as usual

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