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The campaign for female suffrage 1903-1914 - Coggle Diagram
The campaign for female suffrage 1903-1914
How effective was the WSPU as a political organisation?
Early tactics (1903-1908)
The WSPU announced its motto as
'Deeds, not words.'
From 1903-1905 the movement gained little attention, and was mostly comprised of a few working class women who were mostly the wives of ILP supporters.
In 1905, Christabel Pankhurst decided to adopt moderate tactics of meeting disruptions, demonstrations, and heckling. Her and Annie Kenney disrupted a speech by Sir Edward Grey at a public meeting and she was imprisoned for this act.
Between 1906 and 1907, militant action increased. Suffragettes chained themselves to railings in Downing Street, and to statues in the House of Commons.
On 25th October 1906 a WSPU group broke into the lobby of the HOC and waved flags, making speeches. Ten were arrested, nine of whom were middle class women and their imprisonment presented a powerful tool for the WSPU to generate sympathy within the middle and upper classes for the WSPU cause. This tactic became very common for the WSPU in 1906.
In February 1907 WSPU held the first 'Women's Parliament', where participants marched on parliament and were attacked by the police. 38 women went to court, and this was important publicity for the WSPU.
Militancy (1908-1914)
Why did the WSPU make the move to militancy? (1908)
The question of female suffrage was not an urgent one for the Liberal government. They were more concerned with radical social welfare reforms, resistance from the HOL, Irish home rule, etc.
In 1908 Asquith became PM. He said representation within parliament was not a universal right and refused to consider the question of female suffrage unless there was a sufficient demonstration of demand.
Asquith's claims led to the 1908 Hyde Park meeting. There was somewhere between 250,000 and 500,000 women in attendance but Asquith was unmoved. Proved the failure of peaceful protest tactics, and encouraged the WSPU to move towards more violent forms of militancy.
In 1908 Christabel Pankhurst organised a mass campaign of window smashing, and she was sent to prison for two months.
Asquith was assaulted on a golf course, and slates were thrown at his car.
In 1909 jailed protesters began hunger strikes. The government introduced force feedings, but this created scenes of heroic sacrifice on the part of the protestors, and generated sympathy for the WSPU cause.
The government passed the Cat and Mouse Act (1913). It ordered that when women on hunger strike became ill, they were to be released until healthy enough to be arrested once again,
Hard to enforce on a practical level, and not an efficient solution. Aroused much public hostility and did not seem like a very moral act.
1910 Black Friday- the government refused to debate legislation for womens suffrage in parliamet and the WSPU sent 300 women into the HOC. The police were deliberately rough, assaulted women, sometimes sexually.
Christabel Pankhurst declared an all out war against men, and Emmeline felt that the enemy was the Liberal party.
After this event the WSPU tried to avoid street protest and instead favoured acts of property destruction.
In 1912 WSPU targeted artworks, set fire to pillar boxes, and continued its program of window smashing. Also the development of arson.
How effective was the use of militancy?
Secured the WSPU publicity
Alienated many non violent campaigners, including Millicent Fawcett and NUWSS.
In 1910 National League for Opposing Women's Suffrage was set up for women who did not want the vote. It included 97 branches nationwide.
Ex WSPU member Teresa Billington-Greig believed the violence was dishonest.
Support
The militant campaign did galvanise the movement, leading to the rapid expansion of the WSPU.
By 1910 the circulation of the WSPU journal, Votes for Women, was 40,000.
Originally it was a very working class movement with connections to the ILP. But then in 1906 Christabel severed the organisation alliance with Labour and moved the WSPU from Manchester to London
The lack of socialist connotations encouraged wealthy women to join. They had more money to donate and more free time for demonstrations so the WSPU was able to campaign more effectively
By 1906 class divisions dominated the WSPU membership. To many, the Pankhursts appeared privileged and dramatic.
Keir Hardie was the Labour leader and a close friend of the Pankhursts.
Organisation
Annie Kenney joined in 1905. She was the daughter of a poverty stricken textile worker and provided a much needed working class element to the WSPU's leadership.
Emmeline and Frederick Pethick-Lawrence added financial and organisational skill, establishing Votes for Women, and designing the purple green and white suffragette clothing.
There was some disagreements between the branches of the WSPU within London and its provincial organisations. For example between the WSPU branch in Liverpool and the one in London.
64 branches in London alone, 58 in the rest of the country.
Emmeline Pankhurst was an autocratic leader, and her say often was the final decision of the WSPU, for example the move to militancy.
Individuals within the WSPU
The Pankhursts
Emmeline Pankhurst
provided a magnetism that attracted many women to the cause, and was a very influential speaker. She was an autocratic leader.
Christabel Pankhurst
led the move to militancy. She also realised that imprisonment was a valuable tool to secure public sympathy. She was at the forefront of the acts of arson in 1912.
Emmeline and Christabel were largely adored by WSPU supporters, with one notable exception being Teresa Billington-Greig. They were determined to lead the WSPU like an army, but this style alienated some members.
Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, and some others left the WSPU in 1907 to form the WFL, taking 1/5 of the WSPU membership with them.
In 1912 the Pethick-Lawrences were banned from the movement.
Sylvia Pankhurst
designed banners, gifts, and flags for the movement, and sold them in the WSPU shop which she ran. She was regularly in and out of prison for acts of militancy despite not agreeing with the militant tactics. She was a socialist and disliked the exclusive nature of the WSPU leadership.
In 1913 she left the WSPU and formed the East London Federation of Suffragettes (EFLS), consisting of working class women and male members.
Emily Davison
was considered a maverick. In 1913 she collided with the kings horse at the Epsom Derby whilst attempting to attach a WSPU flag to the horse. WSPU used her death as propaganda, winning them much public sympathy.
Millicent Fawcett led the
National Union For Womens Suffrage (NUWSS).
Originally, they spearheaded the movement for womens suffrage but their use of very tame tactics meant that they produced little success
In 1907 they organised a mass meeting of 3,000 supporters known as the 'Mud March'
NUWSS made sure that the 1906 Liberal government included a majority of members who would react sympathetically to women's suffrage campaigning. They carried much of the political leg work to make female suffrage a realistic proposition.
The role of the Liberal Government 1903-1913
1909 Women's suffrage bill
failed because of the party deadlock between Conservatives and Liberals over the question of female suffrage. Conservatives wanted women to have the vote on the same property qualification as men. Liberals wanted to extend the criteria so more people could vote.
1910 Conciliation bill
would have granted the vote to 1 million women. It was taken off the agenda because of other constitutional crises.
Herbert Asquith
undermined attempts to enfranchise women. He was frequently attacked by militants and this strengthened his resolve.
1911 Conciliation Bill
passed through parliament but then Lloyd George announced his opposition to it and the bill was postponed until 1912.
1912 Conciliation Bill
was defeated in parliament. This was partly due to the increasing use of WSPU violence. Also because Asquith had promised Irish home rule legislation if Irish MPs voted against the bill.
1913 Government Franchise Bill
suggested to include women in the extension of the franchise for men. Asquith refused ths. Violence ensued.
The increasing use of violence by the WSPU isolated many pro suffrage MPs, and by 1910 there was significantly reduced support within parliament for women's suffrage