The SuffragistsAn assessment of their campaign for votes for

women

The campaign 1897 - 1928

• Campaign methods peaceful• Lobby MPs, public speaking, petitions to Parliament,

writing (Women’s Suffrage Journal), canvassing door to door.• Targeted major towns and cities for support and to

spread the word. • Radical Suffragists – 1890s- worked in Lancashire

cotton mills to encourage working class women to join NUWSS

• By 1908 well organised. 10 full time paid organisers coordinating the campaign nationally and locally

Other Suffragist societies

• After 1907 over 20 new suffrage societies• Professionals - gymnastics teachers, civil servants,

artists, actresses, writers.• Religious groups – Catholics, Quakers, Anglicans, Jews• Political groups – Liberal, Conservative , Socialist

supporters . Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage, Men’s Political Union for Women’s Enfranchisement (1910)

The Conciliation Bills 1910 + 1911(1)• Jan 1910 (PM) HH Asquith (Liberal) promises a Bill for

Women’s Suffrage.• Passed on the 2nd reading in July by majority of 100 votes!• BUT not confirmed as Parliament is dissolved for general

election in November 1910.• Suffragettes hold off violence campaign expecting debate on

the Bill but Asquith (Lib PM) refuses to debate it.• Violence resumed by WSPU. Black Friday 18/11/10. 100 arrests• Impact on suffrage campaign –

– MPs distance themselves from support of women. – Public opinion sympathetic to the cause after violent police

action on unarmed women is heavily criticised.

The Conciliation Bills 1910 + 1911 (2)• 1911, new Bill proposed• Voting rights for women whose husbands were already voters. • Rejected by the HoC• Bill presented again in 1912, again failed to get majority in HoC .• Asquith presents another Bill to give the vote to all men and suggests the

HoC adds an amendment to include votes for some women.• Rejected because the amendment changed the nature of the Bill.• So nearly got it!• WSPU resumes violence. ‘The Wild Period’• Early 1914 Asquith meets with East London Federation of Suffragettes

(Sylvia Pankhurst). Recognises genuine social grievances which could be sorted by having the vote

• Evidence suggests Asquith would have proposed a bill for universal suffrage.

• BUT – War intervened. All women agreed to stop campaigning and support the country in its time of need.

Strengths of Suffragist Campaign• Peaceful approach seen as democratic.• Widespread support among working and middle

class women.• Growing support from middle class men.• Well organised. 500 local branches, which won

the support of many politicians. • By 1914, they had persuaded half of the MPs to

support votes for women. Conciliation Bills• During the time of the suffragette actions the

Suffragist membership rose dramatically.

Weaknesses of Suffragists• Fighting a very hard battle to change society’s

attitude to women’s role.• Many women opposed the Suffragists.• They were easy to ignore – men were prepared to agree that their approach was

rational and responsible but because they were unwilling to break, or even stretch the law, they were easy to ignore.

– Year after year, a bill was raised to get votes for women and year after year it was thrown out, although as the years went on the margin of defeat became less.