The Suffragettes (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes

The Suffragettes

Introduction to militant activism

The fight for women's voting rights took a dramatic turn in the early 1900s when some campaigners decided that polite requests were not enough. These women believed that more direct and confrontational methods were necessary to achieve their goals. They became known as the Suffragettes, distinguished from the earlier suffragists by their motto of "actions rather than words." This marked a significant shift from peaceful campaigning to militant activism in the struggle for women's suffrage.

The formation and leadership of the WSPU

The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was established in 1903 by Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) and her daughters Christabel (1880-1958) and Sylvia (1882-1960). This organisation represented a much more radical approach compared to the existing National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), which continued to pursue change through traditional, peaceful methods.

The Pankhurst family became the driving force behind the suffragette movement. Emmeline Pankhurst, in particular, emerged as a powerful leader who was prepared to face imprisonment and personal sacrifice for the cause. Her famous declaration that "she would rather be a rebel than a slave" captured the defiant spirit that would define the suffragette campaign.

Methods and tactics of the WSPU

Early peaceful approaches

Initially, the WSPU employed methods similar to those used by earlier reform movements. They organised parades, marches, and distributed leaflets to raise awareness. The suffragettes also adopted strategies from successful campaigns like the Anti-Corn Law League, including getting pro-suffrage candidates to stand in by-elections to demonstrate political support for their cause.

Escalation to militant tactics

However, the WSPU gradually adopted increasingly confrontational methods when peaceful approaches seemed ineffective. These illegal tactics included breaking windows, committing arson (deliberately starting fires), refusing to pay taxes, disrupting public meetings by shouting at speakers, and chaining themselves to railings to ensure their arrests would generate publicity.

The turning point of 1913

From 1913 onwards, the WSPU significantly intensified their militant campaign. This escalation led to frequent arrests of suffragette activists, but rather than deterring them, imprisonment became part of their strategy to maintain public attention and demonstrate their commitment to the cause.

Prison protests and hunger strikes

When suffragettes were imprisoned, many refused to eat as a form of protest, going on hunger strikes. This created a serious dilemma for the government, as the authorities could not allow prisoners to die in custody, which would create martyrs for the cause and generate enormous public sympathy for the movement.

The prison sentences imposed on suffragettes were often very harsh, and many campaigners deliberately sought arrest to gain publicity for their cause. The WSPU effectively used these imprisonments to demonstrate government oppression and win public sympathy for their campaign.

Government response and the "Cat and Mouse Act"

Force-feeding controversy

The government's initial response to hunger strikes was force-feeding, a brutal practice where prison authorities would insert tubes through prisoners' noses into their stomachs to provide nutrition against their will. This procedure was painful, dangerous, and often made the women seriously ill.

Public reaction to force-feeding was largely negative. Many male voters, including those who opposed women's suffrage, were disgusted by the government's treatment of female prisoners. This harsh response actually helped the WSPU gain sympathy and support from unexpected quarters.

The "Cat and Mouse Act"

In response to public outrage, the government passed the Temporary Discharge for Ill Health Act in 1913, which quickly became known as the "Cat and Mouse Act." This legislation allowed authorities to release hunger-striking prisoners when they became dangerously ill, only to re-arrest them once they had recovered their health. However, this approach did not stop the opposition movement and, if anything, made the government appear even more cruel and vindictive.

Impact and consequences of suffragette activism

Maintaining public attention

The WSPU's militant activities successfully kept the issue of women's suffrage in the public eye throughout the early 1910s. Their dramatic actions ensured that the question of votes for women remained a major political topic that could not be ignored by politicians or the media.

Alienating potential supporters

However, the militant tactics also had negative consequences. Many people who might otherwise have supported women's suffrage were put off by the suffragettes' methods. Some supporters of women's voting rights felt that the violent and disruptive tactics actually undermined the cause by providing opponents with evidence that women were not fit to participate in public life.

Strengthening moderate alternatives

The controversy surrounding the WSPU's methods led to increased support for more moderate organisations like the NUWSS. Membership of the NUWSS grew dramatically from 12,000 to 50,000 as many people sought alternatives to militant activism. By 1912, the NUWSS had gained significant influence, and the newly formed Labour Party was campaigning for equal suffrage, giving the movement fresh political momentum.

Political consequences

The suffragette campaign also alienated many Members of Parliament, making it more difficult to achieve a suffrage bill through parliamentary channels. Some historians argue that the WSPU's militant tactics may have harmed the campaign as much as they helped it, creating a backlash that delayed rather than accelerated progress towards women's voting rights.

Timeline of key events

• 1903: WSPU founded by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters
• 1903-1912: Gradual escalation from peaceful to militant tactics
• 1913: Significant intensification of militant campaign
• 1913: Government passes the "Cat and Mouse Act"
• 2 June 1914: Emmeline Pankhurst arrested while attempting to present petition to the king at Buckingham Palace