Different Ways of winning the Women's Vote

Both Suffragettes and Suffragists took part in peaceful protesting methods

Propaganda

• WSPU published newspaper: Votes for Women, which in 1914 had a circulation of 40,000
• Slogan 'Votes for Women' was everywhere
• They used colours like purples, white and greens to sell clothing, dolls and jewellery
• Bread wrapper even had votes for women on it
• Made posters, leaflets and postcards

Meetings and Demonstrations

• Non confrontational public meetings
• Some were held in Royal Albert Hall, London and Trafalgar Square
• Many thought it was 'unladylike'
• Demonstrations grew with numbers over 20,000
• NUWSS held Women's Pilgrimage in 1913 with thousands of women
• Newspapers reported pilgrimage favourably

Putting Pressure on Parliament

• The NUWSS drew up petitions
• 1910: Had over 250,000 signatures for Conciliation Bill
• Women met with MPs to persuade support
• Those who supported the women, the women canvassed for

Civil Disobedience

• You could only vote if you paid taxes so women refused to pay them
• 1911: The census was boycotted
• Emily Davison hid herself in a cupboard in the House of Commons

These methods were carried out by the Suffragettes as they were militant in their actions and could be seen as extremists

Attacking Property

• Window smashing occurred in Government offices, gentlemen's clubs, newspaper store and shops
• Emmeline Pankhurst: ' The argument of the broken window pane is the most valuable argument in modern politics.'
• 1913: Emily Davison committed arson when planted a bomb in Lloyd George's house
• Chemicals were poured into letterboxes: This would effect British economy as cheques were sent in the post
• Slasher Mary destroyed art in galleries
• Telephone wires were cut
• 'No votes No golf' was burnt into Golf courses

Attacking People

• 1905: Christabel Pankhurst spat and hit a police office
• Axe was thrown at the Prime Minister
• They heckled politicians and disrupted meetings
• This caused the Liberals to ban them from meetings so women hid in platforms and swung in on ropes

Hunger Strikes

• 1909: Done to show the women were political prisoners
• It won sympathy as women were then force fed
• Some barricaded their rooms so were hosed with cold water

• The Government banned Suffrage meetings denying peaceful protests
• It then started to use violence
• The violence of the women could be said to have turned public opinion against votes for women
• Peaceful protests had been done for many years and didn't work

Reaction of the Authorities

• Asquith was against women's votes
• Most Liberals were in favour of the vote but not very strongly
• The Government dealt with protesters harshly even before the women used violence
• Black Friday, 18th November 1910: Occurred when WSPU tried to enter Parliament to support the Conciliation Bill which resulted in Police brutality

Prison Life

• Prison authorities tried to humiliate suffragettes calling them by numbers and forcing them to empty own 'slop buckets' (waste buckets)