History All Levels (1)

SUFFRAGETTES

WOMANS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL UNION. (WSPU)

• found by Emmaline Pankhurst. Christabel and Sylvia her two daughters.
• there method was non peaceful protesting.
• set fire to letter boxes
• dying resevoirs purple (not poisonous)
• hand cuffed themselves to important buildings.
• Assult police officers
• set fire to stuff
• destroy golf courses. In acid would spell WSPU.

Sylvia sometimes was taken to prison.

Crystabel went to prison on purpose to raise profile of the party. 

Suffragettes were known (high profile) 

BUT   they were extremely dangerous

Government couldnt give into the violence as others then may turn to violence. When the WSPU stopped their methods, in 1918 married woman over 30 could vote. 

Why?

The strikes weakened woman which worried the Government. They wanted recognition as political prisoners and not ordinary prisoners. This also made them in the public eye and have a high profile and show they were willing to give up their lives because of what they believed in. If the woman would have died, Government would have been prosecuted for man slaughter. 

What actions did Government take?

To ensure the woman didn't die, Government tried to tempt the woman, but that plan failed to succeed. So they started to force feed them. The only people who were force fed in the past were the mental patience. The next thing they did was release the woman from prison, as they are on hunger strike and then the woman would recover. Once they were better, the woman were arrested again to complete their sentence. The problem was that the woman would go back on hunger strike and everything would just happen over and over again. THIS WAS THE CAT AND MOUSE ACT. Some woman gave up, which meant the Government had won. 

How successful were the Sufragettes

• They failed to get the vote by 1914
• Divided the women’s movement
• · Turned some MPs against female suffrage
• MPs didn't want to give in otherwise the Irish would use violence to get home             rule and workers would use violent strikes to get more money
• Made sure the issue of female suffrage was never forgotten
• Effective campaigns – their newspaper ‘Votes for Women’ had a circulation of       40,000   by 1914
• People admired them because they suffered for their cause
• Gained sympathy from being force fe