Meetings would be set up weekly or even daily where they would discuss what was happening. Women who joined the societies were trained as speakers for the cause and some were even paid to organize the campaigning in their area. Talents were used to the full; actors would be used for public speakings and to write/perform in plays written about women’s suffrage. The Suffragist organizations were set up efficiently. The leaders were fair and they knew what they were campaigning for.
Although their tactics were successful in bringing women’s suffrage up in parliamentary discussions, it would not go past discussion. However, they did gain the respect of MP’s and members of the public, which could later prove very useful.
In 1903 a more formidable organization called the WSPU (Women’s Social and Political Union) was launched, they were the Suffragettes. Set up by Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst they desperately wanted some form of women’s suffrage.
The WSPU was a far more aggressive group and were prepared to use that aggression and violence to get the vote. For three years, however, the WSPU got no where and they were on the verge of breaking apart. After several years of campaigning with no luck, they were prepared to step up their campaigning and begin using non law-abiding tactics.
These tactics included:
Disruption of political meetings. Disruption of parliamentary debates from the public viewing gallery’s. Chaining themselves to railings such as Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. Setting fire to post boxes. Smashing shop windows in London’s West End. Arson (they burnt down homes such as Lloyd George’s country home).
However, the WSPU would stop at certain points and they made the guidelines very clear. They would not do anything that would endanger any innocent civilians and would never go as far as murder.
These tactics were devised because they would bring a huge amount of attention to their campaign.
A famous incident, the most famous incident of all, was during The Derby in May 1913. A Suffragette thought it would be a good idea to run out in front of the horses and disrupt the Derby. However, it didn’t go to plan and Emily Davidson was killed by the King’s hose, Amner. It is unlikely that she meant to run in front of a horse and commit suicide and it is extremely unlikely that she pin pointed the king’s horse to run in front of. Because it was the King’s horse, however, this accident soon turned into a media frenzy.
Their tactics did not stop once they were arrested, and they would continue the campaigning in jail by choosing not to eat or drink forcing the authorities to force feed them. This was highly unpopular with the public and they brought huge attention to themselves again and forced the authorities to release them and imprison them once they were eating so that they did not die in jail (Temporary Discharge Act, otherwise known as the Cat and Mouse Act).
Their tactics, however, were strongly disliked and outraged most people.
Both these groups, however, did occasionally see the need to work. A good example was in Hyde Park on 21st June. Huge crowds of more than half a million showed at this huge demonstration for women’s suffrage organized by the WSPU.
These two groups both had their different tactics, however, they felt that going their separate ways was best. The Suffragettes did more harm than good to the cause and especially the Suffragists. Many politicians felt they were going for the people who sympathize with them such as Lloyd George whose house was burnt down, he felt they should have gone for their enemies instead. However, they did get the media’s attention and the pressure on the government grew.
