At the Epsom Derby, 1913, Emily Davison, a suffragette, walked onto the race track in an attempt to disrupt the race in which the King’s horse was riding. Unfortunately she was kicked by a horse and died. This gave the suffrage much needed publicity but emphasised the argument that women were irrational.
The Cat and Mouse Act was also effective. Prisoners that had gone on hunger strikes were released form prison until they had recuperated. Once this was done they were again taken back into prison. This too created more publicity for the cause but again confirmed the arguments that people had against votes for women.
Another reason why women did not gain the right to vote was because all men had not yet been enfranchised and because women were seen as inferior to men, the right for women to vote came as second priority. Also, parties such as Labour thought that bestowing women the vote would mean only middle class to upper class women would be able to vote because most constitutional laws based suffrage on having property and certain incomes. By labour giving women the right to vote, they would only be damaging their chances because middle-upper class women tend to vote for conservatives.
People also believed that there were far more pressing issues to be dealt with that the enfranchisement of women. For example the rebellion in Ireland was taking up much of the government’s time so it was important that that was seen to before the right for women to vote.
All of these reasons can explain why women were not given the right to vote between 1900 and 1914.
“Without the First World War British Women would not have gained the right to vote in 1918” D you agree or disagree with this interpretation?
Explain your answer using the sources and knowledge from your studies.
Women played an enormous role during WWI. When the conscription came into place, large numbers of the nations work force went out to war so it was up to women to fill the roles.
Source A is an extract from a speech made by Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst in March 1908. It discusses how important it is that women have the right to vote and states that women who join the campaign do not have to give up their duties at home. Its intention was to inform people about the suffragette movement and to show women who were considering joining the campaign that they would not need to neglect their traditional duties. It is useful because it is a primary source and shows exactly what the suffragettes (particularly Emmeline Pankhurst) thought. Its limitations are that it is one sided, biased and only shows the points of view of the Suffragettes and not the general public. This source disagrees with the statement because it shows that people were campaigning for a change in the voting system before the war.
Source B is a postcard issued by the Suffragettes in 1910. It shows all the things that women can be without being able to vote (e.g. doctors, teachers, and mayors) and all the things that men can be and be able to vote (convicts, drunkards, owners of white slaves etc). Its intention is to show the general public the injustice of the voting system and try to persuade them. Its limitations are that it is a postcard so it does not show much information on the matter. It is however useful because it shows the campaign points that were being used by the suffragettes. Again, this source disagrees with the statement because it also shows that people were campaigning for a change in the voting system long before the First World War.
Source C is an extract from a speech made by Lord Curzon (a conservative leader) in 1912. It says that women are incapable of voting because they are uneducated and they have duties at home to contend with. It also suggests that there is no equality of the sexes because women will not go out to war so they should not be given the right to make decisions about war. Its intention is to persuade people against the idea of votes for women. It is useful because it shows the opinion of the people that opposed the enfranchise of women, however it is one sided and biased. This source agrees with the statement that women gained the right to vote because of their contribution to the war effort because it suggests that women would not have won the right to vote by just campaigning.
Source D is the front cover of a magazine published in June 1917. It shows a man and a woman dressed in war workers clothing, standing on a pedestal together both holding the union jack. This symbolises both sexes working together towards a common goal, to win the war. Its intention is to show people that during the war women and men were treated as equals as many women were doing the same jobs as men. Its limitations are that, as a drawing, it does not reveal that much information. However it does suggest that the general consensus was that women had worked equally hard as men during the war. This source agrees with the statements because it shows that women had worked hard and subsequently deserved a reward.
During WWI women worked in munitions factories, clerical and administrative posts, nurses, grave diggers, welders, bus drivers, road layers etc.
Source E is an extract from a history book written in 1991. It discusses the attitudes to women during WWI and states that an increasing number of women took on male jobs when they were conscripted. However it contradicts Source D because it suggests that women and men were not treated as equals during the war and many women were subject to hostility and abuse whilst they were working. It is useful to a historian because it shows a different view of the conditions under which women worked during the war. Its limitations are that it is vague and uses words such as ‘some’. This makes it more likely to be less reliable. It only portrays the attitudes of some and not all men. Also it was written in 1991 which makes it secondary and subsequently less likely to be accurate. This source disagrees with the statement because it suggests that the male attitude towards women was negative even when they were proving themselves by working and contributing to the upkeep of the country.
In my opinion, WWI had a large impact on the campaign for the enfranchisement of women and helped a great deal with their cause because it showed men (and women) who opposed votes for women that women were sensible, responsible and just as capable of making decisions as men. However the women who were eventually enfranchised were middle aged upper class women and not the young working class women who had actually contributed most to the war effort. Thus disclaiming the statement that women got the right to vote because of their work during WWI. One could argue that women had been voting in local elections for some time so it was natural that national elections would be next. One could also argue that the whole voting system was changing (e.g. they were allowing overseas British citizens to vote) so it was obvious that the next natural step would be for women to get the right to vote.
If it wasn’t for people like Millicent Fawcett and Emmeline Pankhurst who initiated the whole campaign and people like Emily Davies who died for the cause, the war would have made no difference at all and women would have possibly never have gotten the right to vote.
