How successful was the campaign for women's suffrage between c1900 & 1914?

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Claire Sladen 11L

Women’s Suffrage Campaign

How successful was the campaign for women’s suffrage between c1900 & 1914?

In the late 1800’s a group called the suffragists were formed lead by Miss Millicent Fawcett.  Their aims were based around women’s suffrage to gain the vote and enable women to choose their own MP’s.  The party used peaceful campaign methods in the hope of achieving a majority vote in Parliament.

However, lack of success frustrated many followers and a decade later, Miss Emmeline Pankhurst founded a new campaigning organisation, the Suffragettes.  The policies of the Suffragettes were largely based around violent methods of protest, in order to make the government take notice.  People threw stones through windows, slashed pictures and chained themselves to railings.  As a result many of the Suffragettes were thrown in prison.  Many went on hunger strikes, in the hope of the Liberal Government taking notice.  However, the idea of force-feeding became very common, these cruel methods lead to a great uproar amongst the Suffragettes, who began producing vivid posters and pictures of women being force-fed.

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Source 8, is an anti-Suffrage poster, typical of the attitude Suffragettes faced.  The poster showing, ‘Suffragettes who have never been kissed’ shows the women as well groomed, high class ‘snoblike’ ladies.  This poster is a stereotype and does not work in favour of the Suffragettes and makes them look greedy and demanding.  They also look very fragile and innocent, to weak and unintelligent to be able to vote.  

Source 11 is a Suffragette postcard, which focuses on the cruelty of the ‘Cat and Mouse Act’ passed by the Liberal Government.  The purpose of the postcard is to ...

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