The Hunger strikes were one of the most powerful methods used by the suffragettes. They would starve themselves in prison until the government had no option but to force-feed them. This process was incredibly uncomfortable and in most cases very painful. The suffragettes used this distressing idea to portray the government as inhumane rather than the gentlemen they should be. Consequently, the government made a plan nicknamed the “Cat and Mouse Act” formally known as the Discharge Bill. This meant that the government would discharge a woman as soon as she was becoming too ill, then re-arrest her when she was better.
The suffragette’s campaign was certainly successful in keeping the issue in the news. To help their campaign, they made banners and sashes illustrating their rights. They decorated their banners and sashes and dressed themselves in white, green and purple.
Source E is also a written source. It is part of a speech given by a ‘conservative’ Member of Parliament. We know this because the source shows a strong, traditional view against women getting the vote. In this view women were the feeble sex, they were not clever enough or firm enough to have the vote. They believed women to have a number of disabilities that would be a problem if they had the vote: physical, biological and emotional. They believed women were emotional and this could overshadow their better judgement when it came to voting. Conservative men also feared for society; they thought that if women had the vote then they would drop all responsibilities in the home and would not stay home to look after the children or keep the house, as it should traditionally be. In source E, the MP says “ …we will ultimately put the control of the government of this country into female hands.”. Men were concerned that if women got the vote they would overrun the men and have more power than they had, therefore controlling the country.
However, not everyone in parliament was against women’s suffrage. Some Liberal MP’s believed women had every right to vote that men had, but some felt that it was the least of their worries for it was not on their list of priorities at the time. The government was dealing with 2 main issues, the first being the threat of a war and defending their empire and the second being the problem with Ireland and their want for a home rule. There were a number of Irish MPs who’s support was very important to the liberals, without them they would lose a lot of power so British MPs had to be very careful.
However the Liberals did not know what to do about the suffragettes. Although their campaign had been successful in keeping the issue in the news and on the list of priorities, it also meant it was hard for their liberal supporters to help them. Their violent and spontaneous campaigns meant the government could not trust them.
Looking at all these factors, we can conclude that women did not have the vote by the outbreak of the First World War for various reasons. The government had the pressing issues of conflict in Europe, Trade Union activity and the home rule in Ireland, so although the suffragettes had made women’s suffrage an issue, it was not one of the most importance. There were also disagreements on how to give women the vote, how could they give women the vote if not all men had it? Parliament was not the only people with conflicting opinions; the suffragettes themselves were not united. There were many disagreements on the scale of violence to be used. Some felt it needed to be stronger and some felt that they needed to be calmer. When Herbert Asquith became the new Prime Minister it became even harder for women to see themselves ever having the vote. Asquith was very conservative and held the views of a traditional male. These reasons taken into consideration, including the evidence of sources D and E show us why women did not have the vote by the outbreak of the First World War.
