The Suffragettes were the main cause of the failure in gaining the votes for women. Before the First World War, many people who might otherwise have supported women’s suffrage were put off by the violent activities of the suffragettes. They said that the suffragettes were simply proving that women were irresponsible and could not be trusted with the vote.
In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst formed the Women’s social and Political Union (WSPU). Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel believed that militant tactics were needed to gain the vote. ‘Deeds, not words’ was to be the motto of the (WSPU.). Emmeline expected a fight but little did she envisage the violent and often savage struggle that was to follow on the basis of that motto. The suffragettes disrupted political meetings, harassed anti-suffragist politicians, and attacked private property- smashing windows and planted bombs. Many law-breaking protestors were arrested and some women embarked on hunger strikes once in prison only to be force- fed by the prison authorities. Such activities attracted a lot of publicity for the women’s suffrage movement.
Just when it looked like the Suffragettes were gaining the sympathy of people by going on hunger strike in prison, the government passed the 'Cat and Mouse' Act which released them until they recovered, but were later brought back to prison to complete their sentence. A classic tactic for the suffragettes was the non-violent protest that involved chaining themselves to railings and forcing the police to arrest them and the courts to punish them (see image below). This resulted in publicity for the cause and it made out that the state was oppressing women in a very direct way. This was a bit of a pantomime. The police did not want to oppress them, or arrest them, but were forced into the confrontation.
In 1912, the Suffragettes applied new militant tactics as hundreds of women took to the streets of London. They attacked shops on Oxford Street and The Strand smashing windows and even threw stones at 10 Downing Street. 120 women were arrested that day as they made no attempt to hide the hammers they had used. All this action achieved no more than vague statements about some reforms to include women’s suffrage.
After 1912, when parliament refused to pass a suffrage law, the Suffragettes became more violent. They physically assaulted politicians, destroyed paintings in the National Gallery and in 1913 Emily Davison threw herself under the King's horse and was killed. These violent tactics lost support for the campaign. The government didn't want to be seen to give in to the violent demands of the Suffragettes as this would have made them look weak. Although the suffragettes were an aggressive group of campaigners, they were women of principle and pursued their goal with great passion, and determination
However, there was another group of campaigners who believed in more peaceful methods. These were known as the ‘Suffragists’, who were also known as the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. The Suffragists used peaceful means such as meetings, petitions, reasoned arguments and legal propaganda to persuade Parliament to give Women the same voting rights as men. An English politician John Stuart Mill (1806- 1873) proposed that women should gain the vote, eighty MP’s had supported Johns amendment. However, when the bill was passed, it only extended male voting rights. In spite of the tireless campaigning by the Suffragists, progress was slow. As a result, some British Suffragists turned to direct action.
Although, many supported the idea of women gaining the vote, there were some people who strongly believed that the cause of women’s suffrage was wrong. In 1908, a novelist and social worker, Mrs. Humphrey Ward started the Women’s Anti-Suffrage League. She as many others believed that a woman’s righteous place was in the home, and any spare energy and time should be spent helping those less fortunate than herself and not fighting for her right’s.
In conclusion, I think that in 1914 the women of Britain hadn't had the chance to really prove themselves as they did in the First World War when they greatly helped the war effort. I believe that the suffragette movement had a great effect on bringing about changes in voting laws, and also raised the profile of the issue of women’s votes to that of national consideration. However, I also believe that women’s efforts during the war also revealed their capabilities, which were previously unknown.
