Describe the ways in which the methods of the suffragists and suffragettes were different.

In this essay I will be describing the differences between the methods of the suffragettes and the suffragists. I will make clear the methods of both groups and will then compare and contrast to show the differences.

The suffragists were the calm and peaceful group and used constitutional and parliamentary methods. They were a non violent group and used approaches like writing letters and having meetings with members of parliament. The suffragists were lead by a woman called Millicent Fawcett who ran the NUWSS. This was the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies. It was founded in 1897 and united most existing societies as before there had been over 500 local branches but they were all working separately. The aim of the NUWSS was to improve women’s political rights. They used methods such as reasoning and petitioning to achieve this aim. They also supported candidates who were in favour of women’s suffrage and trained women to speak in elections. In the 1906 elections, they put forward a male member to compete with the liberal politicians. Another example of their non violence was in 1905 when Emily Davies went to the House of Commons accompanied by ten other women with a petition. They were told to be patient and did so.

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Although the suffragists made progress, they were quite slow and during this period of time a group of women broke off them and created their own group called the suffragettes who were much more violent. They used methods like direct action and of which most were illegal. For example they used methods like rioting and sit ins and these methods often involved public disorder. An example of this was in 1913 when they blew up a part of the MP David Lloyd George’s house. A woman called Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst ran this group. They were a trio of strong minded women who were hard to break down. They were very severe women and many often called their way of thinking dictatorial. Christabel Pankhurst said, “ One decision I came to firmly it was that this voting question must be settled… To go on pleading was undignified.” This shows they were fed up wit the waiting game. The group they ran was called the WSPU, which stood for the Women’s Social and Political Union and their motto was, ‘ deeds not words.’ They used militant methods like hunger strikes and using loud megaphones to heckle speakers at liberal meetings. For example in 1909, Marion Dunlop became the first women to go on a hunger strike. Although they were fighting for women’s suffrage, this did not include all women, as there original aim was to gain the vote for rich and propertied women. An example of the violent methods they used was in 1905 when Christabel Pankhurst was sent to prison for spiting and hitting a policeman. One of the most noted incidents was when Emily Davidson ran under the King’s horse at the derby race in 1913. She was trying to emphasise the cause of women’s suffrage. To show they had no fear, the suffragettes even attacked Buckingham Palace in May 1914. In addition, Amelia Brown and Alice Paul went to the Lord Mayor’s banquet with Winston Churchill and pretended to be kitchen staff. Then when they all toasted the King, the pair threw their shoes at the windows.

After disagreeing with the way the Pankhursts ran the WSPU, Teresa Brieg, Elizabeth HowMartyn, Charlotte Despard and 70 other members left the WSPU and formed a new group called The Women’s Freedom League. The WFL were a militant group who used methods like not paying taxes and filling out census forms. When the WSPU and NUWSS decided not to campaign during the war, the WFL disagreed and when the elections came, they weren’t very popular because of this decision.

There were many visible differences between the suffragettes and the suffragists. Firstly the style of leadership was very different. Emmeline Pankhurst was very severe and used violent methods were as Millicent Fawcett was much more reasonable and non violent. Then there was a difference in the reasons why the two groups formed. The suffragists were the first to be formed and were created to improve the political rights of women. On the other hand, the suffragettes were a group of women who broke off the suffragists as they felt the progress made by the group was not good enough. A major difference was the methods they employed. The suffragettes used methods like direct action and were very violent where as the suffragists were the complete opposite. They used constitutional and parliamentary methods and were not at all violent. Another difference between the two was there membership and aims. The suffragists was open to all as they asked for support from men and women where as the suffragettes restricted membership to only women. Also the aim of the suffragists was to improve the political rights of women where as the suffragettes wanted to gain the vote for only rich and propertied women. Although there were many differences, there was a similarity. When the Second World War came, they both agreed not to campaign but to instead join in with the war effort by taking up the jobs of the men who had to go to the front line to fight.

Although there was the one similarity between the suffragettes and the suffragists, they were vastly different in the style of membership, leadership and in the methods they used.

Jasmeet Singh 11x1 History -

Mrs Carrington