Asquith, an opponent, was replaced as prime minister in late 1916 by During the war a serious shortage of able-bodied men ("manpower") occurred, and women were required to take on many of the traditional male roles. However, 1897 saw the foundation of the The tactics of the WSPU included shouting down speakers, hunger strikes, stone-throwing, window-smashing, and arson of unoccupied churches and country houses.

Although there is evidence to suggest that they were originally formed to promote female franchise (the first being in There was significant support for woman suffrage in the Liberal Party, which was in power after 1905, but a handful of leaders, especially The campaign first developed into a national movement in the 1870s. These women were playing an active role in the election. By 1914 the NUWSS had grown to approximately 54,000 members. 7) The movement secured men greater rights too P rior to the Representation of the People Act 1918, not all men could vote. Many disillusioned women began to advocate a more militant approach.

In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst and others, frustrated by the lack of progress, decided more direct action was required and founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) with the motto 'Deeds not words'. Although initially they were fed by force, in 1913 the Prisoners Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act was passed in parliament. • 1818: Jeremy Bentham advocates female suffrage in his book A Plan for Parliamentary Reform. Mill drafted an amendment to the Second Reform Bill that would give women the same political rights as men and presented it to parliament in 1867. These women became known as the suffragettes, and they were willing to take direct, militant action for the cause. 'Women demand the right to vote, the pledge of citizenship and basis of all liberty': Member's card for the Women's Social and Political Union.This photograph documents the arrest of 16-year-old Dora Thewlis, when she and other members of the WSPU attempted to break into the Houses of Parliament in March 1907. Members believed that success could be gained by argument and education. They provide free learning resources that allow audiences to access thousands of digitised treasures from the British Library’s collection, and explore a wealth of subjects from children’s literature and coastal sounds to medieval history and sacred texts. In the early 20th century, after the suffragists failed to make significant progress, a new generation of activists emerged. Yet years of groundwork had gone into this achievement, with the power of the protest playing a crucial role. Almost all of its leaders and most of its members were middle or upper class, and largely they campaigned for the vote for middle-class, property-owning women. The women took their petition to Henry Fawcett and John Stuart Mill, two MPs who supported universal suffrage. The organisation tried to raise its profile peacefully – and legally – with petitions, posters, leaflets, calendars and public meetings. Conservative members wished to move slowly to avoid alarming public opinion, while Liberals generally opposed this apparent dilution of political conviction. 'Fourteen reasons for supporting women's suffrage', published by the NUWSS.In the NUWSS’s aim to win over working-class women, they set out to persuade them that they needed the vote to protect their interests as wives, mothers and workers.From the perspective of some campaigners, the suffragists failed to achieve votes for women by peaceful, ‘respectable’ methods. About 8.4 million women gained the vote.Whitfield concludes that the militant campaign had some positive effects in terms of attracting enormous publicity, and forcing the moderates to better organise themselves, while also stimulating the organization of the To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Women being given the right to vote, a The suffragists were known as the parliamentarians. Suffragettes campaigning against the Liberal Party during the 1910 election.‘Suffrage‘ means the Women's rights were becoming increasingly prominent in the 1850s as some women in higher social spheres refused to obey the gender roles dictated to them. Start of the suffragette movement The Pankhurst family is closely associated with the militant campaign for the vote.

Who were the suffragists and suffragettes, and what are the key differences between them? Firstly, they showed women who were members to be competent in the political arena and as this became clear, secondly, it brought the concept of female suffrage closer to acceptance.