History Suffragettes Dates

Question 1

Suffragettes vs Suffragists

Answer 1

Suffragettes use militant action, whereas the suffragists use prefer peaceful actions.

Question 2

John Stuart Mill

Answer 2

A philosopher, MP and vocal supporter of female suffrage. When he proposed equal suffrage to Parliament in 1867, it was rejected by 194 votes to 73.

Question 3

Emmeline Pankhurst

Answer 3

Helped found the WSPU with her daughters. She was arrested on numerous occasions and went on
hunger strike herself, resulting in violent force-feeding.

Question 4

Millicent Fawcett

Answer 4

A British suffragist who was best known for her work as the leader of the NUWSS, using peaceful and
constitutional means to achieve suffrage for women.

Question 5

Christabel Pankhurst

Answer 5

Co-founded the WSPU and directed campaigns centred on inflammatory rhetoric, protests and violence.
She was sentenced to a period in Holloway prison in 1908 and exiled in France from 1912 to 1913.

Question 6

Marion Wallace-Dunlop

Answer 6

After being imprisoned in 1909, she went on hunger strike as a form of political protest. As a result of her actions, hunger striking became a common response to imprisonment.

Question 7

Sylvia Pankhurst

Answer 7

From 1906, she worked full-time for the WSPU, devising their logo and various leaflets. She contributed
articles to their newspaper and was arrested eight times between February 1913 and August 1914.

Question 8

Emily Davison

Answer 8

A prominent member of the WSPU, Davison was arrested on nine occasions. She died after being hit by King George V’s horse at
the 1913 Derby

Question 9

Herbert Asquith

Answer 9

Prime Minister (1906-1911) and a noted anti-suffragist. He was subjected to several suffragette attacks.

Question 10

David Lloyd George

Answer 10

Chancellor (1908-1915) and Prime Minister (1916-1922). Despite being pro-suffrage, the government’s failure to make progress
meant he was often a target of suffragette activity. He was Prime Minister when the Representation of the People Act 1918 passed.

Question 11

1869

Answer 11

Under the Municipal Franchise Act, unmarried female ratepayers received the right to vote in local government elections.

Question 12

1894

Answer 12

The Local Government Act extended the right to vote in local elections to women who owned property

Question 13

1897

Answer 13

The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) was formed.

Question 14

1900

Answer 14

Thanks to provision under election law, more than one million women were registered to vote in local government elections in England.

Question 15

1903

Answer 15

Emmeline Pankhurst founded the WSPU with her daughters Christabel and Sylvia.

Question 16

1908

Answer 16

300,000 suffragettes marched to Hyde Park, accompanied by brass and silver bands.

Question 17

1910

Answer 17

The first of three Conciliation Bills were put before the House of Commons that proposed extending the franchise to women. A general election was called before it has passed through the full parliamentary process.

Question 18

1910

Answer 18

Following the perceived betrayal of the Conciliation Bill, 300 suffragettes marched to Parliament and were
met with excessive force. Four men and 115 women were arrested in what became known as Black Friday.

Question 19

1912

Answer 19

Mary Leigh threw an axe at Asquith. The Theatre Royal, Dublin was set on fire and bombed while Asquith was there.

Question 20

1913

Answer 20

Five postmen were burned when handling a letter bomb intended for the Prime Minister exploded.

Question 21

1913

Answer 21

Suffragettes bombed Chancellor David Lloyd George’s house.

Question 22

1913

Answer 22

Ten bomb attacks on trains and tube stations across London. In May 1913 alone there were 52 bomb and arson attacks.

Question 23

1913

Answer 23

Hunger-striking suffragettes were temporarily released from prison when they became weak under the Cat and Mouse Act. Once they
had recovered, they were re-arrested to complete their sentences.

Question 24

1913

Answer 24

Emily Davison was killed when she ran out in front of King George V’s horse, Anmer.

Question 25

1913

Answer 25

A five-week, nationwide Women’s Suffrage Pilgrimage culminated in a rally of 50,000 suffragists calling for votes for women in Hyde Park.

Question 26

1914

Answer 26

With the outbreak of World War One (WWI), all militant activity was stopped. Suffragette prisoners were released by the government.

Question 27

1916

Answer 27

The number of women in the workforce dramatically expanded due to the introduction of conscription. Women undertook jobs normally carried out by men and demonstrated they could do the work just as well.

Question 28

1918

Answer 28

The Representation of the People Act was passed by 385 votes to 55. This granted the right to vote to all men over 21 and women over 30 as long as they owned property or were married to property owners.

Question 29

1928

Answer 29

Women were given equal right to vote under the Equal Franchise Act; this meant all women over the age of 21 had the vote.

Question 30

NUWSS

Answer 30

the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies believed in using peaceful, constitutional methods to achieve their goal of women's suffrage. They organised marches, rallies, and other public events to raise awareness and put pressure on politicians.

Question 31

WSPU

Answer 31

the Women's Social and Political Union was a militant suffrage organisation that used more radical and militant tactics such as civil disobedience, hunger strikes, and even arson to draw attention to their cause.

Question 32

Votes for Women

Answer 32

founded in 1907, it was the official newspaper of the WPSU until 1912 and was used for recruitment and fundraising.

Question 33

Hunger Strike

Answer 33

a form of protest where a person refuses to eat in order to draw attention demand a change in policy or action.

Question 34

Forced Feeding

Answer 34

the practice of feeding someone against their will; it was used by police to reduce the impact of hunger strikes.

Question 35

Suffrage

Answer 35

the legal and constitutional right to participate in the democratic process by voting in elections.

Question 36

Summary of the Period

Answer 36

The nineteenth century brought legislation that facilitated some gains in social equality, however, by 1900, women’s democratic rights was partial and limited to local elections. The WSPU represented the long tradition of peaceful campaigning for female suffrage, whereas 1903 saw the dawn of a new era of protest: militancy. In the years that preceded WWI, suffragists and suffragettes campaigned simultaneously, but not together, for equal suffrage and their repeated efforts were largely frustrated by a stubborn Parliament. WWI turned national attention elsewhere as women fulfilled essential work, particularly after the introduction of conscription. The various causes of the 1918 Representation of the People Act remain ferociously debated amongst historians, as do the role and relative contributions of the NUWSS and WSPU