"The suffragists & suffragettes did little to help the suffrage movement up to 1914"

P1 - Suffragettes did do little to help

• Alienated people with their militant actions eg. They chained to railings, set fire to mailbox contents , digged up golf courses & detonated bombs including DLG’s Surrey house → Conveyed to people that women were too emotional, unstable & shouldn’t have vote, Daily Mail made “suffragettes” a patronising term

• Criminality of actions offended law abiding majority eg. Asquith didn’t support suffrage due to WSPU violence & wouldv’t been accused of giving into fanatics due to coercion

• Split the women’s movement: Millicent Fawcett & more moderate NUWSS continued with traditional tactics eg. using sympathetic MPs, backbench bills & petitions → By 1900, they were accused of being too cautious by WSPU

• Historian Sandra Stanley described NUWSS “they were prepared to play a waiting game & continued to favour a strategy of political pressure through parliamentary lobbying”

• Fawcett coudln’t envision collaboration with law breaking WSPU as she was uncomfortable with lack of internal democracy & expresses distaste for increasing violence of their demonstrations

• WSPU led by Emmeline Pankhurst & her daughters in 1903 & wanted more radical activity —> Division made movement seem irrational, chaotic & disjointed, might have been successful if they worked together & more coordinated and consistent

• HOWEVER: Suffrage Movement rather hindered by politicians eg. Asquith opposed —> Any plan to bring in votes for women would have harmful effect on stability of Liberals

P2 - Suffragettes did gain public attention for good reasons

• Sylvia Pankhurst’s arrest & subsequent imprisonment in Manchester

• Hunger strikes

• Constance Lytton- Sister of a peer (HoL). She used an alias when arrested and was force fed. She was then released when her true identity was revealed, but later suffered a heart attack and several strokes which left her paralysed on her right side.

• Passing of Cat & Mouse Act 1913 eg. Mary Jane Clark (sister of Emmeline Pankhurst) died in Dec 1910 perhaps as a result of being force fed in Holloway prison

• Emily Davidson thrown herself under King’s Horse at Epsom in 1913 was headline news

• Helped to gain publicity & it was an issue difficult to ignore meanings woman’s suffrage issue was hard to ignore

• HOWEVER: Suffragette direct action created a counter organisation → 1908 National Anti-Suffrage Movement, Fawcett claiming suffragettes did more harm than good for cause of votes for women

P3 - Suffragettes helped to get more political support for change

• Emmeline Pankhurst worked in alliance with Labour Leader Keir Hardie who was sympathetic & in 1905 he introduced a PMB & though it was certainly to be defeated, it showed women were able to get their issues discussed in Parliament

• 1910-12 there was 4 bills of female suffrage introduced into Parliament & although not successful it shows the attention they gained eg. 1910 PMB Conciliation Bill, 1911 May Second Conciliation Bill passed 255 to 89, 1911 Nov Asquith announced a suffrage bill for the next session, 1912 June Franchise and Registration Bill shelved until Jan 1913

• HOWEVER: Mrs Pankhurst felt only women of independent means should be considered invariably meaning MC & UC women closely identified with Cons (then in opposition) —> If Liberals introduced bill limiting vote to these women, it would greatly aid support for main Cons party, Labour despite being sympathetic to cause also opposed this way of granting it

Conclusion

• Although Suffrage movement did not really progress up to 1914, that does not necessarily make the statement in the question true.

• Clearly did make many efforts eg. by risking going to prison and going on hunger strikes shows how dedicated and devoted they were to their motive of gaining equality, and thereby the vote, for women

• Reason for their failure was government and their refusal to listen and help.