Higher History Britain 1851 – 1951: Women's Suffrage Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, legislation, and social concepts related to the women's suffrage movement in Britain from 1851 to 1951.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Second-class citizens

A person who is actively discriminated against; a term used to describe the status of women in the late $19^{th}$ century.

Middle class

The social group between the upper and working class, traditionally made up of business owners, professionals, and university graduates.

Working class

The bottom of the class system, consisting of people with manual jobs who were typically paid for hours worked rather than a salary.

Universal

Covers all people equally or in the same way.

White collar

Also known as ‘suit and tie’ workers, referring to people in professional jobs who work at a desk and do not perform manual labor.

Edwardian (era)

The period between $1901$ and $1910$ during which King Edward VII (Queen Victoria’s son) was Britain's Monarch.

“Deeds, not words”

The motto of the WSPU (Suffragettes) reflecting their commitment to taking direct action rather than only talking about the issue of suffrage.

Militant

The use of violent methods in support of a cause.

Telegraph wires

Cables used from the $1840s$ until the late $1990s$ to communicate and send coded messages (telegraphs) across the country.

Hunger strike

A form of non-violent resistance used by Suffragettes in prison where they refused to eat.

Force fed

The administration of liquid food via the throat or nostrils using a rubber tube; a practice ordered by the Government for imprisoned Suffragettes on hunger strike.

WRNS

Women’s Royal Navy Service, formed in $1917$ and later integrated with the Royal Navy in $1993$.

Canaries

A nickname for women working in munitions factories whose skin, fingers, and hair were dyed yellow due to toxic TNT explosives.

Rent strikes

A method of protest against landlords where strikers refuse to pay rent until demands are met, such as the Glasgow strikes in $1915$.

Democratic

A type of government in which the public chooses their leaders through the process of voting.

Franchise

The ability and constitutional right to vote in an election.

NUWSS

The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, or Suffragists, led by Millicent Fawcett, which used peaceful and persuasive tactics.

WSPU

The Women’s Social and Political Union, or Suffragettes, founded in $1903$ by Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters, known for militant tactics.

Representation of the People Act 1918

The legislation passed on $10^{th}$ January $1918$ that gave women over the age of $30$ the right to vote.

Representation of the People Act 1928

The law passed a decade after the first act that allowed women over the age of $21$ to vote, equalizing rights with men.

Prisoners’ Temporary Discharge Act of 1913

Commonly known as the ‘Cat and Mouse Act’, it allowed for the release of women on hunger strike when their health suffered, only to re-arrest them later.

Married Women’s Property Acts (1882 and 1893)

Laws that granted women full legal control of property they owned at marriage or gained afterward through earnings or inheritance.

Custody of Infants Act (1839 and 1873)

Acts that increased mothers' rights over their children, including custody provisions even after convictions for adultery.

Land Girls

A nickname for members of the Land Army (WLA) who took on agricultural roles such as plowing, lambing, and crop gathering during WWI.

The 'wild period'

The period from $1912$ to $1914$ when the Suffragettes increased their militancy with violent protests like firebombing and cutting telegraph wires.

Rent Restriction Act

The first law of its kind in Europe, passed in December $1915$ following rent strikes, which set rents at pre-war levels for the duration of the war.