Table of Contents
What did the government think of the suffragettes?
The government refused to treat them as political prisoners and, instead, they were treated as ordinary criminals. This included not being allowed to speak and having to empty their chamber pots each morning. The government wanted to frighten and humiliate suffragettes so that they would stop this tactic.
How did the suffragettes disrupt Parliament?
Initially the WSPU’s tactics were to cause disruption and some civil disobedience, such as the ‘rush’ on Parliament in October 1908 when it encouraged the public to join them in an attempt to invade the House of Commons. 60,000 people gathered but the police cordon held fast.
Who supported the suffragettes?
In 1907, a group of 42 influential men including Henry Nevinson, Israel Zangwill, Hugh Franklin, Henry Harben, and Gerald Gould, formed the Men’s League for Women’s Suffrage (A banner is exchanged in the picture above).
What violent things did the suffragettes do?
But activism grew to include planting bombs, smashing shop windows and acts of arson. Targets were not just buildings, even artworks were mutilated – most notably Velazquez’s famous Rokeby Venus, repeatedly slashed with a meat cleaver at the National Gallery in 1914.
How did people get women’s suffrage in Parliament?
One way of making Parliament consider public opinion is to submit a petition, signed by as many people as possible, to indicate to MPs the level of concern. The Kensington Society petition, with 1,521 signatures calling for votes for women, was submitted in 1866.
What was the violence in London during the suffragettes?
The capital city saw a wave of cultural violence: the British Museum had mummy cases smashed, and bombs were discovered in St Paul’s and the Metropolitan Tabernacle, where a postcard was left bearing the words, ‘Put your religion into practice and give the women freedom.’
Why did the suffragettes go to prison for?
Political prisoners received different treatment in prison – and, of course, recognising the suffragette’s militant actions as political, rather than merely criminal, added legitimacy to the political argument for women to be entitled to the vote.
Why was Churchill so opposed to women’s suffrage?
The vote was restricted to “heads of household” (male). If extended to women, it would cover only the small number of female householders. A possible compromise was to enable married women to vote with their husbands as co-householders. This was opposed by the Conservatives, and even some of Churchill’s fellow-Liberals.