2. Women’s suffrage campaigns
The Women’s Social and
Political Union (better
known as the
Suffragettes) was set up
in 1903.
They were led by
Emmeline Pankhurst
who had been a
Suffragist. They believed
in direct action.
3. Women’s suffrage campaigns
The Suffragettes’ motto
was “deeds, not words”.
Although they did take
part in peaceful
campaign actions (such
as printing newspapers
or holding rallies), they
often took part in violent
campaign actions to get
attention.
4. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Suffragettes wrote
graffiti on buildings,
broke shop windows and
set churches on fire.
Other Suffragettes
attacked police officers
and politicians. Helen
Crawfurd from Glasgow
smashed a Liberal
politician’s windows.
5. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Other extreme actions
included pouring acid on
golf courses or slashing
famous paintings.
They would chain
themselves to railings
and damage post boxes,
or set fire to the
contents that were
inside them.
6. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Arson was a tactic
favoured by many
Scottish suffragettes.
There were various
attempts to burn down
prominent buildings,
including the
grandstands at Ayr and
Perth racecourses, and
Leuchars train station.
7. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Scottish suffragettes
tried other activities,
including cutting 50
telephones wires in the
Kilmarnock area.
Also Janet Arthur (the
niece of Lord Kitchener)
tried to blow up the
house in which Robert
Burns was born.
8. Women’s suffrage campaigns
In 1913 a bomb was
planted in Farington
House in Dundee. It
started a fire which
destroyed the property.
A letter sent to local
police said: “Farington
Hall. A protest against
British tyranny. Blame
Asquith and Co”
9. Women’s suffrage campaigns
In 1913, two Suffragettes
assaulted the Prime
Minister, Herbert
Asquith, whilst he was
playing golf in
Lossiemouth.
Two young women ran
up to him, knocked off
his hat and hit him with
a magazine.
10. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Future Prime Minister
Winston Churchill was
followed around Dundee
by some Suffragettes.
One woman (Mary
Moloney) rang a bell
every time Churchill
tried to speak. Some
accounts say he hid in a
shed to get away.
11. Women’s suffrage campaigns
As a result of these
illegal actions many
Suffragettes eventually
were arrested.
Once in prison they took
part in hunger strikes to
protest at their
treatment, and try to
embarrass the
government as well.
12. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Ethel Moorhead, who
lived in Dundee, was the
first Scottish suffragette
to be force fed (when in
Calton jail in Edinburgh).
Moorhead had been
involved in actions such
as attacking the police
and refusing to pay tax.
13. Women’s suffrage campaigns
To stop hunger strikes,
the government started
force feeding these
women, which created
more bad publicity.
They then used the Cat
and Mouse Act to
release hunger strikers
until they were well
enough to re-arrest.
14. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Unlike the Suffragists,
the Suffragettes never
publicly backed the
Labour Party’s ‘Votes for
all’ campaign.
This was partly because
some wealthier
Suffragettes did not
actually want poor
women to get the vote.
15. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Many people claim the
Suffragettes’ actions
were the main reason
women eventually got
the right to vote.
By taking part in such
extreme actions it
created lots of publicity,
forcing the government
to listen to them.
16. Women’s suffrage campaigns
The Suffragettes’
support for the war
effort also helped them.
This showed that these
women were
responsible and
patriotic, again helping
those that argued
women deserved the
right to vote.
17. Women’s suffrage campaigns
The use of hunger strikes
created sympathy for
women, and bad
publicity for the
government.
The government also
worried that once the
Great War ended, the
violent campaigns would
again re-start.
18. Women’s suffrage campaigns
However other people
say that the Suffragettes
in fact stopped women
getting the vote.
It was argued that the
Suffragettes’ extreme
actions proved women
were irresponsible and
so shouldn’t get the right
to vote.
19. Women’s suffrage campaigns
By attacking politicians
(some of whom
supported women’s
suffrage) this also cost
them political support.
Members of the public
grew tired of being
inconvenienced by
protest actions, again
losing them support.
20. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Business owners were
angry at their properties
being damaged, and
using letter bombs,
bombs and arson made
the Suffragette seem
dangerous.
All of this again led to a
loss of support for
women’s campaign.
21. Women’s suffrage campaigns
Actions such as cutting
phones lines suggested
to some people that
women were immature
and would not be able to
cope with voting.
Some richer Suffragettes
also did not support
poor women voting, so
hurt the campaign too.
