Women Receiving the Vote

• 20th century great struggle for universal suffrage
• 6th Feb 1918 women finally got the vote albeit it was for those over 30 who were householders or married to one

John Ray - war work proved they deserved it

Britain declared war on the 4th August 1918 - NUWSS suspended campaign

Women worked in munition factories - gratitude and respect

• Granted votes to avoid social revolution. Feared a revitalised Suffragette campaign
• Women aware of influence

AJP Taylor War smoothed the way for democracy

vote extended to "respectable" ladies over 30, not the young who worked

war a catalyst but not important

• peaceful -
• ignored
• too peaceful
• slow
• no spark

• by 1914 membership rose to 53,000
• showed women be trusted
• Persuasive - won over friendly back bench MPS, many accepted the principle
• won over trade unions
• were respected

• militant "deeds not words"
• seen as a nuisance and could not be trusted
• National League of Opposing Womens Suffrage

• MASSIVE media attention
• if not for WSPU the Liberal Government not have discussed women's suffrage before WW1

• active in public affairs, town councils, school boards
• Pugh "participation in local gov"

education/university and becoming lawyers doctors

Infant Custody Act and Married Womens Property Act 1882

• sexism
• employers still biased
• lacked spark
• progress still slow

• NZ, Finland, Australia had universal suffrage
• Britain was presenting itself as "mother of democracy"
• October 1917 Communist revolution in Russia - desire to strengthen parliamentary democracy

• without other factors it had little effect
• not completely influenced by the actions of other countries
• Britain still leading industrially