Why Did The Campaign For Women's Suffrage Become Militant Between 1903 And 1914

Why did the campaign for women’s suffrage become militant between 1903 and 1914 and what, if anything, did this campaign achieve? The campaign for women's suffrage began in earnest in 1867, when Liberal MP John Stuart Mill, an influential thinker of classical liberalism, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the 1867 Reform Act. This piece of legislation enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first time, but the amendment granting enfranchisement of all households, regardless of sex, was defeated by 194 votes to 73. The campaign to achieve improved rights for women continued in the late 19th century, but although some progress was made in areas of employment and education, attempts to achieve women’s suffrage

Although the Third Reform Bill in 1880 was much more inclusive of women, it did not make it past the second reading in the House after it was shut down by Prime Minister William Gladstone. The Representation of the People Act 1884 (the Third Reform Act), established a uniform franchise throughout the country, but the act still completely excluded women, showing that attitudes were still slow to change even among their supporters. Women did, however, become more involved in politics after the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Act 1883 against electoral corruption greatly reduced the spending power of parties in elections. This led many women to volunteer to hold functions and make speeches, mostly for the Conservatives, as they couldn't afford to pay men to do the same jobs. This led to an acceptance in some quarters that women had a political role to

The aim was the ‘immediate enfranchisement’ of women with the slogan ‘deeds, not words’. As the Suffragettes embarked on a campaign of direct action, the effectiveness of the first acts of militancy in the movement encouraged them to continue on this path. In 1905 Christabel Pankurst and Annie Kennedy interrupted one of Churchill's election meetings in one of the first direct actions. They were forcibly removed and subsequently arrested for disturbing the peace. After refusing to pay the fine of 10 shillings they spent a week in jail. This incident gained more publicity than a whole year of peaceful protests using constitutional methods meaning militant tactics now increased in their frequency and severity. There were public demonstrations, processions to parliament and the physical harassment of many prominent Liberals, leading to skirmishes with the police, arrests and severe punishments in the courts for minor offences. For example, Theresa Billington was imprisoned for two months for ringing the doorbell of Prime Minister Asquith’s house. The initial success in raising the profile of the movement was a major reason why it became more militant and why these tactics