The British women's suffrage campaign, 1866-1928 / Harold L. Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Harold L.

Series:

Seminar studies in history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women--Suffrage--Great Britain--History--19th century.

Women.

Women--Suffrage--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Feminism--Great Britain--History.

Feminism.

Women--Political activity.

History.

Women--Suffrage.

Great Britain.

Women--Political activity--Great Britain--History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 167 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Harlow, England ; New York : Pearson/Longman, [2007]

Summary:

The Women's Suffrage Movement was a phenomenon unparalleled in British History. It was the largest women's movement the country had ever seen, and it succeeded both in gaining equal voting rights for women and in securing their right to be elected to the House of Commons. In this second edition of his widely acclaimed text, Professor Smith explains how, beneath the surface of a movement for change in franchise policy, reformers and their opponents alike were fighting a broader ideological battle that seemed to threaten the very roots of Victorian Britain. Smith explores how supporters of women's suffrage fought this battle through both militant and democratic suffragist tactics. He argues that it was not militancy but political manoeuvring that finally brought about equal franchise rights, while the larger goal of undermining gender structures was much more difficult to attain. In this new edition, the author: Provides an up-to-date synthesis of the most recent scholarship, Presents new evidence on the backstage collaboration between Conservative women and the NUSEC to persuade the Conservative Party to endorse equal franchise rights in the 1920s, Emphasises the effectiveness of the political manoeuvering that brought eventual success to the movement. An ideal introduction for those approaching the material for the first time, this is essential reading for teacher and student alike.

Contents:

Publisher's Acknowledgements x

Part 2 Analysis 5

2 The Victorian Suffrage Campaign, 1866-97 7

Origins 7

Ideology 10

Internal divisions 11

Legislation proposed 12

Party loyalty 14

The 1890s revival 16

NUWSS formed 19

3 The Constitutional Societies, 1897-1910 21

The new Liberal Government 22

The Mud March 23

Internal tensions 24

Democratic suffragists 28

Organized anti-suffrage opposition 28

Scotland and Wales 29

Church and university societies 30

4 The Militant Societies, 1903-14 34

Militancy and the WSPU 37

The move to London 40

The WSPU splits from the ILP 41

The Women's Freedom League established 44

Scotland and Wales 46

WSPU ideology 47

WSPU leadership 48

Black Friday 49

New forms of militancy 50

Anti-male policy 53

Sex-war 55

5 The NUWSS-Labour Alliance, 1910-14 61

The Conciliation Bill 61

Liberal women's reaction 63

Labour Party alliance 64

Election Fighting Fund Committee 66

Revolt against EFF policy 68

6 War and Suffrage Reform, 1914-18 72

Suffragists and the peace movement 73

Divisions within the NUWSS 75

The WSPU and the war 77

Equal or adult suffrage? 79

Suffrage reform revived 81

The Speaker's conference 82

Conservative opposition to reform 85

Suffrage deputation 86

The Representation of the People Bill 87

7 Equal Franchise, 1919-28 90

The feminist societies 91

The Labour Government and franchise reform 95

Women and the Conservative Party 96

Conservative Party reform pledge 97

Women's reform strategies 99

Part 3tAssessment 107

Part 4 Documents 113

Who's Who 141.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 146-151) and index.

ISBN:

1405832843

9781405832847

OCLC:

122284242