Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)

The campaign for Women's Suffrage was a long and tireless campaign, from the formation of NUWSS in 1897 the battle lasted many decades. Emmeline Pankhurst, who had been a member of the Manchester suffragist group 'had grown impatient with the middle class, respectable, gradualist tactics of the NUWSS' (BBC, 2014). This left many other women angry and in 1903 the Women's Social and Political Union was founded by 'Emmeline Pankhurst and her eldest daughter Christabel' (Joannou & Purvis, 1998, p.45) she was later joined by her other daughters Sylvia and Adela. WSPU members became known as the Suffragettes, they had their 'own magazine The Suffragette, which aimed to get letters and articles published in national newspapers' (Kidd & Rees, 2003, p.45).

http://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/uk/emily-pankhurst.html

They fought a more militant fight with radical action adopting the motto 'deeds not words' they resorted to violent actions 'they annoyed public speakers at political meetings, set fire to pillar boxes and chained themselves to railings' (Kidd & Rees, 2003, p.46) to raise awareness for their cause.

Emmeline Pankhurst defended the militant tactics of WSPU on the grounds that 'the condition of our sex is so deplorable that it is our duty to break the law in order to call attention' (Holton & Purvis, 2002, p.120).

In contrast to the NUWSS fight to secure the vote and to improve the rights of married women the WSPU were solely concerned with obtaining the Vote. Whilst excluding the other aims of NUWSS they also excluded some members by making the WSPU only open to women with the exclusion of men entirely with Christabel Pankhurst stating 'we are absolutely independent...of all mens parties and movements' (Winslow, 2013, p.65).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/9662627/A-room-of-her-own-The-battle-for-the-Womens-Library.html

Key Dates - WSPU

1903 - Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) formed in Manchester by Emmeline Pankhurst.

1905 - Militant campaign begins. Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney are arrested and imprisoned. Deeds not Words and Votes for Women are adopted as campaign slogans.

1906 - WSPU moves to London. Liberal government returned by a landslide.

1907 - Women’s Freedom League (WFL) is formed, led by Charlotte Despard, breaking away from WSPU, in response to domination of the movement by the Pankhursts as leaders, in favour of democratic and constitutional organisation and to address wider agenda of women’s issues.

1908 - Asquith becomes Prime Minister, following resignation of Campbell-Bannerman.

1909 - First hunger strikes by suffragettes. Forcible feeding introduced

1910 - Liberals return to power with reduced majority, Black Friday occurs this year also.

1911 - April: No Vote No Census protest, Record-breaking Coronation procession

1912 - Mass widow-smashing campaign. Labour Party supports women’s suffrage in alliance with NUWSS.

1913 - Speaker’s ruling wrecks hopes of amendment to include women in Reform Bill. Militant bomb and arson campaigns             express widespread fury.

          April: Cat and Mouse Act introduced – women can be temporarily released because of ill-health and then immediately           re-arrested.

          WSPU offices raided.

         June: Emily Wilding Davis dies from injuries received on Derby Day under the hoofs of the King’s horse. Huge funeral             procession held in London. Emmeline Pankhurst is arrested and goes on hunger and thirst strike.

1914 - Violent action continues.

         Sylvia Pankhurst’s East London Federation forced to split from WSPU because of focus on working women and her               socialist links and sympathies.

          4^th August – War is declared. Suffrage prisoners are released

          Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst cease campaigning, support recruitment of soldiers and urge women to join the             war effort.

http://www.thesuffragettes.org/history/key-events/

In 1907 the Women's Social and Political Union itself split into two groups 'after Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel came into conflict with other members (Charlotte Despard and Teresa Billington-Greig) of WSPU' (Crawford, 2003, p.536).Those who left formed the Women's Freedom League (WFL). WFL was also a militant organization which attacked the government, however they criticized the 'WSPU’s campaign of vandalism against private and commercial property' (Holton & Purvis, 2002, p.128). This caused the Pankhursts and their supporters to establish an even tighter grip on the workings of the WSPU (BBC, 2014).

In 1908 WSPU adopted the colours green, white and lilac that symbolised hope, purity and dignity respectively. The acronym of Green, White, Violet was 'rumored to stand as a secret message meaning Give Women Votes' (Atkinson, 2010, p.113).

http://www.edwardianemporium.co.uk/badges/