The First World War and Womens Suffrage in Britain Essay

Outline A. Plan of Investigation B. Summary of Evidence C. Evaluation of Sources D. Analysis Works Cited A. Plan of Investigation The 19th century was an important phase for feminism in Britain. The suffrage movement began as a struggle to achieve equal rights for women in 1872. Women then became active in their quest for political recognition, which they finally obtained in 1928. This investigation assesses the question: To what extent did the First World War lead to the accomplishment of the women’s suffrage movement of Britain in 1928? Two of the sources used in the essay, The Women’s Suffrage: a short history of a great Movement by Millicent Garrett Fawcett, and The cause: a short history of the womens movement†¦show more content†¦However, members believed the bill threatened the suffrage of men, and it was denied. () The Chartist movement wasn’t a complete failure; it had created the incentive of a feminist idea, outside the British parliament. Many organizations began to be formed, such as the Anti-Corn Law League, (Fawcett, 32) to encourage women to involve in work. However up to the 1850’s, outside of the organizations, women still had no societal role, the movement was scattered and fragmentary. (Fawcett, 64) From the late 1850’s onwards the women’s suffrage movement took on a new era, with a growing crowd of followers, and two main movements the Radicals and the philanthropists of the fifties and sixties. () Both which were attributed to statesmen and philosophers: John bright, Richard Cobden and John Stuart Mill. One of the most important radicals was John Stuart Mill, whose aim was to create a â€Å"complete equality in all legal, political, social, and domestic relations which ought to exist between men and women.† He founded the British Woman Suffrage Association, who was opposed by the British Prime ministers William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, as well as by the monarch Queen Victoria. In 1867 philosopher John Stuart Mill petitioned theShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of the First World War in Achieving Votes for Women in 1918907 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of the First World War in Achieving Votes for Women in 1918 The First World War had a serious effect on womens suffrage. Just as Britain was going to war against Germany in August 1914, the WSPU declared peace with the Liberals. So in theory the war of the sexes was swamped by the World War. However, it has been argued that the greatest effect of the war on womens suffrage was that women were given the vote towards the end of it. In the past, historians have Read MoreWomens Rights in Great Britain815 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction +thesis Women’s Rights was one of the major social changes that began to gain attention in the media and to peak in active activity during the twentieth century. Women’s rights had been in the making since the eighteenth century. Some of the earliest documented words for Women’s rights appeared in a letter to John Adams by his wife Abigail Adams. During the making of the United States constitution (from the eighteenth to nineteenth century), she wrote to her husband and asked him toRead MoreWomen Suffrage1050 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish-speaking world, with the publication of Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). During the 19th century, as male suffrage was gradually extended in many countries, women became increasingly active in the quest for their own suffrage. Not until 1893, however, in New Zealand, did women achieve suffrage on the national level. Australia followed in 1902, but American, British, and Canadian women did not win the sam e rights until the end of World War I. The demand forRead MoreWomen‚Äà ´s Suffrage Movement of Europe1187 Words   |  5 Pagesparts of the world. European women fought for suffrage for an extremely long period of time before they were granted full voting rights. Each country approved women’s suffrage at different times, but it occurred in most European countries in the early 20th century. The first country to develop universal suffrage was Finland in the year 1906(â€Å"Women’s Suffrage in Europe†). One of the last countries to become open about women’s voting rights was Switzerland, who didn’t grant women suffrage until 1971(â€Å"Women’sRead MoreEssay on Campaign for Womens Suffrage1064 Words   |  5 PagesCampaign for Womens Suffrage A campaign for women’s suffrage developed in the years after 1870 due to socio-economic and political reasons. The transformation of Britain into an industrialised nation prompted a change in the way gender roles were perceived; separate gender spheres in business, politics and the home were accentuated. Although a woman’s role was still thought to be in the home, they had complete control over all domestic affairs, and began to acknowledgeRead MoreWomen’s Role in Wwi: Before and After1357 Words   |  6 PagesWorld War I made a colossal impact on all aspects of human life and almost everyone in Europe was affected by this impact to different degrees as a consequence. One group in particular, most often illustrated as a real turning point, largely in enfranchisement and employment, were women. The outbreak of WWI saw a number of unexpected changes take place within the common social strata. These changes were prompted by the fact that a new wave of social-thinking was taking shape and eventually affectedRead MoreEssay about The Campaign for Women’s Suffrage1614 Words   |  7 PagesCampaign for Women’s Suffrage The campaign developed at that time, as it was then the rights of women began to improve. Though women were still thought of as second-class citizens, during the 1870’s the women’s suffrage became a mass movement. Prior to 1870, there were laws that meant that women were unable to keep any of their earnings once they married. That also meant that all her possessions belonged to her husband as well. In 1870, the Married Women’s PropertyRead MoreWomens Right to Vote due to Their Contribution to the War Effort1543 Words   |  7 PagesWomens Right to Vote due to Their Contribution to the War Effort In 1918 a major milestone was reached in the fight for womens equality rights, this was women being granted suffrage by the government. During the physical endurance of the four years of the war, women proving themselves equal to men, they were rewarded the vote. The Electoral Reform bill was passed which granted voting rights to all female property owners over 30. Some historians say women were neverRead MoreWomens Roles Prior to World War I1404 Words   |  6 PagesWomens role before World War 1 Prior to the First World War, the jobs men and women held were based primarily on societal constructions of gender: men typically had free choice of their profession and the direction they went hinged largely on their social standing whereas women in the workforce were segregated to work in very specific fields. These fields were largely based on the roles women traditionally held in the home including: housework and textiles. In Great Britain , for example, the majorityRead MoreEssay about World War Is Affect on British Industry and Economics916 Words   |  4 PagesThe outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 produced immediate changes. It is often said that war is the locomotive of history - that is what drives it along. Certainly the First World War helped to produce major changes in Great Britain especially socially and economically. World War I produced major economic changes. British industry had been to a large extent transformed by the mobilization of millions of soldiers and by an unprecedented switch to war production. Under a positive