Votes for Women
The suffrage movement campaigned for women's right to vote, using petitions, protests and sometimes militant action.
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The suffrage movement campaigned for women's right to vote, using petitions, protests and sometimes militant action.
- Suffragists used peaceful methods
- Suffragettes used direct action
- Women over 30 voted in 1918
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Votes for Women?
Within History, which covers ancient civilisations, empires, revolutions, world wars and the making of the modern world, this topic explains Votes for Women. History topics connect events, people and ideas across time, so each one here gives a clear summary and a way to test your understanding.
Check that you can explain Votes for Women in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Votes for Women helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
Votes for Women in detail
In the 19th century, women could not vote or hold most professions. Campaigners formed the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (suffragists) led by Millicent Fawcett, who used peaceful methods such as petitions and meetings.
Emmeline Pankhurst formed the Women's Social and Political Union (suffragettes) in 1903, with the slogan "Deeds not words", using more militant tactics such as window smashing, arson and hunger strikes, and Emily Davison died at the 1913 Derby. During World War One, women's war work changed opinions. In 1918, women over 30 with property gained the vote, and in 1928 women got equal voting rights with men.
How the interactive helps you understand Votes for Women
Watch the timeline in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the timeline responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Votes for Women.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain the causes and consequences of Votes for Women in a well-structured paragraph.
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- Build a timeline that shows when Votes for Women happened and what came before and after.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing events without explaining why they happened.
- Treating one source as the whole story when you study Votes for Women.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Votes for Women
What is Votes for Women?
The suffrage movement campaigned for women's right to vote, using petitions, protests and sometimes militant action.
What are the most important points about Votes for Women?
The main points are: Suffragists used peaceful methods; Suffragettes used direct action; Women over 30 voted in 1918.
Why is Votes for Women useful?
Understanding Votes for Women helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
How can I practise Votes for Women?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Votes for Women?
Related topics in History include Unification of Italy and Germany, Trench Warfare, The Russian Revolution.