Editing Women's suffrage (section)

==== United Kingdom ====
{{Main|Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Suffragette cartoon by L.M. Glackens.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A British cartoon speculating on why imprisoned [[suffragette]]s refused to eat in prison]]
[[File:Countess Constance Markiewicz-1.1.2 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Constance Markievicz]] was the first woman elected to the British [[House of Commons]] in 1918, but as an [[Irish nationalist]] she did not take her seat, instead joining the [[First Dáil]]. In 1919 she was appointed [[Minister for Labour (Ireland)|Minister for Labour]], the first female minister in a democratic [[Cabinet (government)|government cabinet]].]]
The campaign for women's suffrage in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] gained momentum throughout the early part of the 19th&nbsp;century, as women became increasingly politically active, particularly during [[Chartism|the campaigns to reform suffrage in the United Kingdom]]. [[John Stuart Mill]], elected to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] in 1865 and an open advocate of female suffrage (about to publish ''[[The Subjection of Women]]''), campaigned for an amendment to the [[Reform Act 1832]] to include female suffrage.<ref>Nelson, Carolyn Christensen (2004). ''Literature of the women's suffrage campaign in England'', p. 3. Broadview Press. Retrieved February 29, 2012.</ref> Roundly defeated in an all-male parliament under a Conservative government, the issue of women's suffrage came to the fore.

Until the 1832 Reform Act specified "male persons", a few women had been able to vote in parliamentary elections through property ownership, although this was rare.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Heater|first1=Derek|title=Citizenship in Britain: A History|date=2006|publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-2672-4|page=107|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=js-qBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA107}}</ref> In local government elections, women lost the right to vote under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]]. Unmarried women [[ratepayer]]s received the right to vote in the [[Municipal Franchise Act 1869]]. This right was confirmed in the [[Local Government Act 1894]] and extended to include some married women.<ref name=HoCL2013>{{citation|title=The History of the Parliamentary Franchise|chapter-url=http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/RP13-14|publisher=House of Commons Library|access-date=March 16, 2016|date=March 1, 2013|pages=37–39|chapter=Female Suffrage before 1918|last1=Johnston|first1=Neil}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Heater|first1=Derek|title=Citizenship in Britain: A History|date=2006|publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-2672-4|page=136|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=js-qBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA136}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Women's rights|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/brave_new_world/women.htm|publisher=The National Archives|access-date=February 11, 2015}}</ref><ref name=Synonym>{{cite web|title=Which Act Gave Women the Right to Vote in Britain?|url=http://classroom.synonym.com/act-gave-women-right-vote-britain-5469.html|website=Synonym|access-date=February 11, 2015}}</ref> By 1900, more than 1&nbsp;million women were registered to vote in local government elections in England.<ref name="HoCL2013"/>

In 1881, the [[Isle of Man]] (in the British Isles but not part of the United Kingdom) passed a law giving the vote to single and widowed women who passed a property qualification. This was to vote in elections for the House of Keys, in the Island's parliament, Tynwald. This was extended to universal suffrage for men and women in 1919.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tynwald.org.im/education/women/Pages/VotesForWomen.aspx | title=Tynwald – Parliament of the Isle of Man | access-date=February 6, 2018 | archive-date=April 26, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426153758/https://www.tynwald.org.im/education/women/Pages/VotesForWomen.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the later half of the 19th century, a number of campaign groups for women's suffrage in national elections were formed in an attempt to lobby members of parliament and gain support. In 1897, seventeen of these groups came together to form the [[National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies]] (NUWSS), who held public meetings, wrote letters to politicians and published various texts.<ref name="Cook">Cook, Chris (2005). "The Routledge companion to Britain in the nineteenth century, 1815–1914", p. 124. Taylor & Francis, 2005.</ref> In 1907 the NUWSS organized its first large procession.<ref name="Cook"/> This march became known as the [[Mud March (Suffragists)|Mud March]] as over 3,000 women trudged through the streets of London from [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] to [[Exeter Hall]] to advocate women's suffrage.<ref>Harold L Smith (2007). "The British women's suffrage campaign, 1866–1928" p. 23. Pearson/Longman, 2007.</ref>

In 1903 a number of members of the NUWSS broke away and, led by [[Emmeline Pankhurst]], formed the [[Women's Social and Political Union]] (WSPU).<ref>Scott, Bonnie Kime (2007). "Gender in modernism: new geographies, complex intersections", p. 693. University of Illinois Press, 2007.</ref> As the national media lost interest in the suffrage campaign, the WSPU decided it would use other methods to create publicity. This began in 1905 at a meeting in Manchester's [[Free Trade Hall]] where [[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon]], a member of the newly elected Liberal government, was speaking.<ref name="Purvis">Puris, June; Sandra Stanley Holton (2000). "Votes for women", p. 112. Routledge, 2000.</ref> As he was talking, [[Christabel Pankhurst]] and [[Annie Kenney]] of the WSPU constantly shouted out: "Will the Liberal Government give votes to women?"<ref name="Purvis"/> When they refused to cease calling out, police were called to evict them and the two suffragettes (as members of the WSPU became known after this incident) were involved in a struggle that ended with them being arrested and charged for assault.<ref>{{cite news|title=Suppression of the W.S.P.U. |work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser |date=May 1, 1913 |access-date= February 24, 2015 |url =http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000206/19130501/043/0006 | publisher = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> When they refused to pay their fine, they were sent to prison for one week, and three days.<ref name="Purvis"/> The British public were shocked and took notice at this use of violence to win the vote for women.

After this media success, the WSPU's tactics became increasingly violent. This included an attempt in 1908 to storm the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], the arson of [[David Lloyd George]]'s country home (despite his support for women's suffrage). In 1909 Lady [[Constance Lytton]] was imprisoned, but immediately released when her identity was discovered, so in 1910 she disguised herself as a working class seamstress called [[Constance Lytton|Jane Warton]] and endured inhumane treatment which included [[force-feeding]]. In 1913, suffragette [[Emily Davison]] protested by interfering with a horse owned by King [[George V]] during the running of [[Epsom Derby|The Derby]]; she was struck by the horse and died four days later. The WSPU ceased their militant activities during [[World War I]] and agreed to assist with the [[war effort]].<ref>Leventhal, F. M. (2002). "Twentieth-century Britain: an encyclopedia", p. 432.</ref>

The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, which had always employed "constitutional" methods, continued to lobby during the war years, and compromises were worked out between the NUWSS and the coalition government.<ref name="Cawood">Cawood, Ian; David McKinnon-Bell (2001). "The First World War", p. 71. Routledge 2001.</ref> The [[Speaker's Conference on electoral reform (1917)]] represented all the parties in both houses, and came to the conclusion that women's suffrage was essential. Regarding fears that women would suddenly move from zero to a majority of the electorate due to the heavy loss of men during the war, the Conference recommended that the age restriction be 21 for men, and 30 for women.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/parliamentary-collectionsdelete/representation-of-the-people-act-1918/ |title=Representation of the People Act 1918 |access-date=May 24, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113052/http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/parliamentary-collectionsdelete/representation-of-the-people-act-1918/ |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref><ref>Arthur Marwick, ''A history of the modern British Isles, 1914–1999: circumstances, events and outcomes'' (Wiley-Blackwell, 2000) pp. 43–50.</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Millicent Garrett Fawcett|title=The Women's Victory – and After: Personal Reminiscences, 1911–1918|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E__ZtG2bX7gC&pg=PA140|year=2011|publisher=Cambridge UP|pages=140–43|isbn=978-1-108-02660-4}}</ref>

On February 6, 1918, the [[Representation of the People Act 1918]] was passed, enfranchising women over the age of 30 who met minimum property qualifications. About 8.4&nbsp;million women gained the vote in Great Britain and Ireland.<ref name="Fawcett">Fawcett, Millicent Garrett. "The Women's Victory&nbsp;– and After". p. 170. Cambridge University Press</ref> In November 1918, the [[Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918]] was passed, allowing women to be elected into Parliament. The [[Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928]] extended the franchise in Great Britain and Northern Ireland to all women over the age of 21, granting women the vote on the same terms as men.<ref>Stearns, Peter N. (2008), ''The Oxford encyclopedia of the modern world'', Volume 7. Oxford University Press, p. 160.</ref>

In 1999, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, in naming Emmeline Pankhurst as one of the [[Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century|100 Most Important People of the 20th Century]], states: "...she shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Emmeline Pankhurst&nbsp;– Time 100 People of the Century |url=http://www.yachtingnet.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/pankhurst01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727020126/http://www.yachtingnet.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/pankhurst01.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 27, 2017 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |quote=She shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back. }}</ref>