THE SUFFRAGETTES

The following year Richard Pankhurst, an MP and Manchester lawyer (avocat), made a fresh (nouvel) attempt (essai) to win (gagner) votes for women. His wife and daughter, Emmeline and Christabel, went on(continuer) to become the two most important figures in the movement.

The first country to give the vote to women was New Zealand in 1893, a move (mouvement) which acted as a major fillip (bonus) to British campaigners. Australia took nine more years to do the same.

On 10 October 1903, the Women's Social and Political Union - its members soon be nicknamed (surnommer) the suffragettes - held (tenir) its inaugural meeting, and declared that the situation was so serious it would have to pursue (mener/poursuivre) extreme measures of civil disobedience (désobéissance)..

Women began chaining themselves to railings (rails), and within five years the campaign had extended to smashing (brisant) windows.

The most determined - and the first to be jailed - were Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kennedy. They disrupted a Liberal Party meeting, got themselves arrested and then refused to pay fines (amendes) so their jailing (emprisonnement) created headlines (faire la une des journaux).

Arson attacks

By 1911, the UK had witnessed the first act of suffragette arson (incendie) (orchestrated by Christabel) and two years later Emily Davison died at the Derby as she rushed out(s'élancer) to bring down (renverser) the King's horse.

War effort

World War I proved to be the turning point (tournant décisif) for the campaign. As men went to the Western Front, women proved how indispensable they were in the fields (domaine) and armaments factories (usine d'armement).

By 1918, no government could resist and the Representation of the Peoples Act allowed women over 30 the right to vote. It would take a further 10 years to abolish the age qualification and put men and women on an equal footing.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/3153388.stm

Published: 2003/10/02 16:07:06 GMT

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