Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils analyse why it took so long for women to win the vote in Britain. They learn about the position of women in the early twentieth century, the campaigns for suffrage and the government's responses to these campaigns and women's contributions during the Great War.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain that women's contributions during the First World War were a crucial turning point in the campaign for women's suffrage.

Key Notes

• War broke out in Europe in 1914, causing the suffrage campaign to be suspended.
• Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers during the war to replace men who had gone to fight.
• Women's contributions to the war effort strengthened the campaign for women's suffrage.
• The 1918 Representation of the People Act gave the vote to all men and married women aged over 30.
• In 1928, the Equal Franchise Act gave votes to everyone aged 21 or older, including women.

Vocabulary To Learn

• suffrage: the right to vote
• unprecedented: never known or done before
• franchise: the ability to vote

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• The belief that all women supported the war, and that women were immediately involved in war work from 1914.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Campaigns for women's suffrage Study Guide
• The government's response to the suffragettes Study Guide
• The position of women in the early twentieth century Study Guide
• The suffragettes Study Guide
• Why it took so long for women to get the vote in Britain Study Guide