Class debate

Did the militant campaign do more harm than good?

What to do:

On 14 October 1908, the 'Glasgow Evening Citizen' commented on an upsurge of militant suffrage.

'The suffragettes are developing into a deadly nuisance … They are, in point of fact, repelling instead of gaining sympathy.'

The issue of the effectiveness of the WSPU militant campaign was much debated in Edwardian society, and remains a key issue for historians today.

You are now going to participate in a class debate on the following motion:

 

'The militant campaign of the Women's Social and Political Union did more harm than good for the women's suffrage movement.'

Your teacher will divide your class into two groups - one group will argue for the motion, and the other group against it. Use the archive sources to support your arguments, including evidence from source 5 to source 37 and from other secondary sources suggested by your teacher.