Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research University of Mascara Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of Foreign Languages Section of English Female Opposition to Women Parliamentary Franchise in England and its Impact on the Suffrage Movement (1908-1918) Dissertation Submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of “Magister” in British Commonwealth and American Studies Presented by Supervised by Miss. GOURCHEL Laounia Dr. SENOUCI MEBERBECHE Faiza Members of the Jury Dr. YAHIAOUI Habib MC ‘A’ President University of Mascara Dr. MEBERBECHE Faiza MC ‘A’ Supervisor University of Tlemcen Dr. FRID Daoudi MC ‘A’ External Examiner University of Tlemcen Dr. MOURO Wassila MC ‘A’ External Examiner University of Tlemcen Dr. ZEGHOUDI Yahia MC’A’ External Examiner University of Tlemcen Academic Year 2016/2017 Dedications This work is dedicated to my dear parents. It is also dedicated to my sisters KADAOUIA and MOKHTARIA. i Acknowledgements Many people have helped me along the way in writing this research work. It would not have been possible without the kindness and the support of a number of people. I am grateful and indebted to their unconditioned support from the formative stages of this work till the final draft. At first, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Dr. SENOUCI MEBERBECHE Faiza for her guidance, unflagging support and valuable advice. My deepest gratitude goes to the members of the jury, the chairman Dr.Yahiaoui Habib , the examiners Dr. FRID Daoudi and Dr. Zeghoudi Yahia. I thank them for their efforts to examine this research work. I’m indebted to all my teachers in the University of Mascara and the University of Tlemcen who shared with me their valuable knowledge. ii Table of Contents Dedications ............................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. iii Abstract ................................................................................................................................. vii List of Acronyms ................................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... ix List of Pictures ........................................................................................................................ x List of Appendices ................................................................................................................. xi General Introduction ........................................................................................................... 01 Chapter One: Historical Background of the Suffrage Campaign and Female Rising Hostilities to the Parliamentary Vote (1866-1908) 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 05 2. Women’s Position in England before the Beginning of the Suffrage Campaign .............. 06 1. 2.1. Women’s Social Position ...................................................................................... 06 2.1Women’s Social Po 2.2. The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Women’s Lives ............................ 08 2.3. The Cultural Perspectives Governing Women’s Lives ...................................... 10 2.3.1. Separate Sphere Ideology: General Overview .................................... 10 iii 2.3.2. The Married Women and the System of Coverture ............................ 12 2.4. Women’s Political Status before the Start of the Suffrage Movement .............. 13 3. Woman Question and the Female Response during the Victorian Era (1837-1901) ........ 15 3.1. Woman Question as a Concept ................................................................... 15 2.5. 3.2. Challenging the Separate Sphere Ideology ................................................. 16 2.6. 3.3. Female Enfranchisement: an Aspect of Woman Question ......................... 17 3. 4. The Victorian Suffrage Campaign in England (1866-1901) ...................................... 19 3.2. 4.1. Definition of Suffrage ................................................................................. 20 3.3. 4.2. The Origin of the Female Suffrage Question ............................................. 21 3.4. 4.3. The Pro-Suffrage Petitions and the Parliamentary Response ..................... 23 3.4.1. 4.3.1. The Reform Bill of 1867 ........................................................... 24 4.3.2. The Reform Bill of 1884 ........................................................... 24 4.3.3. Women’s Pro-suffrage Petitions .............................................. 25 4.4. John Stuart Mill and the Support to Women’s Suffrage ......................... 26 4.5. Women’ Acquisition of the Local Franchise (1869) ............................... 29 4.6. The Establishment of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (N.U.W.S.S.) ............................................................................ 31 5. The Beginning of the Female Anti-Suffrage Campaign (1889) ................................... 32 5.1. Female Anti-suffragism: General Overview ........................................... 34 5.2. The Appeal Against Female Suffrage (June 1889) ................................. 35 5.3. The Anti-Suffrage Campaign: An Outcry Against the “New Woman” in Politics ................................................................................. 39 5.4. The Response of Women Suffragists to the Rising Female Anti- Suffrage Sentiments (1889-1908) ........................................................... 40 5.4.1. An Appeal Against Female Suffrage: A Reply (July1889) .............................................................................. 41 5.4.2. An Appeal from Women of All Parties and All Classes (1892) ..................................................................................... 42 5.4.3. Militancy and the Resort to Violence .................................... 43 iv 6. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 47 Chapter Two: The Female Anti-suffragism in Practice (1908-1914) 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 48 2. The Reasons behind the Female Opposition to the Vote under the Forward Policy (1908-1914) ................................................................................................................... 48 2.1. Definition of the Forward Policy (1908-1914) ........................................ 49 2.2. The Social Reasons ................................................................................... 50 2.3. The Political Reasons ................................................................................ 55 3. The Nature of Women Anti-suffragists.......................................................................... 59 3.1. Women Antis as Maternal Reformers ....................................................... 59 3.2. Women Antis as Imperial Ladies .............................................................. 62 4. The Female Anti-Suffrage Tactics ................................................................................. 66 4.1. The Establishment of Anti-Suffrage Leagues ........................................... 67 4.1.1. The Establishment of the W.N.A.S.L. (1908-1910) ........................... 67 4.1.2. The Establishment of the N.L.O.W.S. (1910-1918) ........................... 70 4.2. The Female Anti-Suffrage Written Tactics ............................................... 73 4.2.1. The Anti-Suffrage Review (1908-1918) .............................................. 73 4.2.2. The Publication of Anti-Suffrage Petitions and Appeals ................... 74 4.2.3. The Publication of Anti-suffrage Leaflets and Pamphlets ................. 75 4.2.4. The Exchange of Letters ..................................................................... 77 4.2.5. The Resort to Postcards and Political Cartoons .................................. 78 4.3. The Delivery of Anti-Suffrage Speeches .................................................. 80 4.4. The Reliance on Opinion Polls .................................................................. 81 5. The Suffragettes’ Militant Strides and the Female Antis’ Response ............................. 82 5.1. The Suffragettes’ Violent Demand of the Vote : The Struggle Continued (1908-1914) ............................................................................. 83 5.2. The Impact of Militancy on the Female Anti-Suffrage Cause .................. 85 6. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 89 v Chapter Three: The Seeds of the Female Anti-Suffragism in the Wartime Era (1914-1918) 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 90 2. World War I and the Suffrage Question ...................................................................