March 8. Remembering the Women Suffragettes
Still from the film "The Great Race" (1965). Among the many forms of struggle of suffagists for women's suffrage, there was this: they handcuffed themselves at the doors of men's toilets in various organizations, which greatly interfered with their work!
Then one woman threw a piece of millstone on Abimelech’s head and broke his skull.
Book of Judges of Israel, 9:53
Book of Judges of Israel, 9:53
Events stories. Let's start with the fact that, although in the same Bible a woman is secondary in relation to a man, there are also very active women who do God knows what. In real life it was even worse: seemingly weak, gentle and beautiful women, like wild cats, fought as gladiators, dressed in armor, led knightly squads, led the defense of castles and fortresses, were noble pirates and personal bodyguards, pilots, tankers, snipers and... captains of long-distance sailing... That is, they managed to distinguish themselves where many strong men failed.
But all this was an exception to the general rule. Moreover, weak and worthless men took it out on their stronger spouses, hiding behind the name of the law. They could vote in elections, but women could not. And of course, they did not like this second-class position. Maybe not all of them, but many of them. And... This discontent and demand for equal voting rights with men resulted in the famous suffragette movement, which we will tell you about today.
Suffragettes march through the streets of London, 1907. Note the crowds watching their procession.
Let's start with the fact that women declared their intention to obtain voting rights back in 1792. It was then that a certain Mary Wollstonecraft published an article with the telling title "In Defense of Women's Rights", which asserted women's rights to equal pay with men for work and also the right to education. The fact is that, according to the law, married women actually became an appendage to their husband and could not take a step without his consent. And this situation lasted until the very end of the 1890th century, so it is not surprising that by XNUMX there were a lot of radically minded women in England.
There were no fewer of them at the same time in the USA, where the "American National Association of Women" was created in the same year. Moreover, the need for change was already so obvious that in 1893 women were granted the right to vote in New Zealand. Three years later, women in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming also received it in the USA. But in conservative England the process "did not go", so in 1897 the "National Union of Women's Suffrage" appeared there.
The suffragettes were only happy when they were arrested. Then they went on hunger strike. They were force-fed, which only caused even more indignation in British society… Photograph from 1913
It is interesting that it was not only men who were against granting women the right to vote. Many women, who were afraid of the destruction of their usual way of life, were also against it. After all, it was generally accepted that “women are more stupid than men,” that “politics can corrupt women,” and that equality could lead to a reduction in the birth rate, and the British Empire would not have enough soldiers! But the Anglo-Boer War was still going on, the male population of England was suffering losses, and as a result, the number of women began to greatly exceed the number of men. But such arguments did not work on the suffragettes — that’s what women fighters for the right to vote were called, from the English word suffrage — “voting right”!
A typical PR technique: loud screams from the window, made by a girl in red. Red is the most energetic color. The color of dominance. That is why a “woman in red” is a threat to men. By the way, this is why American psychologists do not advise their girls to wear red underwear for their first intimate meeting with young men…
Women began marching, not only carrying placards and slogans, but also using violence against British police officers, beating them with their umbrellas. A popular slogan of the day was: "If politicians don't hear us, we must strike at what these gentlemen especially value"Women declared war on golf courses, began breaking windows in government buildings (the cobblestone streets were their help!) and even encroached on wine cellars.
Women's picket near the Sentinel newspaper. Still from the film "The Big Walk"
Of all the politicians, the ladies hated Winston Churchill the most, because he insulted one of the suffragettes, who called him a drunk and heartless boor. "I'll sober up tomorrow," Churchill chuckled, "but your legs will remain crooked as always." As a result, a man sympathetic to the suffragette movement attacked him with a whip for this insult.
Still from the film "The Big Walk". The posters read: "Women's suffrage!"
At the Bristol railway station, suffragette Teresa Garnett hit Churchill with a flagpole, shouting loudly: "You dirty beast, an English woman deserves respect!" And then they started throwing stones and pieces of coal at him. And although Churchill was no coward, he needed bodyguards, because the police found out that the suffragettes had decided to take an extreme measure - to kidnap his child. It is funny, but what offended the suffragette ladies more was that they, often the owners of large estates, were deprived of the right to vote, but their gardeners and butlers were free to vote! Such a situation, in their opinion, was humiliating, since their servants had more rights than they themselves!
It's funny that, like many other things, the movement for equality between women and men itself began with a lady named Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928) who couldn't forget her father's words, "What a pity she's not a boy!" The poor man had no idea that at that moment his daughter would come up with the idea that in the Bible all people are equal, but for some reason "boys are better than girls."
That is, with just one phrase he changed the life of not only his daughter, but also the entire course of American and European history! Because in 1903, Emeline Pankhurst founded the "Women's Social and Political Union", in which her two daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, played the most active role.
Christabel Pankhurst. Photograph 1910
Already in 1905, Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Keene pushed aside the guards and, having burst into the Parliament building, addressed two famous politicians – Winston Churchill and Edward Grey – asking why they did not want to give English women the right to vote?! They were terribly surprised and remained silent, and then both suffragettes unfurled a poster with the inscription "Women's right to vote!" and began shouting various threats at Churchill and Grey. It was a real shame, because Britain at that time was famous for its political tolerance, and suddenly this was happening right in Parliament.
The girls were immediately arrested for hooliganism and assault on police officers and thrown into jail. But this only made the situation worse, as it made them heroines who suffered for a "just cause." The suffragettes immediately felt that they had every moral right to "respond blow for blow."
And so it began: women in boats began to sail along the Thames and shout insults at members of parliament. Others refused to pay taxes, which was simply unthinkable in law-abiding England. Politicians were attacked on their way to work, and homemade bombs filled with nails and nitroglycerine, which women “cooked” in their kitchens, were thrown into their homes. Real women’s terrorist organizations were created, which, however, only accepted unmarried girls under 30. One of the most famous arsonists and bombers was Kitty Marion (1871-1944), a former music hall actress. And then the suffragettes had their own martyr!
Emily Wilding Davidson under the hooves of a horse, and no one has yet figured out what happened! In general, of course, it's terrible what people can go to in their social "hobbies"!
On June 4, 1913, Emily Wilding Davison, 32, threw herself under the hooves of a galloping horse at the Epsom races, and died of severe injuries four days later. A purple, green and white suffragette flag was found on her, so it was obvious that she had done it on purpose. However, many have now asked themselves an unpleasant question: “If such actions are committed by a highly educated and well-mannered woman, then what can an uncultured and uneducated one do? And can such women be given the right to vote?”
The same incident, only from a different angle...
Here, fortunately for Britain, the First World War began. And the suffragettes directed all their energy to helping their country. Pankhurst got the government to allow British women to work in military factories. And then it happened that millions of young English women joined the thinning ranks of factory workers. And many even put on... trousers, rubber boots and began to work as cowgirls on farms, that is, with pitchforks in their hands, doing hard and dirty men's work. Photos of such women in Russia appeared on the pages of the magazine "Niva", and this was a very good example. However, French women in those years also contributed to the defeat of the enemy, but they were given the right to vote only after the Second World War.
That's how they, the suffragettes, often acted: they could show off their legs in elegant stockings beyond all decency and even smoke cigars. So what? Equality is equality, isn't it? Still from the comedy film "The Great Race". Starring the charming Natalie Wood
And it is not surprising that in England, already in 1918, the suffragettes, who had done so much for the country, achieved a decisive victory: the government gave women the right to vote, although not younger than 30 years old, and only with an education and... a certain position in society, so that women “without a certain occupation” were still barred from the ballot box.
Nowadays, women also go out to demonstrate, protesting against all sorts of things. For example, these ladies are protesting against the revival of fascism!
Well, in Germany in 1918 women got the right to vote, in Spain they got their way in 1932, French, Italian and Japanese women got this right in 1945... But in Switzerland women managed to achieve this only in 1971. Well, in Jordan they were able to go to the polls only in 1974, and in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia they still do not have the right to vote! Christabel Pankhurst was not forgotten either: by decision of the British government in 1936 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire!
Unfortunately, the fight for women's rights in Europe, and in the US, at some point clearly degenerated into extremes, and extremes in any society represent a dead-end form of its development. Fortunately, this is exactly the case when we in our country can observe the consequences of this social experiment from afar and see that extremes in any form do not lead to anything good!
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