Why did the suffragette movement in London turn violent in 1908 Essay

Why did the suffragette movement in London turn violent in 1908 - Essay Example The Daily Mail in London, on 10th January 1906, used the word â€Å"suffragette† to identify those women who adopted the method of action and violence in their campaign for their right to vote. â€Å"Suffragists† was used for those women who adopted peaceful and conventional methods in their campaign. Although the women had been fighting for their right to vote ever since the 1860s, the movement gained its momentum under the leadership of Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters Christabel and Sylvia. The Pankhursts’ established the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903. According to June Purvis (2003), Emmeline was moved by the plight of women in poverty. She believed that the only way the women could gain their rights in the society was through the right to vote. As June Purvis (2003) writes, Emmeline believed that â€Å"women.. had to form their own independent movement if the vote was to be won and to find new ways of breathing life into the women’s suffrage campaign.† Pankhurst disagreed with the ways of the NUWSS led by Millicent Garrett Fawcett. NUWSS had adopted peaceful and â€Å"ladylike† conventional methods of campaigning and also recruited men for various positions. According to Purvis (2003), â€Å"Emmeline was convince d that a fresh approach was needed and that women had to do the work themselves.† This led to the formation of the WSPU. It was made clear that the WSPU would be different from the NUWSS. They pledged to limit the membership to women only and to be satisfied with nothing but action. As Purvis (2003) writes, â€Å"Deeds, not words† was adopted as the main motto of the WSPU.