Although many believe women were given the vote because of the war, I believe this to be incorrect. Women were never just "given" the vote, they fought for it. Before the outbreak of the First World War, groups of women had madly campaigned for the right to vote and had undergone much suffering and unfair hardship to have their voices heard. The Government treated any cases of political demonstrations or violence with 100% intolerance. There were many cases of blatant sexism whereby women would simply be thrown in prison and made "examples" of, for petty crimes when men would be committing much more serious crimes and being given much lesser punishments. The Government wouldn't have been able to do this after the war. It would have been extremely embarrassing and (properly) unpopular as well to imprison women who had played such an important part in the war effort. The Suffragettes acted on their believes in a way which caused great uproar. To draw attention to their campaigns they would relay on violence and acts of terrorism. The death of a suffragette (Emily Davison) who died as a result of running into the Kings horse during a Derby race shocked the country throughout, bringing the woman's right to vote into the spot light. Many women around the country were inspired by her and renewed their fight with enthusiasm. In contrast to their great efforts many say that the Suffragettes only hindered the overall fight for the woman's vote and fulfilled the Governments view of a typically irrational and over-emotional (female) member of society that if given the vote, would vote irresponsibly. The government tried to suffocate their party and stop them gaining support, by putting out negative propaganda (in the form of posters, films etc) against them. The posters would try to dissuade women from joining the Suffragette party implying that to become a suffragette would ensure you to die an old, bitter, twisted maid.
