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Duration 0:51

Suffragette Pageant in London

The clip opens with titles telling us the pageant contains over 66,000 women and they are showing examples of famous women in history. We then see a very large procession with lots of banners watched by a very large crowd.

Context

In the early 1900s one of the many important issues in British politics was the campaign by women to get the vote. By 1908 there were two main wings to the movement. The NUWSS were more moderate and were usually known as Suffragists. The WSPU were more militant and usually called Suffragettes. However, the press and newsreels sometimes use the term Suffragettes to refer to either wing. This pageant was organised by the WSPU.

Interesting or important points about the film

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is to consider how the women are portrayed and what kind of impact the reporting of the pageant might have had. The procession is undoubtedly impressive, but it is much more difficult to assess the impact of this event on public opinion.

Please note that this video is silent.