The Suffragettes - Militant Action
Fed up with slow progress, the Suffragettes adopted the motto "Deeds not Words" and used militant tactics. They smashed windows with toffee hammers, poured acid on golf courses, and carried out other forms of property damage.
These violent methods definitely got attention - newspapers covered their protests extensively, which brought more supporters to the cause. However, many politicians saw them as irrational and irresponsible, hardly the type of people who should have voting rights.
When imprisoned, many Suffragettes went on hunger strikes. The government's brutal force-feeding response actually gained them public sympathy and more support.
Historical Irony: The very tactics that made politicians think women were "unfit" to vote also generated the publicity that made their cause impossible to ignore.