>>Tristram Hunt MP – When we look at the history of war in the 20th and 19th century in the
aftermath you often have these very progressive pieces of legislation at the heart of which
is the representation of the people.
Voice Over - In August 1916, as World War one raged, politicians on all sides realised
there were problems with the way elections were run in Britain. Under the laws of the
day, many of the fighting men wouldn’t be entitled to vote at all when they got back
home, they’d be disqualified as they hadn’t been living in their constituencies for more
than a year.
>>Lord Morgan – Well the voting system of course had gone awry during the war, there
was a freeze on the register, there was a freeze if you like on party politics therefore
all sorts of changes had occurred during the war, people moving around the country to work
in munitions factories and so on, and the effect of that was to create great turmoil.
>>Tristram Hunt MP – But the big reform comes with the enfranchisement of women and the
step towards proper universal suffrage and gender equality when it comes to democracy.
And this was a reflection of the remarkable contribution of women to the war effort.
Voice Over - The 1918 Representation of the People Act scrapped the requirement that men
needed to own property in order to get a vote and it gave the vote to women for the first
time though only those over 30 who met certain minimum property qualifications.
>>Lord Morgan – The issue of women’s suffrage was still quite controversial, one of the
more, to me, absurd points by the anti-suffragists was that women shouldn’t have the vote because
they didn’t fight for their country, they weren’t in the armed forces. But many other
people changed their mind, they recognised that the role of women, it was absurd to regard
women as simply domestic in their orientation and worrying their pretty little heads with
political matters, on the contrary, they were full participants in a total war.
Voice Over - When voted on in the Houses of Parliament, the Act passed through with relatively
little opposition. The changes saw the size of the electorate triple and women now accounted
for about 43% of the electorate.
Tristram Hunt MP – I think the reason the bill got this substantial majority was an
acceptance of the reality surrounding it. And also a strong sense of debt and duty and
honour to the women who had made such a remarkable contribution to the success of the British
Empire in the war. And the thing about politicians is that when they know the inevitable is going
to happen they like to get behind it quite quickly.
>>Lord Morgan – Labour while also always being supportive of women’s suffrage also took
the line that of course now all working men would have the vote and the prospects for
the Labour party would therefore be very much improved.
Voice Over - The war had created a real desire to create a society that was not just fit
for returning heroes but would recognise the contribution of women to the war effort. Increasing
the democratic franchise marks a milestone in our long journey to our modern democracy.
>>Tristram Hunt MP – We often think of war as this terrible, punitive event which for
millions of people it is, but when we look at the history of war in the 20th and 19th
century in the aftermath you often have these very progressive pieces of legislation at
the heart of which is the representation of the people. So that those who had fought for
the British Empire and fought for the British state had a sense of ownership of the democracy
for which they were fighting.