Women in British Politics, C.1689-1979 - Paperback

by Krista Cowman (Author)

This account examines some of the areas of women's political activity in Britain from the Glorious Revolution to the election of the first female Prime Minister in 1979. It shows how women had worked in a variety of arenas and organizations before the suffrage campaign and explores the directions their political activity took afterwards.

Back Jacket

Krista Cowman's highly approachable survey examines some of the areas of women's political activity in Britain from the period of the Glorious Revolution to the election of the first female Prime Minister. Cowman shows how women had worked in a variety of locations and organizations in the decades before the suffrage campaign, and that women's politics did not begin with the demand for a parliamentary vote. The volume also demonstrates how women's political activity continued after equal suffrage in 1928 in a number of directions within and beyond Parliament.

Key topics include:
- court politics in the age of Queen Mary and Queen Anne
- Victorian 'pressure group' politics
- Suffrage campaigns from 1867 to 1928
- the Women's Liberation Movement.

Clear and wide-ranging, this is an essential book for anyone with an interest in the history of British women's involvement with politics over nearly 300 years.

Author Biography

KRISTA COWMAN is Professor of History at the University of Lincoln, UK. She has published widely on the history of women's suffrage and on women in politics before the First World War. She serves on the steering committee of the Women's History Network.
KRISTA COWMAN is Professor of History at the University of Lincoln, UK. She has published widely on the history of women's suffrage and on women in politics before the First World War. She serves on the steering committee of the Women's History Network.