On 6 February 1918 the Representation of the People Act received royal assent, giving the vote in parliamentary elections to all men over 21 and to women over 30 who met a property qualification, extending the electorate from about 8 million to 21 million, of whom 8.4 million were women. The change followed a long campaign by the non-violent suffragists of Millicent Fawcett and the militant suffragettes of Emmeline Pankhurst, who had set fire to buildings and been force-fed in prison, and the contribution of women to the war effort. Equal voting rights at 21 came in 1928. Constance Markievicz was the first woman elected to Parliament in December 1918.
Before and after
- 15 January 1918Birth of Gamal Abdel Nasser
- 20 January 1918Battle of Imbros
- 26 January 1918Birth of Nicolae Ceaușescu
- from 27 January 1918 to 15 May 1918Finnish Civil War
- 6 February 1918British women over 30 win the vote
- 3 March 1918Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
- from 21 March 1918 to 5 April 1918Operation Michael
- from 21 March 1918 to 18 July 1918Spring Offensive
- 25 March 1918Death of Claude Debussy
More in Society, economy & sport
- 16 October 1923Founding of The Walt Disney Company
- 1924Origins of Allsvenskan
- 18 June 1932Founding of International Basketball Federation
- 1937Nanjing Massacre
- 1938Founding of Samsung Group
- 15 May 1940Founding of McDonald's
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.