On the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, Rachel Holmes remembers and reflects on the roles of revolutionary thinking and militancy in winning votes for women.

The complacency of hindsight leads many in modern Britain to believe universal suffrage and votes for women to have been obvious and inevitable. The length and difficulty of the struggle and the vital roles of revolutionary thinking and militancy is almost airbrushed from our history. 

Rachel Holmes is Sylvia Pankhurst’s most recent biographer.

Anne Phillips is the Graham Wallas Professor of Political Science in the Department of Government 

The Ralph Miliband Programme (@RMilibandLSE) is one of LSE's most prestigious lecture series and seeks to advance Ralph Miliband's spirit of free social inquiry.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEPankhurst

Podcast 

A podcast of this event is available to download from From People's Dissent to Royal Assent: Sylvia Pankhurst and the struggle for the vote. 

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.