The Independent Women's Social and Political Union (IWSPU, often known as the Independent WSPU) was a

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

organisation active in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...

(WSPU) was the most prominent militant suffrage organisation in the United Kingdom until the start of World War I. However, on the outbreak of war, the WSPU leader

Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, (; 22 September 1880 – 13 February 1958) was a British suffragette born in Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bord ...

decided to suspend suffrage campaigning, and instead focus on support for the war. Many members of the organisation disagreed with the decision, with some forming the breakaway Suffragettes of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1915. A further breakaway took place in March 1916, led by

Charlotte Marsh Charlotte Augusta Leopoldine Marsh (3 March 1887 – 21 April 1961), known as Charlie Marsh, was a militant British suffragette. She was a paid organiser of the Women's Social and Political Union and is one of the first women to be force fed ...

, a former organiser for the WSPU. She founded the "Independent Women's Social and Political Union", and launched a journal, the ''Independent Suffragette''. Other leading members included

Edith Rigby Edith Rigby ( Rayner) (18 October 1872 – 23 July 1950) was an English suffragette who used arson as a way to further the cause of women’s suffrage. She founded a night school in Preston called St Peter's School, aimed at educating women an ...

, who founded a branch in

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

, and

Dorothy Evans Dorothy Elizabeth Evans (6 May 1888 – 28 August 1944) was a British feminist activist and suffragette. On the eve of World War I she was a militant organiser for the Women's Social and Political Union twice arrested in Belfast on explosiv ...

, who served as its provincial organiser. The group was very hostile to Christabel and

Emmeline Pankhurst Emmeline Pankhurst ('' née'' Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was an English political activist who organised the UK suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote. In 1999, ''Time'' named her as one of the 100 Most Impo ...

, but while it did not share the WSPU's patriotism, it did not oppose the war. The group proclaimed that it would devote itself to the suffrage campaign and would "work in the spirit of the old WSPU". It stopped publishing its journal in 1917, and appears to have dissolved before the end of 1918.{{cite book, last1=Doughan, first1=David, title=Dictionary of British Women's Organisations, 1825-1960, date=2001, publisher=Routledge, page=183

References

Feminist organisations in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1916 Organizations disestablished in 1918 Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom 1916 establishments in the United Kingdom 1918 disestablishments in the United Kingdom First-wave feminism in the United Kingdom