Diane Atkinson – Rise Up, Women!: Book Review & Audio Summary

Book Info

• Book name: Rise Up, Women!: The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes
• Author: Diane Atkinson
• Genre: History & Politics, Biographies & Memoirs
• Pages: 416
• Published Year: 2018
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Language: English
• Awards: Shortlisted for the 2019 Orwell Prize for Politics

Audio Summary

Synopsis

Rise Up, Women! chronicles the fierce and often brutal struggle of Britain’s suffragettes in their fight for voting equality. Historian Diane Atkinson brings to life the remarkable story of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), led by the charismatic Pankhurst family. From 1903 until World War I, these determined women transformed from polite petitioners into militant activists, smashing windows, burning letterboxes, and enduring horrific imprisonment and force-feeding. Atkinson reveals both celebrated and forgotten figures who risked everything for a fundamental democratic right. This comprehensive account captures the passion, sacrifice, and controversy of a movement that changed Britain forever, showing how ordinary women became extraordinary warriors in the battle for equality.

Key Takeaways

• The suffragette movement evolved from polite lobbying to militant action when traditional methods failed to secure women’s voting rights
• The Pankhurst family—Emmeline, Christabel, and Sylvia—led the WSPU with charismatic but often autocratic leadership that inspired loyalty and controversy
• Suffragettes endured brutal treatment in prison, including force-feeding and physical abuse, which paradoxically increased public sympathy for their cause
• The fight for women’s suffrage took nearly a century in Britain, revealing deep-seated resistance to gender equality even among progressive political movements
• The motto “Deeds, Not Words” reflected a strategic shift toward direct action that ultimately brought national attention to the suffrage cause

My Summary

When Asking Nicely Stops Working

I’ll be honest—before reading Diane Atkinson’s Rise Up, Women!, I thought I knew the suffragette story. You know, women marching with sashes, maybe some hunger strikes, eventually getting the vote. But this book completely shattered my superficial understanding and replaced it with something far more complex, violent, and frankly, more inspiring.

The story Atkinson tells begins with a profound frustration that I think many of us can relate to today. Imagine paying taxes, contributing to society, raising families, running businesses—and having absolutely no say in who governs you. That was the reality for British women at the turn of the 20th century. Even after voting reforms in 1832 expanded suffrage to about 800,000 property-owning men, women remained completely disenfranchised.

What struck me most was how even progressive movements abandoned women. The Socialist Labour Party, which championed equality in almost every other arena, remained conspicuously silent on women’s suffrage. Their reasoning? They feared that only wealthy women would get the vote, which would benefit conservative parties. It’s a reminder that even movements for justice can be selective about whose justice matters.

The Moment Everything Changed

The real turning point came in 1905, and Atkinson captures it brilliantly. Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughter Sylvia had been politely lobbying MPs, trying to work within the system. When liberal MP John Slack introduced a private member’s bill for women’s suffrage, it seemed like progress. But what happened next was devastating—and transformative.

Opponents filibustered other bills, deliberately running out the clock. When Slack’s proposal finally came up for discussion, only 30 minutes remained. As it was announced, male MPs literally laughed and clapped. Can you imagine? Women asking for basic democratic rights being treated as a joke by the very people meant to represent the nation’s interests.

That moment of mockery became the catalyst for everything that followed. The Pankhursts realized that polite requests would never work. They needed to shock people, to make ignoring them impossible. Thus was born the WSPU’s famous motto: “Deeds, Not Words.”

Christabel Pankhurst and mill worker Annie Kenny led the first major action. They interrupted a Liberal rally in Manchester with a banner reading “Will you give votes for women?” When police escorted them out, Christabel deliberately spat at an officer, knowing it would get her arrested. Both women were charged, and when they refused to pay their fines, they went to prison.

It worked. For the first time, The Times and other national newspapers covered a WSPU event. The suffragettes had discovered that controversy and confrontation could achieve what years of polite lobbying couldn’t—attention.

The Women Who Led the Charge

One of Atkinson’s greatest strengths as a historian is her ability to bring these women to life as real, complicated people rather than marble statues of virtue. The Pankhurst family—Emmeline and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia—founded the WSPU in 1903 and remained at its center throughout its existence.

Christabel was particularly fascinating to me. She’d earned a first-class law degree but couldn’t practice law because of her gender. Think about that frustration—you’ve proven your intellectual capability in the most rigorous way possible, and society still says “no, not for you.” She became such an icon that women wore brooches with her portrait, and she led the WSPU alongside her mother with fierce determination.

Sylvia, meanwhile, had studied at Manchester Art School and the Royal College of Art. She channeled her artistic talents into the movement, designing many of the WSPU’s distinctive banners and its membership card. Even the organization’s colors—purple, white, and green—were chosen by the Pankhursts, showing their attention to branding and visual identity long before such concepts became commonplace.

But here’s where Atkinson’s book gets really interesting, and where my own feelings about the movement became more complicated. The Pankhursts were not democratic leaders. They ran the WSPU like a military operation, and they made no apologies for it. When Theresa Billington-Gregg advocated for more democratic decision-making within the movement in 1907, she was essentially pushed out and formed a splinter group.

Christabel’s response was telling. She wrote to members reminding them that the WSPU was “a military movement” and that “those who cannot follow the general must drop out of the ranks.” When Fred and Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, two crucial supporters who had been vital to fundraising, questioned whether more militancy was necessary, the Pankhursts expelled them. They literally showed up to the office one day to find they’d been given no desks.

This autocratic leadership style troubles me, even as I admire the Pankhursts’ commitment and effectiveness. It raises questions about whether the ends justify the means, and whether movements for democracy must themselves be democratic. I don’t have easy answers, and I appreciate that Atkinson presents these contradictions honestly rather than sanitizing them.

When Protest Meets Prison

The sections of this book dealing with imprisonment are genuinely difficult to read, but they’re essential to understanding what these women endured. The WSPU deliberately courted arrest as a publicity strategy, but I don’t think anyone was prepared for the brutality they would face behind bars.

British authorities responded to suffragette protests with shocking violence. Women were force-fed when they went on hunger strikes—a procedure that involved forcing tubes down their throats or noses while they were held down by multiple guards. Reading Atkinson’s detailed accounts, I felt physically ill. This wasn’t just punishment; it was torture, sanctioned by the state.

What’s remarkable is how the suffragettes turned even this brutality to their advantage. News of force-feeding and other abuses leaked out, and public opinion began to shift. The government looked increasingly tyrannical, using extreme violence against women whose only crime was demanding the same rights men enjoyed.

The famous “Cat and Mouse Act” of 1913 showed just how far authorities would go. Officially called the Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act, it allowed the government to release hunger-striking suffragettes when they became dangerously ill, then re-arrest them once they’d recovered. It was a cynical attempt to avoid the bad publicity of women dying in custody while still punishing them indefinitely.

Beyond Broken Windows

Atkinson doesn’t shy away from the more controversial aspects of suffragette militancy. The movement escalated from window-smashing and letterbox burning to occasional bombings. Emily Davison threw herself in front of King George V’s horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby, dying from her injuries. These weren’t symbolic gestures—they were dangerous, sometimes violent acts.

This is where contemporary readers, myself included, might struggle. We’re taught that nonviolent resistance is morally superior and more effective. The suffragettes challenge that comfortable narrative. They tried nonviolence for years and got nowhere. Only when they became militant did they force the nation to pay attention.

I found myself thinking about modern protest movements while reading this. How long should people wait for justice? What do you do when every peaceful avenue has been exhausted? When does disruption become not just acceptable but necessary? These aren’t abstract questions—they’re ones that activists around the world grapple with today, from climate protesters to racial justice movements.

Atkinson provides context that helps us understand the suffragettes’ choices without necessarily endorsing every action. The violence they faced from police and crowds was often far greater than anything they inflicted. Women were beaten at demonstrations, sexually assaulted in custody, and subjected to medical torture. In that context, a broken window or burned letterbox seems almost restrained.

The Women History Forgot

One of the aspects of Rise Up, Women! I appreciated most was Atkinson’s commitment to recovering the stories of lesser-known suffragettes. We tend to remember the Pankhursts, and maybe Emily Davison, but the movement included thousands of women from all walks of life.

Annie Kenny, the mill worker who participated in that first major protest with Christabel, represents the working-class women who were vital to the movement but often overlooked in histories that focus on middle and upper-class leaders. These women risked not just their freedom but their livelihoods. A working-class woman who lost her job due to imprisonment might face genuine destitution.

Atkinson’s research uncovers shopkeepers, teachers, nurses, domestic workers, and women from every corner of British society who contributed to the cause. Some became full-time activists, while others supported the movement while managing family and work responsibilities. Their stories remind us that social change isn’t created by a handful of leaders but by countless ordinary people making extraordinary choices.

As someone who writes about books and ideas, I’m always conscious of whose stories get told and whose get forgotten. History has a way of simplifying complex movements into a few famous names. Atkinson fights against that tendency, and the book is richer for it.

Applying These Lessons Today

Reading about the suffragettes in 2024 feels eerily relevant. Around the world, we’re seeing renewed attacks on women’s rights, from reproductive freedom to economic equality to protection from violence. The assumption that progress is inevitable and irreversible has been thoroughly debunked.

So what can we learn from these women who fought more than a century ago? First, that rights aren’t given—they’re taken. The suffragettes didn’t win the vote because men suddenly became enlightened. They won it through years of sustained pressure, sacrifice, and yes, disruption. Change came because they made the status quo more uncomfortable than reform.

Second, that solidarity is complicated. The suffragette movement had real problems with racism and classism. Many middle-class suffragettes didn’t extend their concern for equality to working-class women or women of color in the British Empire. Modern movements for justice need to learn from these failures and build broader, more inclusive coalitions.

Third, that progress requires both strategy and courage. The Pankhursts’ decision to shift from polite lobbying to militant action was strategic—they’d analyzed what wasn’t working and adapted. But strategy means nothing without the courage to face consequences. These women went to prison, endured torture, and risked their lives. That level of commitment is humbling.

In practical terms, how might we apply these lessons? We can show up for causes we believe in, even when it’s inconvenient. We can support organizations doing difficult work for equality. We can vote in every election, remembering that women died for that right. We can speak up when we see injustice, even when staying silent would be easier. We can study history to understand how change actually happens, not how we wish it happened.

What Atkinson Gets Right (and What’s Missing)

As a historian, Diane Atkinson brings serious credentials to this project. She’s a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and has written extensively on women’s history. That expertise shows in the depth of her research and the nuance of her analysis.

The book’s greatest strength is its comprehensiveness. At 416 pages, Atkinson has space to tell not just the famous stories but the forgotten ones, to explore not just the victories but the setbacks and controversies. She’s clearly spent years in archives, and that research pays off in the vivid details that bring this history to life.

I also appreciated her balanced approach to the Pankhursts. She admires their dedication without whitewashing their flaws. Too many histories of social movements turn their subjects into saints. Atkinson gives us complicated, sometimes difficult women who nonetheless achieved something remarkable.

The book’s focus on Britain is both a strength and a limitation. Atkinson tells the British story in depth, but readers looking for a global perspective on women’s suffrage will need to look elsewhere. The suffragette movement existed in a broader international context of women’s rights activism, and that context is largely absent here.

Some readers might also wish for more analysis of why the suffragettes succeeded when they did. The book is strongest on the “what” and “who” of the movement, less so on the “why” of its ultimate success. The outbreak of World War I and women’s contributions to the war effort played a role in changing attitudes, but Atkinson doesn’t explore this as thoroughly as she might.

Compared to other books on the suffragettes, like Jill Liddington and Jill Norris’s One Hand Tied Behind Us, which focuses on working-class suffragists in Lancashire, Atkinson’s book is broader but sometimes less deep. Compared to more academic works, it’s more accessible but less theoretical. It occupies a sweet spot for general readers who want serious history without academic jargon.

Questions Worth Pondering

After finishing this book, I’ve been sitting with some questions that don’t have easy answers. Is it possible to lead an effective movement for democracy through undemocratic means? The Pankhursts would say yes—they achieved their goal. But did their autocratic leadership style create problems that might have been avoided with more collaborative decision-making?

Here’s another one: How should we remember historical figures who did important work but held views we now recognize as problematic? Many suffragettes held racist and classist attitudes that are inexcusable. Does that diminish their achievements, or can we hold both truths simultaneously—that they were brave pioneers and flawed people of their time?

And perhaps most relevantly: What would the suffragettes think of where we are now? Women can vote in Britain and most democracies, but gender equality remains elusive. Would they be satisfied with the progress made, or would they be organizing new campaigns for economic justice, bodily autonomy, and safety from violence?

A Story That Needed Telling

I’m genuinely grateful that Diane Atkinson wrote this book. The suffragette story deserves to be told in all its complexity—the courage and the contradictions, the victories and the violence, the famous leaders and the forgotten foot soldiers. Rise Up, Women! does justice to that complexity.

Reading it reminded me why I love history. It’s not just about what happened in the past; it’s about understanding how we got here and imagining where we might go next. The suffragettes weren’t perfect, but they changed the world. That’s worth remembering, celebrating, and learning from.

If you’re interested in women’s history, British history, or the history of social movements, this book belongs on your shelf. If you’ve ever wondered how ordinary people create extraordinary change, you’ll find answers here. And if you’ve ever felt frustrated by how slowly justice arrives, you’ll find both commiseration and inspiration in these pages.

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read this book or others about the suffragettes. What aspects of their story resonate with you? How do you think their tactics and strategies apply to contemporary movements for justice? Drop a comment below and let’s talk about it. That’s what Books4soul is all about—not just reading books, but engaging with the ideas they contain and with each other as we try to make sense of our complicated world.