Nowadays the idea that women should enjoy individual rights of self-government is fairly universal; however let's not forget that this only happened within the past century. Opponents to giving women the right to vote felt that women were dependent on men, subordinate to them and that by granting women the right to vote, the family unit would be disrupted. Suffrage meant that women no longer had to rely upon their husbands, brothers and sons to represent their interests politically.

In the Great Britain women fought for eighty years for the right to vote. Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, founded the suffragist movement, the Women's Social and Political Union. Under the WSPU motto "Deeds, not Words" they practiced civil disobedience. In October 1905, Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney attended a meeting in London where Sir Edward Grey, a minister in the British government was speaking. During his discourse the two women relentlessly shouted, "Will the Liberal Government give votes to women?" They were promptly spat upon and arrested. Charged with assault they were imprisoned after refusing to pay the five shillings fine.

In 1910 Pankhurst and other members of the WSPU attempted to gain admission to the House of Commons. The protest turned into a riot and over one hundred women were arrested and there were many accusations of police brutality. Tired of being ignored and after suffering police violence, the movement became militant. The women performed hunger strikes, arson attacks and smashed windows. Mary Richardson slashed the National Gallery Velasquez with an axe, protesting that she was maiming a beautiful woman just as the government was maiming Emmeline Pankhurst by force feeding her during a hunger strike. In 1918 the Representation of People Act was passed giving the vote to women over thirty.

The opposition to universal suffrage varied from country to country. Each group had their reasoning why they wanted to maintain the status quo. Politicians feared that enfranchised women might vote them out of office. Members of the clergy held that women should confine their influence to the home and raising children.

In Spain , during General Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, single independent women and widows over twenty-three were granted the vote. Married women without their husband's permission and prostitutes were excluded.

The Second Republic established after the fall of the dictatorship, brought the left to power in Spain . The Republic based upon democratic principals made many reforms in legislation. Paradoxically m any Spanish liberals opposed universal suffrage on the grounds that women were too emotional and their involvement in the Catholic Church would sway them to vote conservatively, and not for the Republic.

Two liberal Republican MP's debated the subject in the Spanish Parliament. Victoria Kent opposed women being granted the vote. She voiced the opinion of her peers that women lacked the sufficient social and political preparation necessary to responsibly vote. Her opponent, Clara Campoamor, fervently believed in women's inalienable right to vote, regardless of belief or political orientation. Quoting Humboldt, Clara Campoamor proclaimed “the only way to become mature is to exercise liberty.”

As predicted, the legislation led to Spanish women voting conservative in the 1933 elections women and both Campoamor and Kent lost their seats.

On this 75 th anniversary of the vote in Spain , Clara Campoamor is being honoured in different acts across the country. Universal suffrage may well indeed be the greatest victory of the Second Spanish Republic .

Timeline of Women's Suffrage Granted, by Country

*Source Grolier Encyclopaedia

• 1893  New Zealand
• 1902   Australia (Southern Australia excludes Aborigines - got the vote 1962)
• 1906  Finland
• 1913  Norway
• 1915  Denmark/Iceland
• 1917   Canada (Canadian Indians – got vote in 1960 )
• 1918  Austria, Germany, Poland, Russia
• 1919  Netherlands
• 1920   United States (universal suffrage for African Americans/Native Americans 1965)
• 1921  Sweden
• 1928  Britain, Ireland
• 1931  Spain
• 1944  France
• 1945  Italy
• 1947  Argentina, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan
• 1949  China
• 1950  India
• 1954  Colombia
• 1957  Malaysia, Zimbabwe
• 1962  Algeria
• 1963  Iran, Morocco
• 1964  Libya
• 1967  Ecuador
• 1971  Switzerland
• 1972  Bangladesh
• 1974  Jordan
• 1976  Portugal
• 1984 Liechtenstein
• 1989  Namibia
• 1990  Western Samoa
• 1993  Kazakhstan, Moldova
• 1994  South Africa
• 2005  Kuwait