Great War suspension of activities circular from Emmeline Pankhurst dated 1914

PANKHURST, Emmeline (1858-1928). Temporary suspension due to the Great War. Circular letter to members.
 
The Women’s Social and Political Union. Offices: Lincoln’s Inn House, Kingsway, W.C., 12 August 1914.
 
Single sheet, 4 pp. (1 sheet folded), 210mm x 260 mm, printed circular with facsimile signature. Folded for posting, light creasing and spotting, tear at right margin and bottom edge, else very good.
 
A printed circular issued by the Women’s Social and Political Union at the outbreak of the First World War, announcing the temporary suspension of militant suffrage activity. The letter explains that, with members released from prison and the altered national situation, the Union has resolved to economise its energies and suspend active campaigning, while anticipating a future return to political action to secure votes for women on equal terms with men. It further articulates the W.S.P.U.’s position on the war, expressing support for the national cause and framing the conflict as a moment in which women’s influence may contribute to a reordering of international relations.
 
This circular marks a decisive turning point in the history of the suffrage movement, signalling the abrupt shift from militancy to wartime cooperation. Issued in quantity to members and bearing a facsimile signature of Emmeline Pankhurst. Due to the ephemeral nature of the circular, surviving examples are uncommon, though institutional copies are recorded.