The influential leader behind the suffragette movement was Emmeline Pankhurst. As a key figure in the fight for women’s voting rights in the United Kingdom, she founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). Pankhurst championed the cause using both peaceful protests and more militant tactics to draw attention to the injustice of female disenfranchisement. Her relentless efforts and charismatic leadership inspired many women to advocate for their rights, ultimately contributing to the passage of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which granted limited voting rights to women.