Emmeline Pankhurst (née
Goulden; 15 July 1858 – 14 June 1928) was a British political activist and leader of the British
suffragette movement who helped women win the
right to vote. In 1999
Time named Pankhurst as one of the
100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, stating: "she shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back." She was widely criticised for her militant tactics, and historians disagree about their effectiveness, but her work is recognised as a crucial element in achieving
women's suffrage in Britain.