 In 1893, when the Kingdom of Hawai'i was overthrown in a coup, New Zealand became the only independent country to practice universal (active) suffrage, and the Freedom in the World index lists New Zealand as the only free country in the world in 1893.Women's suffrage is, by definition, the right of women to vote.This was the goal of the suffragists, who believed in using legal means and the suffragettes, who used extremist measures.