Annie Besant (1847–1933) : Struggles and QuestAnnie Besant (18471933) : Struggles and Quest de Muriel Pcastaing Boissire Social and political reformer, women's rights activist, prolific writer and orator extraordinaire, Annie Besant (1847 1933) was one of the best known opinion formers in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain and beyond. Working alongside freethinkers, socialists and the suffragettes, Besant pioneered birth control and fought for exploited workers in the East End of