A Day That Shook The World: Start of UK general strike

Monday 02 May 2011 19:03 EDT

(Hulton Archive/Getty)

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On 3 May 1926, the UK was engulfed by its first and (so far) only ever general stike.

Lasting 12 days, it had been called in solidarity with already-striking miners, whose pay had been cut. The strike was eventually broken by a middle class which rallied to perform all the jobs union members would have done, like driving buses and delivering fuel.

Watch original footage from the strike in this British Pathé video, above.

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A Day That Shook The World: Start of UK general strike

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