Long before trade unions had legal backing, an effective strike was a lot harder to pull off. 

But one of the biggest strikes in history happened in 1926 Britain, when 1.2 million coal miners walked off the job. In a sign of solidarity, 1.8 million other workers from other industries joined them, and Britain fell to a halt until the miners’ demands were met. 

Historian John Schmidt tells us how the strike got resolved.