Germinal

The strike breaks out and is particularly well attended at all the pits. It even gained momentum in the face of inflexible management. It was the beginning of another hellish period on the horizon, that of hunger. The meagre savings of the revolting group would not last long. All the more so as the company has sent in its heavyweights, commanded by Bressan, to break up the movement. Faced with these threats, some decided to give up and head for the Jean Bart shaft, where the miners had not stopped work. Chaval, for example, forces Catherine - whom he now has under his thumb - to come with him. Faced with the risk of demobilization, Etienne manages to keep the miners together.