The Four Cents Riot or Four Pennies…

The Four Cents Riot or Four Pennies Riot, considered to be the first socially-oriented revolt of the pre-union era in France, is a miners' strike that occurs in May 1833 and affects the morning company of Anzin.  

The subsequent trial of miners, prosecuted for an offense of coalition, has a great impact in France.

The strike comes as the days of the pioneers in the exploitation of the mining basin end.

For several decades, the descendants of the discoverers of the deposit, the Mathieu family, had remained active in the management of the Anzin mining company; they were considered by miners to be sympathetic to their circumstances.

The arrival of Casimir Perier in 1821 marked the beginning of a restructuring of the company's management.