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History has proved that people aren’t always prepared to take things sitting down. Protests and mass demonstrations – with hordes of people taking to the streets to make their objection to events or policies publically known – are no new thing. National Health Stories: Protest looks at the strike in the NHS in the 1980s. From uprising peasants to riots on the streets, here are seven protests that have shaken up the status quo.

1. The Peasants' Revolt

In 1381, the country was reeling from the effects of the Black Death, and the Hundred Years' War with France meant taxes were high. So when a royal official attempted to collect unpaid poll taxes in Brentwood, it didn’t go well – violence broke out and unrest soon spread across the country, with rural labourers rising up and demanding reduced tariffs and an end to serfdom. King Richard II and his men eventually quashed the protest but the revolt proved to be a significant moment in history, contributing to the end of feudal serfdom.

2. The Suffragette protests

The Suffragettes were a group of ladies, led by Emmeline Pankhurst, who fought to win British women the right to vote. From 1903 they marched, chained themselves to railings, attacked policemen, set fire to buildings and threw bombs. The most profound protest was from Emily Wilding Davison, who threw herself under one of the King’s horses at the Epsom Derby and was killed. It may have been an attempt to attach a suffragette flag to the animal that ended in tragedy – but, accidental or not, her status as a feminist martyr was cemented. After the First World War, votes were granted to women householders over the age of 30, and universal suffrage was finally introduced in 1928.

3. Gandhi’s Salt March

In 1930, India was firmly under British rule and the overseas oppressors had a monopoly on salt: the Indian people were prohibited from making or selling it themselves, and the commodity was heavily taxed. Mahatma Gandhi decided to protest the ban (in his signature non-violent style), stepping out of his ashram and marching 250 miles to the ocean to collect his own salt. He picked up tens of thousands of supporters along the way, with many of them being arrested. The protest established Gandhi as a force to be reckoned with, and it was under his guidance that India reached independence from the Brits in 1947.

4. March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

In 1963, over 200,000 protesters gathered in the American capital to push for better rights for black Americans, who were still suffering from inequality and discrimination. Those who gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial were lucky enough to hear Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his celebrated “I have a dream” speech – perhaps the most famous public address in modern history. The protest was a success: the leaders met with President Kennedy afterwards to discuss their aims and the march was instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, or gender.

5. The poll tax riots

In March 1990, a series of riots broke out in opposition to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's new Community Charge, known as the “poll tax”. The largest protest occurred in central London: it is estimated that between 180,000 and 250,000 attended. The initially peaceful protest escalated, with rioters attacking shops, nightclubs and car showrooms. Bars, cafés and cars were set on fire, the tubes were closed and members of the public and police officers were injured. The riots were a significant factor in the downfall of Thatcher, who resigned as Prime Minister later that year. Her successor, John Major, announced that the tax would be abolished.

6. Countryside Alliance march for Liberty and Livelihood

On 23 September 2002, it is estimated that 400,000 people attended the Liberty and Livelihood march organised by the Countryside Alliance. The attendees, who included then Tory party leader Iain Duncan Smith and actor Vinnie Jones, were protesting against a ban on fox-hunting as well as seeking to raise awareness of rural issues such as low incomes, poor services and farming. According to police, the crowd of pro-hunting supporters was so vast it took those queuing at the start of the route more than six hours to filter through.

7. Stop the War march

On 15 February 2003, with the war on Iraq imminent, a London march organised by the campaign group Stop the War Coalition attracted in excess of a million people – making it the largest protest ever staged in Britain. But the Brits weren’t the only people protesting against the invasion of Iraq: demonstrations were coordinated around the world, with an estimated three million taking to the streets of Rome. This global 15 February remonstration is thought to be the largest protest event in human history but, despite the enormity of public resistance, the invasion of Iraq by American-led Coalition troops began five days later.