Milan, Austro-Hungarian Empire. The tobacco issue erupts: the imperial administration raises the tax on smoking (one of the most lucrative), and the Milanese abstain in protest. In response, imperial soldiers receive double rations of cigarettes and cigars and are sent to show off in the city. An episode that seems minor, but demonstrates an unbridgeable rift between the Austrian administration and the Milanese people. Almost martial legislation is passed, and brutal acts by police and soldiers will transform antipathy into hatred within weeks.
