On May 5 , 1898 , workers in Milan organized a strike to demonstrate against the government of Antonio Starrabba di Rudinì , holding it responsible for the general increase of prices and for the famine that was affecting the country . In response infantry , cavalry and artillery were brought into the city and General Fiorenzo Bava-Beccaris ordered his troops to fire on demonstrators . According to the government , there were 118 dead and 450 wounded . King Umberto I praised the General and awarded him the medal of '' Grande Ufficiale dell ' Ordine Militare dei Savoia '' . The decoration exacerbated the Italian population 's indignation . On the other hand , Antonio di Rudinì was forced to resign in July 1898
ordered his troops to fire on demonstrators
Bava-Beccaris massacre
History of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)