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countries a party calling for a rigidly disciplined membership limitednecessarily by the very nature of the discipline it enforces. Themilitary character of the party had no precedent in the socialistpolitical forms. The military character, however, has been found inother countries and takes its form from the intention of the organizersto employ force as an instrument of attaining power. In thisrespect it followed the syndicalist theory of violence. Thus the formof political organization, like so much of the economic doctrine, wasborrowed from the strategy of the Left. The quasi-military characterof the party, with its black-shirt uniforms, was merely one formof using violence—an instrument of coercion and intimidation andconfusion which is not unknown in the history of political parties.Few Americans are familiar with a department of human art inwhich European radicals have specialized for many years—the art ofrevolution. Revolution through the barricades or by mass proletarianattack upon a regime is no longer thought to be a practical art.Revolution by procedures within the framework of the existing constitutionalsystem has been for many years the accepted technique.There is a considerable literature on this subject which Americans,little concerned with revolution, have ignored. But we know thatMussolini's reading had been largely devoted to this very literature.The central objective of this type of revolution is to produceconfusion. Groups of all sorts unfriendly to the regime must beencouraged and activated whether they are in agreement with therevolutionists or not. They add to the divisions and the sense ofhopelessness. Violence is a second arm of action. It intimidates theweak and creates disorder that harries the indifferent citizens.Within this atmosphere of division, intimidation, and disorder it ispossible for an audacious and assertive and cocksure minority toforce itself into power by quasi-constitutional means after which itcan use the parliamentary and constitutional instruments it thencontrols to work its will upon the whole fabric of the society. TheFascist party performed this function.When Mussolini became Premier and obtained a majority by meansof the electoral law, he was still hesitant in his assumption of absolutepower. There remained in the Chamber a large number of critics—vocal opposition. Most aggressive of these was Matteoti, socialist