The Gateway Chronicle 2020

5
There was also widespread economic and
social discontent from the events of the Biennio
Rosso (two red years), a period of
unemployment and political instability.
Following World war One, the number of
unemployed had risen to 2 million, while
many factories shut down for lack of government
wartime contracts. This led to
widespread strike action from trade unions,
with 1,881 in 1920 alone and, following
a rejection of their demands, they occupied
factories which brought
the possibility of revolution
even
closer. Fortunately
for the
other parties,
the Socialists
decided not to
call a revolution
due to their voting
base of
trade union
members being
relatively reformist
rather
than revolutionary.
Meanwhile,
the weak coalition
governments
were unable
to supress
any union activity,
only urging
businesses to offer
concessions
and, therefore,
soon lost the
confidence of
the middle class.
Within this period of economic and political
chaos, an opportunity for militaristic,
nationalist movements was presented.
These movements mainly consisted of the
soldiers returning from World War One,
students and ex-syndicalists (a labour
movement that promoted unionism).
These movements expressed themselves
usually in the form of violent agitation
and major clashes with other political
groups, predominantly workers and police
at first but then socialists and communists.
In April 1919, the offices of
‘L’Avanti!’, a socialist daily newspaper,
were burned down by fascist agitators. A
continuing string of violent attacks coming
from socialists, communists and fascists
lasted throughout the inter-war
years. However, of these, attacks by the
fascist ‘Squadristi’ (better known as the
Black Shirts due to the black uniforms
they wore) are the most wellknown.
They were
soon systematically
destroying
any opposition
by using intimidation,
assassination
and
strikebreaking
across Italy, and
even overseas in
the Italian
owned colony
of Libya. Compared
to other
political factions
at the time, the
Squadristi were
well organised,
imitating the
structure of the
Roman military
and, as a result,
they were able
to gain lots of
members - an
estimated
Italian National Fascist
Party logo
200,000 by the
time of the
March on Rome.
They consolidated
power in many regions by installing
Squadristi squad leaders as local bosses.
However, the control of the fascists in
these areas was often welcomed by the
middle class and landowners that wished
to see a return to stability rather than the
numerous strikes and civil unrest they
had seen previously. As a result of this
growing influence, the new ‘National