ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 is devoted to the Fascist use of political violence between 1918 and the summer of 1922. It analyses the context in which Fascist violence started to take its course in an Italy torn by conflicts. The chapter starts examining how, through Fascist politics, the violence carried out by the squadristi transformed the Italian political stage, first by preventing elected local authorities from fulfilling their duties, forcing them to step down, and then by becoming a decisive factor in the electoral and parliamentary struggle in post-war Italy. The chapter then goes on to show the relevance of the political exploitation of symbolic moments, such as the anniversary of the victory in WWI, for the containment or the evolution of the political crisis in Italy, and the role played by the Fascist movement and Fascist violence in this context. The chapter ends by exploring the last stages of the liberal institutions in the country and in particular the relevance of the Fascists’ response to the general strike of August 1922.
