ABSTRACT
The conquest of power did not make the main perpetrators of fascist violence redundant. This chapter first examines the Blackshirts’ expectations and the measures that Mussolini’s government took to absorb the squadristi into the State (the establishment of the Volunteer Militia for National Security and the so-called Oviglio amnesty). Contrary to what many historians have argued, these measures were not intended to tame the Blackshirts, but rather to make them an integral part of the state and therefore to consolidate Mussolini’s power. Fascists also did not hesitate to resort to violence in order to win local elections and thus transform their revolutionary actions into institutional power. Finally, the chapter shows how law scholars and jurists played a crucial role in legitimising fascist violence as a way of reasserting the state’s authority, even at the cost of sacrificing other principles, such as freedom and equality before the law. The squadristi decisively contributed to consolidating the new fascist government by destroying the rule of law and the legal and political foundations of the liberal state. It was upon this rubble that the new fascist order could be built.
