Squadrismo
Encyclopedia
Squadrismo was the use of violence by Italian
Fascist
gangs from 1918 - 1922. Squadrismo consisted of fascist squads who were led by the Ras
. As a movement it grew from the inspiration many Ras leaders found from Mussolini, but was not directly controlled by Benito Mussolini
.
Squadrismo was mainly used to combat the growing Socialist
movement which was a big opponent of Fascism. Fascist squads would participate in strikebreaking, organizing tax strikes in socialist controlled towns and intimidating voters at election time. In 1922, prominent Ras leaders such as Dino Grandi
and Italo Balbo
had taken control of many towns in the Po Valley such as Ferrara
and Bologna
.
Following the 'foot in the door' election of 1921, Mussolini sought to win some control over these autonomous squads through the pact of pacification with the PSI
(socialist party). While there are different interpretations of Mussolini's primary reasoning for this pact, whether it was a return to his leftist roots; the ultimate goal of scaring the Ras in to conformity with the fascist movement despite the Ras toying with the idea of deposing Mussolini as the leader of fascism and replacing him with the nationalist D'Annunzio
who two years earlier had occupied Fiume along with 100,000 other nationalists consisting primarily of ex-soldiers.
The squads were identified by their blackshirts, a motif which ultimately coined the name Blackshirts
and became the inspiration for Adolf Hitler's
S.A.
in the Third Reich.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
gangs from 1918 - 1922. Squadrismo consisted of fascist squads who were led by the Ras
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
. As a movement it grew from the inspiration many Ras leaders found from Mussolini, but was not directly controlled by Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
.
Squadrismo was mainly used to combat the growing Socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
movement which was a big opponent of Fascism. Fascist squads would participate in strikebreaking, organizing tax strikes in socialist controlled towns and intimidating voters at election time. In 1922, prominent Ras leaders such as Dino Grandi
Dino Grandi
Dino Grandi , Conte di Mordano, was an Italian Fascist politician, minister of justice, minister of foreign affairs and president of parliament.- Early life :...
and Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo was an Italian Blackshirt leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force , Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa , and the "heir apparent" to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.After serving in...
had taken control of many towns in the Po Valley such as Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
and Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
.
Following the 'foot in the door' election of 1921, Mussolini sought to win some control over these autonomous squads through the pact of pacification with the PSI
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
(socialist party). While there are different interpretations of Mussolini's primary reasoning for this pact, whether it was a return to his leftist roots; the ultimate goal of scaring the Ras in to conformity with the fascist movement despite the Ras toying with the idea of deposing Mussolini as the leader of fascism and replacing him with the nationalist D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
who two years earlier had occupied Fiume along with 100,000 other nationalists consisting primarily of ex-soldiers.
The squads were identified by their blackshirts, a motif which ultimately coined the name Blackshirts
Blackshirts
The Blackshirts were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II...
and became the inspiration for Adolf Hitler's
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
S.A.
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
in the Third Reich.