Civil unrest in Italy (1919–26)

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Civil unrest in Italy (1919–26)


caption=Benito Mussolini and Fascists during the March on Rome in 1922.
partof=
place=Italy
date=April 15, 1919 – October 31, 1926
result=Assention of Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 after the March on Rome and Fascist takeover of the Italian government in 1924 following the Matteotti crisis. Multiple failed assasination attempts against Mussolini in 1926. Eventual repression of anti-Fascists and arrest of anti-Fascist leaders.
combatant1="'Far-left and anti-Fascists
combatant2= Fascist
commander1=flagicon image|Red flag.svg Amadeo Bordiga (Communist)
flagicon image|Red flag.svg Antonio Gramsci (Communist)
flagicon image|Black flag.svg Enrico Malatesta (Anarchist)
("Arditi del Popolo", an anti-Fascist coalition)
commander2=
strength1=
strength2=
strength3=
casualties1=
casualties2=
casualties3=
notes=|

Italy witnessed significant widespread civil unrest and political strife in the aftermath of World War I and the rise of the Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini which opposed the rise of the international left, especially the far-left. Fascists and communists fought on the streets during this period as the two factions competed to gain power in Italy. The already tense political environment in Italy escalated into major civil unrest when Fascists began attacking their rivals, beginning on April 15, 1919 with Fascists attacking the offices of the Italian Socialist Party's newspaper "Avanti!". [Smith, Dennis Mack (1997) Modern Italy; A Political History, Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1997, ISBN 0472108956, pp298] Violence grew in 1921 with Italian army officers beginning to assist the Fascists with their violence against communists and socialists. [Smith, 1997, pp312] With the Fascist movement growing, anti-fascists of various political allegiences (but generally of the international left) combined into the Arditi del Popolo (People's Militia) in 1921. [ Berghaus, Günter. 1996. "Futurism and Politics: Between Anarchist Rebellion and Fascist Reaction, 1909-1944"Berghahn Books. Pp. 177 [http://books.google.ca/books?id=BrjNJoMD9bQC&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=Arditi+del+Popolo+Battalion+leader&source=web&ots=NDcQFGFNZd&sig=aCKWubpeMDRe-bpDSAXa-EntdqY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result] ] With the threat of a general strike being initiated by anarchists, communists, and socialists, the Fascists launched a coup against the Italian government with the March on Rome in 1922 which pressured Prime Minister Luigi Facta to resign and allowed Mussolini to be appointed Prime Minister by the King Victor Emmanuel III. The next act of violence was the assasination of Socialist deputy Giacomo Matteotti in 1924. This was followed by a Fascist takeover of the Italian government and multiple assasination attempts were made against Mussolini in 1926, with the last attempt on October 31, 1926. After 1926, the creation of a Fascist totalitarian state saw the end of major civil unrest against the government and thereafter repression of anti-Fascists.

Leaders of the factions

*Anarchist: Enrico Malatesta, was a major leader of anarchists in Italy during this period. [http://books.google.ca/books?id=OWb8FEvxY2YC&pg=PA279&lpg=PA279&dq=%22anarchist+leader%22+italy+1920s&source=web&ots=hPgCFH6Fqh&sig=P6xD5PyJDh6qKTcm7ATF0mR5Q1k&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result]
*Communist:Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci were leaders of the Communist Party of Italy in this period whose members engaged in civil violence against Fascists.
*Fascist: Benito Mussolini led the Fascists who opposed and engaged in violence with international leftists which were gaining prominance in the late 1910s and early 1920s.
*Arditi del Popolo (People's Militia) - A coalition formed in 1921 between various anti-Fascist groups including Malatesta's anarchists and Gramsci's communists among others including futurists, republicans, and syndicalists. [ Berghaus, Pp. 177 [http://books.google.ca/books?id=BrjNJoMD9bQC&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=Arditi+del+Popolo+Battalion+leader&source=web&ots=NDcQFGFNZd&sig=aCKWubpeMDRe-bpDSAXa-EntdqY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result] ]

Notes