Benito Mussolini was able to capitalize on the instability of post-WWI Italy, using a mixture of violent tactics, political savvy, and tapping into popular fears to rise to power in 1922.

• 1919 Election Oof Moment: The Fascists didn't do great, but they didn't throw in the towel!
• Strategic Pivot: Mussolini thought, "Let's swing right!" Result? Organized Blackshirt squads that loved their boss.
• Socialist Threat & The Government’s Oopsie: Mussolini's Blackshirts were like party crashers. They broke up strikes and took over factories. And guess what? The government was like, "Meh, they're dealing with Socialists for us!"
• Growth Spurt: By spring 1921, the Fascists went rural, and their member count shot up from 80,000 to a whopping 187,000!

• The Seat Counts: Fascists snagged 35 seats, including one for the main man, Mussolini. Meanwhile, the Catholic Party got 108, and the Socialists + Communists grabbed 138.
• Giolitti's Big Misstep: PM Giolitti thought he could tame the Fascist beast by inviting them into mainstream politics. Spoiler Alert: It backfired!

🍿 Fun Fact: It got real messy during the election. There was a day when 40 people died because of election-related violence.

Mussolini was like

• "Hey, we’re right-wing, and we're not fans of democracy or socialism."
• "But we'll support an 8-hour workday and stuff that helps society."
• "Don't even think about state socialism, though!"
• "We're cool with the Church. In fact, Rome's traditions? Totally represented by Catholicism."

🔍 So, who was he chatting up here?

• Right-wingers
• Anti-Socialists
• Those who supported social reforms (but not too extreme!)
• The Catholic Church and its supporters.