International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

The “Biennio Rosso” (Two Red Years) identifies the period between 1919 and 1920 when Italy seemed to be on the verge of a revolution. Social and industrial protests of unprecedented intensity and scale broke out all over the country. The failure of this insurrectionary movement and the subsequent reaction of industrial and landowner elites with the use of fascist violence, and the support of a middle class frightened by the specter of “bolshevism,” have long been regarded as crucial factors in determining the failure of the liberal state and Mussolini's rise to power (Detti 1978).After World War I discontent was widespread. The population was confronted with rising inflation and a dramatic increase in the price of basic goods, whilst extensive unemployment was exacerbated by mass demobilization. Concurrently, affiliation to the trade unions, the Socialist Party (PSI), and the anarchist movement increased dramatically. The PSI grew to a membership of 250,000, and the major trade union, the General Confederation of Labor (Confederazione Generale del Lavoro, CGL), reached two million members, while the anarchistled Italian Syndicalist Union (Unione Sindacale Italiana, USI) ranged between 300,000 and 500,000 affiliates. The vitality of the anarchist movement was bolstered by the return from exile of the anarchist leader Errico Malatesta, welcomed as the “Lenin of Italy.” The Italian ... log in or subscribe to read full text