Squadrismo (IPA: [skwaˈdrizmo]) was the movement of squadre d’azione (literally ‘action squads’), the fascist militias organized outside the authority of the Italian state and led by local leaders called ras (a title given to the Abyssinian headmen). The militia originally consisted of farmers and the middle-class people creating their own defense against revolutionary socialists. Squadrismo became an important asset for the rise of the National Fascist Party led by Benito Mussolini, using violence to systematically eliminate any political parties which were opposed to Italian Fascism. This violence was not solely an instrument in politics, but was also a vital component of squadrismo identity, which made it difficult for the movement to be tamed. This was shown in the various attempts by