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Many of these men were unemployed after the war, and they felt that their sacrifices during the war had been in vain. Mussolini cleverly formed squadrons of these veterans and employed them against all those he declared to be the enemies of Italy. These squads of former soldiers became known as ‘Blackshirts,’ and they proved to be a formidable paramilitary force.<ref>Kallis, p. 45</ref>

====Impact of World War I====

Italy’s military performed dismally during the war and had sustained extremely high casualties, and there had also been mass desertions. Many people and especially soldiers were disenchanted with the political class’ handling of the war. They were widely seen as corrupt and ineffective, and many held them personally responsible for the country's failings during the war. The Italian political system, though technically a democracy was in reality dominated by the traditional landowning and business elite. <ref>Gregor, 1979, p. 56</ref>