Arditi del Popolo

The Arditi del Popolo or The People's Daring Ones were an anti-fascist militia founded by anarchists, although they were open to anti-fascists of all political ideologies. Founded in 1921, they had reached 20,000 members across 144 sections in just a few months. After fascists had murdered an anarchist worker and attacked his funeral, the Arditi assaulted the fascists and killed 20 of them. Eventually, the Leninist Italian Socialist and Communist Parties withdrew support in order to form an alliance with the fascists to secure their own goals of power. With the sudden loss of support, morale and finances, the Arditi were unable to withstand constant attacks from fascist gangs and raids by police, with the organization collapsing in 1922.