Background On 31 July 1922, the
Alleanza del Lavoro, a union of those who were left-wing trade unions before the advent of the regime, called a legal strike "against fascist violence" and "the indifference of the state towards them". The news leaked ahead of time and
Mussolini was able to organize an early resistance by sending a very secret circular to all the federations of the
National Fascist Party (PNF): If the government fails to crush it within forty-eight hours from the proclamation of the strike, the fascists will provide for the need directly. The fascists must, after the aforementioned period of forty-eight hours, and provided that the strike persists, aim at the capitals of their respective provinces and occupy them." Meanwhile, in Parma the workers joined the strike in force. The
Arditi del Popolo and the local
Proletarian Legion Filippo Corridoni created a front including the left-wing interventionists from Parma. The Parmesan revolutionary syndicalists approached the left, highlighting the difficulties of fascism in finding consensus in Parma, as shown in the diaries of
Italo Balbo. For just over a year, the proletarian defense formations of
Guido Picelli, an internationalist socialist, had also been present, who had a recruiting tank in the Parma proletariat. inclined to radical socialism and anarchism. Here an armed resistance "of excellent military caliber" was organized, according to Italo Balbo, sent by
Michele Bianchi, at the request of the fascist deputy Terzaghi, the local quadrunvirate, close to
Roberto Farinacci's positions. The whole population actively participated in the clashes, including the women who gave a fundamental contribution both as fighters and for the organization of the rear, and for this reason were praised by Balbo himself. In the popular districts the institutional powers were passed to the
Arditi del Popolo directorate commanded by Guido Picelli. ==References==