Why did Benedetto Croce initially see fascism as a possible response to postwar disorder?

Benedetto Croce initially viewed fascism as a political movement on the right of the political spectrum that might serve to restrain and counteract the leftist tendencies toward unrestricted individual freedom that had been unleashed by World War I.1

At the time, Croce did not immediately perceive the true nature of the regime. However, as the character of the Benito Mussolini government revealed itself, Croce’s perspective shifted, and he became a staunch opponent of the movement, eventually serving as a primary symbol of resistance to fascist tyranny.1