Why did Giacomo Matteotti criticize the 1924 Italian elections?

Giacomo Matteotti, a prominent Italian Socialist leader, criticized the 1924 Italian elections because they were conducted in a climate of widespread Fascist violence and intimidation.123

On May 30, 1924, Matteotti delivered a powerful speech to the Chamber of Deputies in which he denounced the Fascist Party for using these terroristic tactics to manipulate the electoral process. The 1924 elections had been held under a new law that granted an absolute majority of seats to the party or alliance with the largest share of the vote, provided they reached at least 25 percent. By employing systematic violence—including beating, killing, and suppressing opposition institutions—the Fascists ensured their dominance, particularly in the south, and secured 374 seats.123

Matteotti’s courageous stand against this subversion of democratic rights directly challenged the legitimacy of the Benito Mussolini regime. Shortly after his speech, he was kidnapped and murdered by Fascist squadristi, an act that triggered the Matteotti Crisis and ultimately paved the way for Mussolini to establish a totalitarian state.12