Voluntary Militia for National Security

Italian organization

Also known as: Voluntary Fascist Militia for National Security(Show More)

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July 15, 2026

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The Voluntary Militia for National Security (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, or MVSN) was an Italian paramilitary organization established in 1923 by Benito Mussolini. It was formed from the earlier "Action Squads" (Squadre d'Azione), also known as Blackshirts, who were armed groups of Italian Fascists.1

The Blackshirts' initial purpose was to dismantle socialist, communist, and other political organizations through violence and intimidation. This militia became an official part of the Italian armed forces, responsible for maintaining public order and security under the Fascist regime. While it had military duties, it also functioned as a civil police force, overlapping with the State Police. The organization was disgraced and fell out of favor with the fall of Mussolini in 1943.12

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Italy
The rise of Mussolini
…were incorporated into an official Voluntary Militia for National Security. Ordinary middle-class job seekers flooded into the Fascist Party, making it more respectable and amenable; the nationalists also merged their organization into it, bringing with them much respectable backing in the south. In 1923 the electoral law was changed once…
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…were incorporated into an official Voluntary Militia for National Security. Ordinary middle-class job seekers flooded into the Fascist Party, making it more respectable and amenable; the nationalists also merged their organization into it, bringing with them much respectable backing in the south. In 1923 the electoral law was changed once…
Read More

Blackshirt
…into a national militia, the Voluntary Fascist Militia for National Security. The black shirt was worn not only by these military Fascists but also by other Fascists and their sympathizers, especially on patriotic occasions. With the fall of Mussolini in 1943, however, the black shirt and the Blackshirts fell into…
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…into a national militia, the Voluntary Fascist Militia for National Security. The black shirt was worn not only by these military Fascists but also by other Fascists and their sympathizers, especially on patriotic occasions. With the fall of Mussolini in 1943, however, the black shirt and the Blackshirts fell into…
Read More