Why did many Italians fear a socialist revolution after World War I?

Following World War I, many Italians feared a socialist revolution due to the intense economic and political instability known as the biennio rosso ("two red years," 1919–1920). Several factors fueled this anxiety:1

• Economic Crisis: Postwar inflation rendered savings nearly worthless, and unemployment soared as returning soldiers struggled to find work.1
• Social Unrest: Widespread strikes paralyzed public services, while peasants and agricultural laborers seized land and organized strikes, threatening the harvest.1
• Radical Rhetoric: The Italian Socialist Party was dominated by a maximalist wing that frequently used revolutionary language, explicitly expressing a desire to "do as in Russia" following the Bolshevik Revolution.12
• Middle-Class Alarm: The urban middle classes were particularly alarmed by the radical slogans and the electoral success of the Socialists, who became the largest party in the 1919 elections.1
• Hostility to Property: Socialist and union hostility toward small property owners and their advocacy for land collectivization alienated the middle class and small landowners, who feared the loss of their assets and status.1

These fears were compounded by the weakness of postwar coalition governments, which seemed unable to restore order or address the nation's deep-seated grievances.1