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| 1921, Jan. 13–22 |
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| Congress of the Socialist Party at Livorno. The party split into a moderate and a radical wing, the latter frankly Communist. Their main theoretician was Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937), the publisher of Ordine Nuovo in Turin. | 1 |
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| Feb. 27 |
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| Communist and Fascist riots at Florence, inaugurating a period of repeated clashes that ultimately approximated civil war between the two factions. Central in this disorder were the Fascist Arditi, gangs of strike-breaking thugs. | 2 |
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| May 15 |
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| Elections, the first held under a system of universal suffrage. The Liberals and Democrats won a resounding victory and secured 275 seats, as against 122 for the Socialists and 107 for the Popular (Catholic) Party. The Communists had only 16, the Fascists 22. | 3 |
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| June 26 |
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| Fall of the Giolitti cabinet, the result of dissatisfaction with its foreign policy. A new ministry was organized (July 5) by Ivanhoe Bonomi. | 4 |
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