THE STREET THE STREET, THE SWARM AND THE BEDROOM Fascism has always extolled action. Specifically, it has idealised a vitality that is demonstrated in public space (although, like any radical ideology, it has also dabbled in secrecy). This action is necessarily carried out by real bodies in conflict with the forces that would constrain them: communists, anti-fascists, or the state. In interwar fascism, urban space was central. The metropolitan street was simultaneously a site of commerce, politics and social life. Control of the street therefore meant an imposition of will on this social life. Though Mussolini came to power through technically legal means codified in the Italian constitution, the March on Rome in October 1922 solidified what had already become evident: Mussolini was in charge. Fascism has relied on the physical occupation of the street precisely because it was associated with untrammelled public power. Fascists want to make their superiority unmistakable.
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