In May 1921, the National Fascist Party entered Parliament for the first time, after joining the National Bloc, a political coalition comprising almost all political parties that aimed to stem the rapid advance of socialist ideology in Italy. This grand entrance of fascism into Italian party politics was endorsed by none other than the Prime Minister and leader of the historic Liberal Party, who envisioned enlisting Mussolini and his followers within the party system to quell the squads' more violent, anti-systemic nature.

This, as we unfortunately know, was not the case, and in 1923, Italo Balbo commented on the events of September 1921, regarding the major fascist militias' occupation of the city of Ravenna: "It was in September 1921 that the fascist defensive squadrism took on a very regular military form." This brief quote highlights two very important points: the first is the obstinacy with which the fascist squadrists portray their actions as a response to the violence perpetrated by the socialists, defining them as "defensive"; the second is the way Balbo began to speak of a "very regular military form."

With the rise of fascism in Parliament, in fact, it was not quelled as Giolitti had hoped, but rather took on the characteristics of a true national militia, deeply rooted throughout the territory and with its own hierarchies parallel to those of the regular army. On September 20, a circular was sent to all local Fasci, listing the characteristics that each fascist squad must possess. These were to consist of 13 members, or 22 if formed within a city, including standard-bearers and squad leaders, with each member being at least 18 years old. If multiple squads were formed, one would be called the "Disperata" (Desperate Squad) and would be responsible for external expeditions.

This regimentation laid the foundations for the true fascistization of Italy, with a movement that had become a party, challenging and soon undermining the state's monopoly on violence. From this point on, once the crisis between squad leaders and Mussolini had been resolved, the trend would always be toward a constant increase in violence and the growing importance of these fascist militias, while democracy, following a dark postwar period, was finally dying out entirely.