In October 1922, Benito Mussolini and his Blackshirts marched on Rome, a decisive event that led to Mussolini's appointment as Prime Minister of Italy. This march signified the rise of Fascism in Italy, marking a shift in the political landscape of Europe during the interwar period. Mussolini's regime would later influence totalitarian movements worldwide, demonstrating the power of political extremism and the fragility of democratic institutions.

The March on Rome in 1922 and the rise of Italian Fascism prompted a wave of anti-fascist poetry, with writers like Bertolt Brecht and Anna Akhmatova addressing themes of oppression, exile, and the human spirit's resilience in the face of tyranny. This era saw poetry as a form of resistance, where the voices of dissent became crucial in documenting the struggles against authoritarianism.