For some Italians, discerning and navigating the dangers and opportunities presented by state-backed coercion constituted a way of life. This new form of politicized conflict varied in intensity and form according to region, locality, and class. But whether in Trieste or Trapani, similar patterns of repression emerged involving the same types of spaces, actors, and dynamics of state-backed social power. In this sense, Fascist political violence thus contributed in part to the nationalization of the Italians. One of an Italian's first “national” experiences was learning to appreciate the machinations of the authoritarian state apparatus and the boundaries of expected political behavior. For Italians who transgressed these boundaries, among the possible grim outcomes were a punch in the face, institutional confinement, discrimination in the labor market or state welfare, financial ruin, social ostracism, or mere intimidation and fear.