Final answer:
Mussolini organized the "Blackshirts" as a paramilitary force to consolidate power and establish a fascist dictatorship in Italy, using violence to suppress opposition and promote an authoritarian agenda.
Step-by-step explanation:
Benito Mussolini's purpose in organizing the unit known as the "Blackshirts" in 1919 was to dismantle the democratic process within Italy and establish a fascist state through the use of force, intimidation, and terror. The Blackshirts, Mussolini's paramilitary wing of the Fascist Party, were instrumental in his ascent to power. They engaged in violent confrontations with political opponents, particularly targeting socialists and communists, during a period of social unrest and fear of a communist revolution. This fear was exploited by Mussolini to garner support from a worried middle class, landowners, and a significant part of the industrial sector.
The Blackshirts played a crucial role in the March on Rome in 1922, a strategic event that precipitated Mussolini's appointment as prime minister and eventually led to the establishment of a fascist dictatorship. Under Mussolini's rule, the Fascist Party became the only legal political entity, eliminating free elections, suppressing the free press, and eroding the democratic structure of Italy to establish a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme nationalism and militarism.