Career
Rossi began his political career on the left with the Italian Socialist Party and as a writer for various syndicalist journals. However he left the Socialists in 1907 to serve in the Italian Army and did not rejoin following his demobilisation. He joined the Fasci di Azione Rivoluzionaria in 1914 and by 1919 this had led to him joining the Fasci italiani di combattimento.
A leading writer for Il Popolo d"Italia, Rossi was recognised as one of Benito Mussolini"s closest advisers in the early days of the fascist movement.
Rossi soon gained a reputation for his moderation and was instrumental in the Pact of Pacification, a 1921 agreement that temporarily slowed down the violence of the Blackshirts. He was the leader of a fasci and an important figure in the March on Rome.
Following this seizure of power Rossi was appointed director of Mussolini"s Press and Propaganda Office. Rossi"s rise through the ranks of the fascist state came to an abrupt end in 1924 with the murder of Giacomo Matteotti after he was accused of being responsible.
The incident, which angered even some fascists, led to a split between Rossi and Mussolini.
He was tricked into returning to Italy in 1928 and was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for his part in the murder.