Many Futurists instinctively supported the rise of fascism in Italy in the hope of modernizing the society and the economy of a country that was still torn between unfilled industrial revolution in the North and the rural, archaic South. Some Futurists' glorification of modern warfare as the ultimate artistic expression and their intense nationalism also induced them to embrace Italian fascism. Many Futurists became associated with the regime over the 1920's, which gave them both official recognition and the ability to carry out important works, especially in architecture.

However, many leftists that came to Futurism in the earlier years continued to oppose Marinetti's domination of the artistic and political direction of Futurism.

Pietro Illari

In his 20's Illari joined the Parma Socialist Party and worked on their paper L'idea. By about 1920 Pietro Illari was heading the Parma Futurist group that had been founded by the anarchist Renzo Provinciali. Illari steered the vision of the group from Anarcho-Futurism closer towards the Left wing and actively involved the group with the Arditi del Popolo.

In 1922 he joined the Italian Communist party and worked on their journals L'ordine Nuovo and Idea Communistra, becoming the Parma Party Secretary in a short space of time.

Illari had strong links with Marasco's Futurist group in Florence and was also in contact with the Anarcho-Futurists in La Spezia who were all militant anti-Fascists, very critical of Marinetti and violently opposed to the pro-Fascist element within Futurism headed by the Mario Carli / Emilio Settimelli faction. He was in contact with the Communist-Futurist Franco Rampa Rossi who collaborated on his periodical Rovente, a journal that, while inherently Left wing and anti-Fascist, was also in violent opposition to the "official" political line of mainstream Marinettian Futurism.

However, in June 1922 he quit the Communist party for unknown reasons but possibly because the Communist Central Committee forced him to choose between Communism and Futurism. Illari, under no illusion that he could survive either artistically or politically under a Fascist government, emigrated to Argentina in 1924 where he taught children of Italian immigrants.

During these years, Futurism expanded to encompass other artistic domains. In architecture, it was characterized by a distinctive thrust towards rationalism and modernism through the use of advanced building materials. In Italy, futurist architects were often at odds with the fascist state's tendency towards Roman imperial/classical aesthetic patterns. However several interesting futurist buildings were built in the years 1920–1940, including many public buildings: stations, maritime resorts, post offices, etc.