The birth of Futurism did not begin in France or even the United States, but in Italy. The movement was born out of the corrupt and confused Italian government. To say that the Futurist wanted reform in the early twentieth century does not do them justice. The Futurists demanded change and pointed at any and all faults they could find that would destroy the continuation of a corrupt government. In the mind of the average Futurist, the Italian government had become misguided in their goals and values.

The Futurist movement began with a poet named Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. In 1909, Marinetti wrote the Futurist manifesto. The manifesto was a downright rejection of modern arts effort to portray artwork. The manifesto of 1909 served Futurism in its goal to tame conventional mannerism.

Futurism, and its manifesto embodied a genuine concern for reason and justice. When Futurism first found its way into the art world, the creator of the movement, Marinetti, struggled with the idea of what to call his new movement. Some of the names the considered were Dynamism, Electricity, and Futurism. This powerful movement might have been called anything except "Pacifism" for radical changes were taking place.

In 1911, the Futurists gathered at their first major showing in Milan, Italy. The artists involved in this exhibition included Boccioni, Russolo, and Carra. Together, these three exhibited over 50 works. When the exhibition was over, the Futurist painters came together as artists with a common interest.

For about 10 years, the Futurist movement deeply practiced the principles they believed in. But by 1918, the war had taken a huge toll on the Futurists. Many artists began to practice less rebellious styles, and Futurism itself was becoming an obsolete movement. In some regards however, a couple of artists led Futurism into the 1940's and 50's. Although at some point, the movement seemed to regain its ground, the period between 1909 and 1918 seemed to mark the most productive and worthwhile years in Futurism.