Page 71 - All About History - Issue 53-17

Bluffer’s Guide
MUSSOLINI’S MARCH ON ROME

What was it?
In 1922, Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party was
a minority group with just 35 seats in parliament. The
fascists were too impatient to build democratic support
or form coalitions with other parties. Instead, they simply
organised a demonstration of 26,000 fascists and marched
on Rome to overturn the liberal government by force. If the
military had been ordered to intervene, Mussolini’s ragtag
army would certainly have been decisively defeated. But
King Victor Emmanuel III balked at the idea, fearing that
Italy would be thrown into civil war. His refusal caused the
prime minister to resign in disgust and allowed Mussolini
to enter Rome unopposed.
Mussolini would later exaggerate the march into a heroic
coup, claiming that 3,000 people were killed. In fact, there
were only a dozen deaths, and the king handed power to
Mussolini voluntarily and quite constitutionally. Mussolini
himself didn’t even participate in the march, apart from
posing for a few photographs. He remained safe in Milan
until success was certain and then travelled comfortably
to Rome on the train.

Why did it happen?
The fascists were formed from Italian army veterans of
WWI. Italy had fought on the side of the Allies and the
fascists felt that Italy had been deprived of territory that
rightfully belonged to it following the Armistice. Mussolini
was a socialist as a young man, but with the outbreak of
WWI he became convinced that national identity was more
important than class struggle.
After the war, Mussolini’s blackshirts were involved in
violent clashes with communists, socialists and anarchists,
but the blackshirts were tolerated because the liberal
government was more afraid of a communist revolution.
This emboldened the fascists and the party leaders
increasingly called for an outright coup. Mussolini was
more ambivalent about the idea but with each political
rally, the desire for action within the party grew stronger
and Mussolini was forced to swim with the current. It
wasn’t until he was securely in power that he began
transforming Italy into a dictatorship.

Who was involved?
Benito Mussolini
29 July 1883 – 28 April 1945
Known as ‘Il Duce’ (The Leader), Mussolini
founded the fascist movement in Italy and
was its ruler for 20 years.

Luigi Facta
16 November 1861 – 5 November 1930
A liberal MP for 30 years. He was prime
30 OCT 1922 31 OCT 1922
minister of Italy for just 8 months before
Mussolini took over.
Mussolini arrives The fascist marchers
in Rome on the parade triumphantly
sleeper train through Rome, King Victor Emmanuel III
from Milan and giving the impression 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947
has his first of a successful coup His reign included both World Wars. He
cabinet meeting even though power
in a suite at the has been handed invited Mussolini to become prime minister © Getty Images, Alamy
Savoy Hotel. over peacefully. rather than risk a military confrontation.
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