What was the March on Rome?
The March on Rome took place on October 28, 1922 and consisted of a large march organized by the National Fascist Party . During this episode, thousands of members and followers of Italian fascism flocked to Rome, the capital of Italy, to pressure the Italian king to appoint Benito Mussolini, leader of fascism, as the country's prime minister.
Historical Context
The March on Rome was the result of the entire historical process of the emergence and growth of fascism in Italy, a political regime that emerged shortly after the First World War. Created by Benito Mussolini in 1919, it was initially just a political movement called Fasci Italiani di Combattimento .
Fascism didn't really become a political party until 1921, when it was named National Fascist Party . At first, his political ideology was confusing, as it mixed elements defended by both the left and the right. In any case, the fascists wanted to achieve power, even if it was necessary to use force to do so.
The popularization and strengthening of fascism is directly related to a period in Italian history known as the Red Biennium . This period is known to have been a period of great revolutionary upheaval in Italy, with the mobilization of socialist movements and the organization of strikes throughout the country between 1919 and 1920.
The role of the fascists in this period took place through the squadristi , paramilitary groups of fascists known as black shirts . These groups acted violently against the socialists with the aim of intimidating them. Such an attitude made fascism famous, especially among landowners and industrialists in the center and north of the country.
Fascism's popularity among these groups is related to the fact that the black shirts fought socialist strikes and struggles for better wages for workers. As both groups had an interest in keeping wages low, the fascists' actions favored their plans.
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In the political aspect, the popularization of fascists began when they associated with a bloc of liberals and right-wing nationalists led by Giovanni Giolitti (a liberal politician). This accession took place in the election of 1921 and resulted in the appointment of 35 seats in the Italian parliament (out of a total of 535 seats).
At that moment, Benito Mussolini began to aim at the rise of fascism to power, but for that, it was necessary to change the strategy of action of its members. Concerned about the party's image due to the violent acts committed by the black shirts, Mussolini sought to contain the violence practiced in order to improve the party's image among moderate politicians.
Furthermore, Mussolini sought to secure the support of three fundamental groups in Italian society:the Monarchy , the Church and the industrial . The fascists' rapprochement with these groups was not easy, but it happened, albeit slowly. However, the strategy of containing the violence of the black shirts did not work.
In any case, fascism gained more and more support, as a large part of Italian society viewed socialist parties in a very negative light, preferring, therefore, to support the fascists. This was reflected in the number of party members, which rose from 80,000 to 322,000 between 1921 and 1922 1 .
Fascist violence went unchecked and ignored by the Italian government when committed against socialist groups. Thus, in August 1922, the fascists took control of some Italian cities, such as Milan , Trento and Bolzano . In addition, a strike organized by the Socialists was violently repressed.
In this context, the fascists already had a significant force in central and northern Italy. With that, the party began to organize a plan to carry out the seizure of power in Italy. This decision was made official internally on October 16, 1922. Thus, the occupation of buildings in cities in central and northern Italy and the roads that were on the outskirts of Rome was planned.
The organization of the March on Rome did not take place in secret, as it was not a revolutionary event. Its aim was solely to put pressure on the Italian king, Victor Emanuel III, to appoint Benito Mussolini as the country's prime minister. The fascists did not rule out the possibility of carrying out a coup, but the idea was abandoned due to the fact that they were offered power within constitutional legality.
Therefore, it is important to demystify the history constructed by the fascists that the rise of Mussolini happened through a revolutionary path. The fascists gained power legally, as the king used his role to compose a new ministerial cabinet in Italy. In addition, there is the fact that the rise of Mussolini did not change the power structures in Italy. The country remained a parliamentary monarchy until Mussolini established the dictatorship in the country.
During the course of the March on Rome, thousands of fascists made their way to Rome in every way possible:by car, on foot and many by train – with tickets financed by the government itself. . On October 28, 1922, the day of the march, there were about 40 thousand people positioned on the outskirts of Rome awaiting the order of the leader Mussolini to enter the capital of the country.
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Red Biennium
As mentioned, the strengthening and growth of fascism took place in a period of revolutionary effervescence in Italy. The country was in upheaval, instigated by movements that sought to bring about a workers' revolution in the country. The action of the socialists took place mainly through strikes. This period, between 1919 and 1920, generated a violent reaction from the fascist black shirts as a way of fighting the socialists. This phase became known as the Red Biennium and guaranteed the fame of the fascists.
Goals
The purpose of the March on Rome was to pressure the Italian king to name Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister of Italy. Fascists thought that, if necessary, power would be taken by force through a coup. If this exit had been used, most likely, the Italian forces would have slaughtered the poorly armed groups of fascists. In any case, fascism has legally come to power.
Mussolini Appointment
With the March on Rome, the then Prime Minister of Italy, Luigi Fact , mobilized to stop the fascists. Facta prepared a document requesting the king's authorization to declare a state of emergency and mobilize the army to repress the fascist threat. However, he was stopped by the king.
Furthermore, the king invited Mussolini to be the new Italian prime minister, causing Facta to tender his resignation from the post. Thus, Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister of Italy on October 30, 1922. With the appointment, fascist groups around Rome entered the city. Mussolini's inauguration was celebrated by liberals and nationalists.
Consequences
The great consequence of the March on Rome was that, in the long run, it represented the implantation of a totalitarian dictatorship in Italy. Regime change, however, only took place in 1925, when Mussolini proclaimed himself dictator of the country. Other consequences of fascism's rise to power in Italy were:
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End of liberal democracy
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End of party system
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Trade union control
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Censored press
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Persecution of political opponents
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1
SASSOON, Donald. Mussolini and the rise of fascism. Rio de Janeiro:Agir, 2009, p. 19.
*Image Credits:Olga Popova / Shutterstock