The importance of the King in Mussolini's rise to power Flashcards
How old was Emmanuel III upon ascending to the throne?
30
Why were public events so stressful for Emmanuel?
He was shy, introverted and lacking in presence
Where would Emmanuel retire to avoid the stress of politics?
His county estates, the island of Monte Cristo or his favourite coastal residence of San Rossore
What influenced Emmanuel’s decision to shield himself behind liberal government?
His father’s political involvement had led to assassination
What did the constitution give Emmanuel the right to do?
- Declare war
- Choose the PM, regardless of whether they had the confidence of a majority of the chamber of deputies
Who were the ras quadrumirs?
The leaders
Name the 4 ras quadrumirs
- Balbo
- Biancchi
- De Bono
- De Vecchi
Where was Emmanuel in the autumn of 1922?
At San Rossore, hunting and cataloguing his world famous coin and medal collection
How did Emmanuel think the fascist threat would be solved?
He thought Giolitti would return to power and fascism would either be absorbed or disintigrate
What did conservatives like Albertini tell the King about fascism?
That it could be constitutionalised
Why was the anti-Giolitti stance adopted by the liberals such a mistake?
Giolitti was the one politician MUssolini feared
How did the King react to being made aware of the fascist plans for a mark two weeks in advance?
He remained out of Rome, believing the fascist threat would fizzle out
What made Emmanuel return to Rome on the 27th October?
Facta’s insistence
How did Facta’s cabinet try to help in dealing with the fascist threat?
They offered to dissolve their portfolios so the fascists could be incorporated into government
What did General Bagdolio tell Emmanuel?
That the army could rout out the fascist threat with ease
What did General Pugliese (commander of Rome) inform Emmanuel?
That Rome was impregnable
What did General Cittadini tell the cabinet?
That martial law was vital; the cabinet unanimously agreed
Why did Emmanuel revoke his decision to impose martial law?
- He considered Pugliese’s 30,000 troops to be weak in a confrontation against 100,000 blackshirts
- He thought the political vacuum could be exploited by a Bolshevik coup
Why was the King wrong to waver on the decision to impose martial law?
- The fascists had no more than 10,000 poorly equipped men
- Pugliese had 30,000 loyal troops fully armed with machine guns, armoured cars and artillery
- 400 policemen had allied with local trade unions to cut off rail links to Rome and the road network was sealed with barricades
- Blueshirt nationalists had said they would fight with the army
- De Vecchi informed Mussolini he would not march without the support of the King
- Mussolini was already preparing for voluntary exile to Switzerland
What did futurist Giovanni Papini criticise the King for having a proclivity for doing?
Surrounding himself with courtiers who gave him ridiculously bad advice
What did the Emmanuel believe about his duty as King?
He believed his duty was to preserve the dynasty of the Savoy-Piedmont family
Who were the only people the King communicated with in the lead up to his decision to revoke martial law?
- General Diaz and Salandra; both of whom believed it would be wise to try and incorporate Mussolini into government
- Salandra argued that he could lead a right of centre government and give Mussolini a post in it
- Diaz was worried that a Giolitti-led government would place greater political control on the High Command and that this would lead to genuine democratic accountability
- Diaz had also been promised greater army autonomy by the fascists, which may have influenced his decision to tell the King that he doubted the army’s ability to deal with the blackshirts
Ultimately, what two major effects did the king’s actions have?
They gave confidence to the fascists while causing confusion and demoralisation to the forces of democracy
