The March On Rome Flashcards
Who put mussolini under pressure to take power?
The ras
What happened on the 16th October 1922?
Mussolini and six leading fascists met in Milan and decided that the time was right to take power
What happened on the 24th October 1922
A fascist Congress was held in naples
Who was the march on Rome in tradition of?
Garibaldi
What happened on the 27th October?
- fascist squads prepared to seize public buildings
- 10,000 men assembled 20 miles outside of Rome, ready to march into the city the next day
What did Mussolini proclaim on the eve of the march
‘either the government will be given to us or we shall take it, descending upon Rome. it is now a question of days, perhaps hours
What assuaged mussolinis doubts about the march?
- he felt there was more of a problem if he resisted his most aggressive fascists
- he thought the threat of a fascist march could intimidate the king into appointing him
10,000 squadristi assembled outside of Rome. How many were supposed to be there?
50,000
What had the squadristi been told to do?
Avoid clashes with the army
What stopped many of the squads from meeting?
Many of their trains were stopped by the sabotage of the lines
What was the problem for the squadristi who did manage to meet?
They were in bad shape, poorly armed, drenched by rain, with sinking morale. They did not look like an irresistible force
What had PM Facta historically failed to do that contributes to this issue?
Tackle the fascist threat
What did Facta request of the king?
That martial law be declared, so that the army could take steps to crush the revolt
What does Lyttleton say about victor Emmanuel’s position in dealing with the march on Rome?
‘the only man who could do anything was convinced of his impotence’
What were the factors that influence Emmanuel’s timid response to the march?
- like many other elites, he overestimated the strength of fascism
- his mother and cousin, the Duke of Aosta, sympathised with the movement
- the king feared the fascists might replace him with Aosta
- some of his generals were involved with the fascists
- he was aware of the fact that he could provoke a civil war
