2. Key Players In Appointment Of Mussolini

Front 1

King

Back 1

• Disillusion with parliamentary leadership
  
• Acted against minister's advice
• Feared civil war and his pro-Fascist
• Queen Mother was pro-Fascist

Front 2

Mussolini

Back 2

• Wavered over idea of march
  
• Used threat of coup to gain power
• Remained in Milan, centre of Fascism, whilst march was organised
• Rejected offers of becoming a minister

Front 3

Facta

Back 3

• Led a weak government (Feb-Oct 1922)
  
• Failed to act against Fascist threats and violence
• Asked King for marital law and on refusal, resigned

Front 4

Salandra

Back 4

• Unable to persuade Mussolini to join his government
  
• Advised Mussolini's appointment as PM to stop his rival, Giolitti

Front 5

Giolitti

Back 5

• Politician Mussolini most feared
• Failed to come to Rome from Piedmont to be directly engaged in negotiates
• Eventually supported Mussolini's appointment
  

Front 6

Liberal politicians in general

Back 6

• Facta, Salandra, Giolitti, Nitti, and Orlando intrigued against each other
  
• All looked to include Fascists in new government led by themselves
  
• Governments led it to prefects to take action against Fascists
  

Front 7

The Army

Back 7

• Some generals sympathised with Fascists
• Six generals involved in March
  

Front 8

The Squads

Back 8

• Thirty thousand squadristi gathered for the march
• Other squads took over some local councils, but failed elsewhere
  

Front 9

The Left

Back 9

• Socialists did not call general strike in response to appointment of Mussolini
• Some saw Fascism's success as a sign of the collapse of the Liberal state, and prelude to Socialist revolution
  

Front 10

The Elite

Back 10

• Leaders of Confederation for industry & agriculture as well as Banker's association telephoned Rome asking for Mussolini as PM on 28th October
• Major industrialists urged Mussolini government
  

Front 11

Pope Pius XI

Back 11

• Friendly with Mussolini
  
• As bishop of Milan, allowed Fascist banners in church
• Urged need for peaceful settlement

Front 12

The Press

Back 12

Liberal press justified Fascist violence as only alternative to anarchy

Front 13

Intellectuals

Back 13

Croce and others sympathised with Fascism as form of Italian renewal