In late October 1922 King Victor Emmanuel of Italy asked Benito Mussolini, leader of the Fascist party, to form a government. The Liberals had failed to resist the mounting pressure from the supporters of Fascism. Culminating in the ‘March on Rome' the Fascists' rise to power had been swift and resistance had apparently been non-existent. Why had Fascism succeeded in its primary aim of entering government so easily and quickly?
Economic, social and political problems were rife in post-war Italy. Although beginning in the north, industrialisation had not yet fully spread throughout Italy, and so the economic benefits that came with it were not present. Most Italians still earned a living from the land, often farming poor soil, especially in the south. Where industry was developed work was carried out in dreadful conditions and for little pay. This created a feeling of injustice amongst the poorest sections of Italian society. The poverty of these people led to a growing support for Communism and other extremist groups. The more conservative elements of Italian society, such as the latifundios and those who controlled the large sectors of industry in the north, were alarmed at the pace of change and were worried that support for these groups could damage their interests. When the liberal government appeared to do little to stop the progression of socialism they increasingly turned to Mussolini who gave the impression of strong leadership and whose Fascist party was ideologically opposed to socialism. Support for the Fascists increased in this section of society when they helped break up the huge strikes of the Bienno Roso. Mussolini presented himself as the man who could prevent the chaos Communism promised to bring, and so stop Italy's economic problems causing political and social upheaval.
Despite appearing to help the richest citizens of Italy, the Fascists also managed to inspire support and even devotion from the ordinary workers and peasants. Much of this can probably be attributed to the fact that many felt let down by the post-war government and had turned to extremist groups. While many looked to Communism for an answer a large proportion of the naturally conservative population began supporting the Fascists. These naturally conservative tendencies were undoubtedly helped enormously by the official support of the Fascists by the Catholic Church. Naturally afraid of the anti-religious ideology of Communism the Vatican felt support for the Fascists could be essential to the continuation of their influence in Europe and beyond. By allying themselves to the Fascists the Church brought with them the support of millions of devote Catholics in Italy regardless of their political views. The enormous influence of the Church in Italy may well have been vital in winning the support of many that would otherwise have found that Fascism had little to offer for them.
However, there were very few groups in Italy that could find nothing in Fascism. It is widely acknowledged that one of the most noticeable attributes of Fascism as Mussolini presented it was its ability to change and present itself in whatever form the people wanted to see, regardless of the true ideology behind it. The ability of Mussolini and his party to appeal to all classes of people was used to great affect to attract the support of both the rich and the poor. Despite the near constant conflict of these two groups they both supported the same cause in great numbers. Mussolini used promises of workers syndicates and lower unemployment to attract the poor while promising to combat Communism and preserve conservative values as mentioned earlier. His vision of the corporate state and universal employment appealed to the workers, while he promised to protect the owners' interests by reducing the powers of the trade unions and preventing strikes. Thus Mussolini gathered support and, more importantly, votes from all areas of society, and in turn began to do well in national elections.
As the Fascists began to poll well in the elections there was an expectation of them being given a share in government. The Italian political system traditionally followed a policy of transformismo, whereby a troublesome and well-supported opposition group would be absorbed into government with the hope of preventing them criticising the main governmental party. As this expectation grew it is likely to have made Mussolini more confident about his chances of taking absolute power. When the Fascists were offered 2 cabinet positions by the Facta government Mussolini was not satisfied. It seems that at this stage he was certain he could take power alone and this confidence caused him to pursue a more aggressive policy. Without his devotion to gaining total power Mussolini may have become a minor figure in the government rather than a dictator.
The aggressive policy followed by the Fascists from this point is the key to their gaining of power. This policy, headed by Balbo's concept of a 'March on Rome' exposed the deep weaknesses in the political system, which finally resulted in Mussolini being given power. The March on Rome itself is widely regarded as having been a massive bluff to create the illusion of a Fascist revolution. Whatever the reality of the power behind it, the march certainly began a chain of events that created confusion and panic. As the Fascists began to take control of major cities the government made a desperate bid to exert some control by imposing martial law. However, despite the weakness of the Fascists, the government was unable to resist them at all. This was in some way due to the political system in place in Italy. The system required the king's permission for martial law to be imposed. When this was put to the king a number of factors are likely to have influenced his decision. His eventual decision not to send soldiers out to meet the Blackshirts was probably an act of both self-preservation and a loss of nerve. The head of the army had told the king that the army and the police would be unlikely to open fire on the Blackshirts. Fearing a seizure of power and that after a Fascist revolution the monarchy would be abolished the king would want to make a deal whereby he could retain power. This is probably why he invited Mussolini to become Prime Minister and consequently put the Fascists in government.
The rise of the Fascists to power was a rapid and intriguing affair, punctuated by inspirational dynamism from Mussolini and dramatic failings by the existing establishment. Without either of these two forces the Fascists could never have enjoyed the success they did. However, in my view the ruling bodies of the time did most to let liberal Italy succumb to Fascist dictatorship, losing their resolve to combat the advances of Mussolini and to effectively solve the problems of the age that led to Fascist governments controlling many European nations. Mussolini may or may not have had the means to seize power, but in the end those means were irrelevant as the establishment collapsed and handed him power on a plate.