March on Rome
| March on Rome | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Civil unrest in Italy | |||||||||
Benito Mussolini and his Blackshirts during the March | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Facta Marcello Soleri Emanuele Pugliese |
Benito Mussolini Emilio De Bono Italo Balbo Michele Bianchi Cesare Maria De Vecchi | ||||||||
| Political support | |||||||||
|
Italian Liberal Party Italian Socialist Party Italian People's Party Communist Party of Italy | Italian Nationalist Association | ||||||||
The March on Rome (Italian: Marcia su Roma) was an organized mass demonstration in October 1922 which resulted in Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. In late October 1922, Fascist Party leaders planned a march on the capital. On 28 October, the fascist demonstrators and Blackshirt paramilitaries approached Rome; Prime Minister Luigi Facta wished to declare a state of siege, but this was overruled by King Victor Emmanuel III, who, fearing bloodshed, persuaded Facta to resign by threatening to abdicate. On 30 October 1922, the King appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister, thereby transferring political power to the fascists without armed conflict. On 31 October the fascist Blackshirts paraded in Rome, while Mussolini formed his coalition government.