How Did Mussolini Gain Power

Mussolini and many of his colleagues were elected to parliament in May of 1921 with the support of Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti. By November, they were formally established as a political party known as the Partito Nazionale Fascista. In August of 1922, Mussolini took advantage of a strike when his men, known as the blackshirts, broke the strike. In October of 1922, he declared that the government’s weakness required intervention as he ordered his violent blackshirt squads to gather in four areas around Rome. They marched on the capital as he observed from Milan, and the propaganda of the March on Rome propelled him to power. King Victor Emmanuel III refused to put down his insurrection in Rome and instead invited Mussolini to come to Rome
He introduced a law to ensure the Fascist majority would remain in parliament and became il Duce, or the Leader, to the nation. King Victor Emmanuel III was allowed to retain his monarchy, but without ruling authority. Mussolini’s success was attributed to two factors: the middle class’ hope for a strong government to restore order and the cautious optimism of liberals that he would soon lose power. By 1925, he declared dictatorial powers as opposing politicians were arrested and free press was stopped. His Fascist Grand Council replaced parliament while free elections were stopped and all dissent was silenced. His aspiration to keep all power in his own hands did not allow him to be provided with counsel from advisors that could have made him aware of the weakened state of the Italian economy and
Italy surrendered on September 8th and signed an agreement three weeks later to change sides. On October 13th, Italy declared war on Germany; however, the Germans were still occupying most of Italy. The Allies began the Italian Campaign which raged from 1943 to 1945 to regain control of Italy, but progress was slow because the mountains provided a perfect defense against an approaching army. Rome was captured in June of 1944, and in April of 1945, Mussolini was captured and hung by Italian partisans. Following the war, the political system of Italy was reconstructed, and a new constitution was written for the Italian Republic which was formed in