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Mussolini himself stayed in Milan, more than 350 miles north of Rome. If the government called his bluff, he could escape to safety across the border with Switzerland. Prime Minister Luigi Facta was prepared to call Mussolini’s bluff. But Italy’s king, Victor Emmanuel III, was not. The king feared a civil war. He also worried about a Communist revolu- tion. Victor Emmanuel decided that his country needed a strong government that would restore order. That was exactly what Mussolini promised. So on October 29, the king telegraphed Mussolini in Milan. He offered the Fascist leader the position of prime minister. Mussolini had gotten what he wanted. But he insisted on going through with the “March on Rome” anyway. He took the overnight train from Milan, arriving just outside the capital on the morning of October 30. There he joined his Blackshirt fol- lowers, who had also covered the final miles to Rome by train. With Mussolini and several of his top aides taking the lead, the Fascists paraded into the city as photographers snapped away. Many of the photos conveyed a sort of heroic grandeur. Viewing them, one would hardly suspect that the March on Rome had actually been a short stroll. Il Duce Two liberal parties, the Socialist Party and the Italian People’s Party, held the most seats in Italy’s parliament. Victor Emmanuel’s intention was to lock these left-wing parties out of government. He wanted Mussolini’s Fascists to lead a coalition of right-wing parties. The idea was popular with many ordi- nary Italians as well.

Destroying Democracy

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