The March on Rome: Violence and the Rise of Italian Fascism (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)

"The aim of this book is to reconstruct the violent nature of the March on Rome and to emphasise its significance in demarcating a real break in the country's history and the beginning of the Fascist dictatorship. This aspect of the March has long been obscured: first by the Fascists' celebratory project, and then by the ironic and reductive interpretation of the event put forward by anti-Fascists. This volume focuses on the role and purpose of Fascist political violence from its origins. In doing so, it highlights the conflictual nature of the March by illustrating the violent impact it had on Italian institutions as well as the importance of a debate on this political turning point in Italy and beyond. The volume also examines how the event crucially contributed to the construction of a dictatorial political regime in Italy in the weeks following Mussolini's appointment as head of the government. Originally published in Italian, this book fills a notable gap in current critical discussion surrounding the March in the English language"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Preface 10 Abbreviations 19 1. The Coup d’État Policy 20 Seditious plans 21 The Fiume exploit 24 From Fiume to Rome? 29 2. Political violence 36 The struggle for local hegemony 39 The anniversary policy 46 Strategies for violence and seizing power 49 The general strike and its aftermath 52 3. Towards the March 70 Talk of a coup 70 Organising the March 75 Defending the State 82 4. The March on Rome 92 ‘It’s pouring’: the Fascist mobilisation 93 The revoking of the state of siege 101 The Fascists in Bologna 107 The appointing of Mussolini 110 Demobilisation 120 5. The March after the March 132 Paper battles 133 A ‘typically Italian revolution’: diplomacy and the March on Rome 140 The ‘bivouac speech’ and the parliamentary debate 145 Army reports 156 The first official representation 159 6. A year of Fascist domination 167 Violence and public order 167 The transformation of the State 174 Time to draw a balance 183 Conclusion 193 Index 197 The aim of this book is to reconstruct the violent nature of the March and to emphasise its significance in marking a break in the country's history and the beginning of the Fascist dictatorship. Published version of EUI PhD thesis, 2004