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Why did Mussolini become Prime Minister in 1922
vague compromises from the traditional political leader, yet at the same time managed to keep them divided from each other.
Once Mussolini saw that his opponents were becoming weaker, and more nervous he unleashed the threat of a Fascist March on Rome to take control there, he claimed that the march would save Italy from anarchy and also Communism. This threat made Facta, head of the current government, so nervous that he ordered for more troops to be sent to Rome, in the face of the Fascist threat. At 5am on the 28th October Facta established, that as the King Victor Emmanuel III, was the ruler of the country and therefore the armed forces, that he would issue a decree establishing martial law. However, at 9am when Facta approached the king, Victor Emmanuel being unsure of the loyalty of the army to the monarchy, had changed his mind. Facta then offered his resignation as Prime Minister and the king immediately accepted. With Facta having just resigned, Victor Emmanuel was forced to find a new Prime Minister. Giolitti, who Facta had been a follower of, was unlikely to succeed Facta because of his previous ineffective actions against the unions, and therefore was a poor candidate, especially considering he had stayed away from Rome as the crisis deepened.
The next logical candidate was Giolitti’s opponent Salandra. Salandra accepted the king’s offer but firmly stated that it would be wise to have Fascists in the cabinet. So he offered Mussolini 4 places, but Mussolini, now prepared to play for higher stakes, promptly declined. Salandra then informed the king that without support from the Fascists, he could not form a government so the king was forced to phone Mussolini and offer him the place of Prime Minister.