Benito Mussolini 6

 Mussolini encouraged the squads although he soon tried to control them and organized similar raids in and around Milan. By late 1921, the fascists controlled large parts of Italy, and the left, in part because of its failures during the postwar years, had all but collapsed. The government, dominated by middle-class Liberals, did little to combat this lawlessness, both through weak political will and a desire to see the mainly working-class left defeated. As the fascist movement built a broad base of support around the powerful ideas of nationalism and anti-Bolshevism, Mussolini began planning to seize power at the national level.

In the summer of 1922, Mussolini’s opportunity presented itself. The remnants of the trade-union movement called a general strike. Mussolini declared that unless the government prevented the strike, the fascists would. Fascist volunteers, in fact, helped to defeat the strike and thus advanced the fascist claim to power. At a gathering of 40,000 fascists in Naples on October 24, Mussolini threatened, "Either the government will be given to us, or we will seize it by marching on Rome." Responding to his oratory, the assembled fascists excitedly took up the cry, shouting in unison, "Roma! Roma! Roma!" All appeared eager to march.