Made Possible Mainly By The Use Of Terror. How valid is this assessment of the means by which the Fascists consolidated their power in Italy during the period 1922-26?

The King played a large part in the Fascist consolidation of power. King Emmanuelle III’s decision to appoint Mussolini as prime minister in 1922 allowed him to take his position further. This appointment came as a surprise to the public and opposing parties. The attitude of the King was crucial at this time; he could order the army to crush Fascism if he wished. The appointment of prime minister did help Mussolini increase power yet the King could demote him if seen necessary. Mussolini would have never been able to consolidate his power if the King had not had a change of decision and granted Mussolini the position of prime minister. The King supported Mussolini which worked in his favour as he knew Mussolini would help prevent revolution and save his crown. Even after the killing of Matteotti King Emmanuelle III continue to stand by Mussolini due to risk of a civil war. He took the decision to let Mussolini remain prime minister. Mussolini was careful regarding his relationship with the King. He knew what to do in order to stay in power.

Mussolini’s influence and ideas greatly contributed to the Fascist consolidation of power. He had many tactics in order to increase his power. Mussolini worked well with the king and in some cases luck was able to help him yet he had his own clever plans which granted him more control. Mussolini was deceiving and stated that once the condition of the country was stabilised he would give up his special powers and revert to normal parliamentary rule. He also demanded that the parliament grant him the right to rule by decree for a year so he could create new laws without consulting parliament. This ability to manipulate parliament assisted him considerably. Mussolini was gaining more support, he possessed good oratorical skills and had delivered speeches stressing the military strength of Fascism. During the Matteotti crisis Mussolini delivered a speech taking responsibility ‘for everything that had occurred’ which helped him regain some support and composure. He next introduced press-censorship and banned free trade unions, his dictatorship was being formed. In December 1925 opposition parties were banned.

The opposition to Mussolini fluctuated however, he was able to overcome them and even gain support from some. In 1922 the Fascist opposition was the Socialist and Populari parties and they were able to overcome them. Support began to grow for the Fascists with put them in a more secure position. Terror did assist within the weakness of the opposition as Mussolini threatened to use force against them, the Matteotti crisis reflects this view. The electoral reform worked in Fascist favour as they were able to gain more MPs within the Acerbo Law this way as the believed his views were genuine. The Aventine Succession also worked in Mussolini’s favour as the opposition parties withdrew from parliament in protest during the Matteotti crisis. This meant they could not act out against Mussolini as the King would not remove his position of prime minister. Mussolini’s opposition failed to exploit the situation and he was eventually able to use it to establish a personal dictatorship.

The Fascist’s consolidated their power using methods of terror, exploiting the parliament, getting on the right side of the king and using Mussolini’s ideas. The Matteotti crisis worked to the Fascist advantage in the end and helped secure their power. From 1925 onwards Mussolini gained the power to issue decrees; replaced the local government, abolished other parties and created the OVRA. The consolidation of power had taken place. Terror had been vital in helping the Fascist remain while Mussolini was prime minister however; the King’s decision to firstly appoint Mussolini then let him keep his position meant they were able to consolidate their power. Luck, Mussolini’s speeches and exploitation were also key factors as well as poor choices by the opposing forces, the Aventine Succession weakened the opposition and allowed Mussolini to make vast decisions in his creation of this totalitarian state.