What were the main factors that enabled Mussolini to rise to power and consolidate his position in Italy between 1918 and 1926?

• Dissatisfaction with the results of the First World War;
• Mutilated victory
• Nationalists furious of the terms of the treaties and had the impression that the Italians had been betrayed by the Allies who failed to give Italy greater gains and by the Italian government who failed to stand up for Italian interests.
• Economic depression;
• The Italian economy failed to elegantly transition from wartime to peacetime, which proved painful
• Prices increased 50% and unemployment peaking at 2 million in 1919
• Political instability;
• After the war to electorate was extended to all adult males and introduced proportional representation but the government failed to adapt.
• Governments of 1918-22 were unstable because of the groups being incapable of working together to form a strong coalition
• Support by industrialists;
• The industrialists supported Mussolini as he took a stand against the workers and the peasants uproars and trade unions
• The rise of Fascism
• After the 1919 election which were a failure for Mussolini he moved Fascism to the right in order to secure more votes
• In 1922 the socialists and communists called a general strike to protest against Fascist violence, but the Fascist Squads broke up the strike, which led to the propertied classes to believed that a government containing Mussolini was the only one that could maintain peace and order. Mussolini also made clear his commitment to support the monarchy. 
• March on Rome in 1922
• Mobilized 30,000 poorly armed squadristi to march on Rome – bluff as they would have been no match for the regular army. The PM asked for the King to declare martial law in preparation of the march, and even though he initially agreed he lost his nerve and cancelled the order. The pm in turn resigned from office.
•  Liberals and conservatives close to the king advised him to appoint Mussolini as PM as the believed that he could be tamed, and the as a part of a coalition with the Liberals and the Nationalists they would induce to moderate their behaviour and programme. He was appointed PM on 29 october 1922, marched on rome 30 ovt as a victory parade.
• The Acerbo Electoral Law;
• 1923, Mussolini and the Fascist Grand Council introduced the Acerbo Law. This law changed election results. Now if one party got just 25% (or more) of the votes cast in an election, they would get 66% of the seats in parliament.
• The Matteotti affair;
• 1924 – moderate Socialist leader Matteotti is abducted killed just 2 weeks after he publicly condemns the illegal methods employed by the fascists during the recent election.
• Clearly being murdered by Fascists Mussolini’s position as PM is threatened. He remains in control by dismissing the head of the Fascist press office who was directly linked to the murder. The opposition was also weak and divided and made the mistake of walking out of the chamber, which did not undermine Mussolini’s position. Mussolini also had continuing support from the king and the Vatican, who favoured Mussolini over a revolt from the left or the extreme fascists.    
• The Vidoni Agreement
• 1925-26 – Abolished all independent trade unions, such as the Catholic and the Socialist, which meant that the Fascist unions were the only ones left. This gave Mussolini a greater control over the workers within the industry.
• Fear of communism
• Middle and upper class feared Communism and felt that Mussolini was the only answer to end the increasing violence and chaos in the country (even though it was Mussolini’s black shirts who created a lot of the violence and chaos)
• Both the Church and the Monarchy supported Mussolini over the Communists.
• The elimination of opposition
• 1922 – arrested the leaders of the Communist Party
• 1925 – PSI was banned
• 1925 - censorship increased
• 1926 – All opposition parties banned. PNF the only legal party
• 1926 – OVRA, secret police, established. Arrests hundreds of people every week
• Historians:
• A. Lyttleton: “The king was the only one who could stop Mussolini, but he was convinced of his importance”