WI: Mussolini Assassinated in 1926?

maverick

Banned
April 7 of 1926: one Violet Gibson , an Irish Woman daughter of a British Baron, opens fire on Mussolini's car and murders the Italian Duce.

What happens next?

The only previous thread suggests that Italo Balbo would be the immediate successor, but I'm skeptic.

Thoughts, Comments?

Couldn't Farinacci, Grandi or even d'Annunzio be the new Duce?

(the first two might be too young and the last one unlikely, but those are the first candidates I could find)

Or Could Italy's Fascist Experiment end just four years after the March of Rome and the nation return to it's pre-Mussolini political model?
 

Paul MacQ

Donor
If you get Gabriele d'Annunzio you get a Rather Anti-German Italy To the point of possibly Supporting The Czechs in 1938. And a Spain that would play out way different.

Likes this Idea
 
If you get Gabriele d'Annunzio you get a Rather Anti-German Italy To the point of possibly Supporting The Czechs in 1938. And a Spain that would play out way different.

Likes this Idea

even Balbo was deeply anti-German, many times he expressed to Mussolini his aversion for "the manifesto of race" and when he had the opportunity he went against it.

I think if Mussolini would have been killed we would have a different italy today. maybe a better one...

p.s. i'm italian, sorry for any mistake;)
 
To return to pre-fascist pseudo-democracy, you'd need intervention from the King. Would he be so inclined? Maybe if it looked like someone he didn't care for (Farinacci?) was heading for power..
 

Frentanus

Banned
The most likely thing is that the King tryng to control and manipulate the fascist party. If the King is already worried of a totalitarian mussolini stealing his role, he will just create a primo de rivera-like dictatorship, if he still didnt realize the problem, he will just change a duce with another.
And dont forget that mussolini was anti german too. He just followed the strong. Balbo or someone else could do this, too. Fascists didnt care much about coherence.
 
This is post Matteotti, so Fascism is cemented in power as much as it ever was, but as always this is at the behest of the King.

Without Benny the Moose in charge to steer the course I think you have a Leadership Crisis that could tear the place apart. All four Quadrimvirs will angle for the slot, as will the Army and Nationalists (Federzoni?!?). D'Annunzio or De Bono would make effective figureheads, particularly the former if he's not to batshit at this point.

Either Fascism becomes more of a Coalition Government, some sort of Triumvirate/Quadrumvirate forms, the Army takes over, the King takes (back) over, or the government collapses entirely.

See; Geekhis Khan's brillant and well-researched Viva Balbo!

Thanks for the nod...and BTW: UPDATE POSTED! (finally!) :D
 
Top