WI Mussolini's March to Rome a failure?

In 29 October 1922 Mussolini along with 25000 of his supporters marched to Rome and demanded the resignation fo Prime Minister Facta and the mandate for the Fascist Party to form a Government...
In the city of Rome General Pugliese had already gathered troops loyal to the King and the Republic and was expecting a signal to attack and disperse Mussolini and his followers.
However the King fearing a bloodshed and a protracted civil war gave in to Mussolini's demands and ordered General Pugliese to disband his troops...
WI The King ordered General Pugliese to attack and arrest Mussolini and his followers? With Mussolini out of the game what would be Italy's course?
 
Possibly the prevention of World War 2, as Fascism will have just been dealt a major blow. Maybe a Communist Italy later on.
 
Surely a period of violence with redoubled fascist attack against socialist, the army and the government and othe political enemy but in the March of Rome was concentrated all the movement leaderships so eliminate them and you cripple it without possibily of return.
This can really create problem with Hitler and the nazi as was Benny example who embolded them.
For Italy, well the problem is that the fascist are only a part of the equation, there are the socialist and the possibility of a violent takeover from them is not out of the question (this scared the King enough to permit Mussolini to form a government), there is the possibility that a show of force can bring the more violent of the left to calm down but is not a given.
In the end a form of very authoritarian democracy probably a man appointed directely by the king with the army as back up seem the best that Italy can get in this period
 
King was desperate to have some semblance of a working government. You had 3 main political factions; Facists, Socialists, and Popolari ( right wing populists influenced by political catholicism ). Strength of fascism was evident in the fact that the latter two were sworn enemies and refused any form of coalition against Mussolini.

Pugliese, also informed the king in that day that the army will do its duty, but with great unease, which was a signal to the king how complicated situation it was. You had also a faction of monarchist fascists which did not supported Mussolini so loudly in his march, and monarchist nationalists under kings cousin Emmanuel Fillibert. Very complicated situation, which would in army/fascist shootout most def end up in armed conflicts all over the country.
 

Sumeragi

Banned
The March was just a show of force, since Mussolini had already gained power on October 28, supported by the military, the business class, and the right-wing.
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
The "March on Rome" was largely a myth. In reality, the whole thing was an abysmal failure, and the only thing that "rescued" Mussolini (and damned Italy) was the King's last-minute decision to give Mussolini the premiership.

There were only about 9,000 Blackshirts "marching" on Rome, meaning that they were stuck outside the city gates in the rain, motley and laughable and vastly outnumbered by soldiers and policemen in the area.

But VE3 being VE3, he caved to conservative voices and rescued Mussolini from a rashly overplayed hand. Had he not, fascism would likely have remained a regional headache rather than a national nightmare.
 
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