Italy commemorates the 1922 March on Rome

October 27 marks the anniversary of the March on Rome, a pivotal political and military action in 1922 that paved the way for Benito Mussolini and the fascist dictatorship in Italy. Following months of violence by fascist squads against leftist organizations and unions, approximately 20,000 ‘blackshirts’ mobilized from various regions toward the capital. While Mussolini coordinated the ascent to power from Milan, the pressure exerted by the paramilitary groups eventually led King Vittorio Emanuele III to task Mussolini with forming a new government on October 30, 1922.

Additionally, the date recalls the 1962 plane crash that killed Enrico Mattei, the President of ENI. Mattei, a former member of the Resistance, had transformed Agip into a major multinational oil company and challenged the hegemony of major Anglo-American oil corporations during Italy's post-war economic miracle. The circumstances surrounding his crash near Bascapè remain a subject of historical debate.