Book excerpt: On October 29, 1922, while the fascist squads marched through the streets of Rome, the king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III, gave Benito Mussolini the mandate to form a new government. Many believed the fascist period in power would not last long. But the reality turned out quite differently. The march on Rome of the black shirts dealt a decisive blow to the fragile liberal democracy. The murder of Matteotti, the attempt to create a totalitarian state, the annihilation of the opposition, the alliance with Hitler, and the wars in Ethiopia and Spain were the most significant steps of the long journey of the Italian people through dictatorship. Ending with the disaster of the Second World War and the tragic finale of the Republic of Salò, it was an experience that would mark the history of the 20th century and throw its shadow across post-war Italy.