Parade of the fascists in the Piazza Venezia in Rome, 1922

After Mussolini was sworn in as head of the Italian government on the morning of October 31, 1922, his fascist supporters, the Blackshirts, marched through Rome that same day in a grand "victory parade" to complete the "March on Rome" propaganda. The picture shows the Fascists marching past the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II. The Squadrists turn around in a large arc in Piazza Venezia and return through Via del Corso, watched by thousands of people, some of whom display the "Saluto romano". Photographers have positioned themselves on the steps in front of the monument (in the foreground) to capture the event. On the far left is Palazzo Venezia, on the far right Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali.