| abstract
| - In October 1922, Benito Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister of Italy by Victor Emmanuel III. Following the assassination of Matteoti and banned other political parties other than the National Fascist Party by 1928, Mussolini turned his attention to conspiring to depose the frustrating conservative monarchy of the House of Savoy. Mussolini along with other Fascist members on November 10, 1928 met in Milan and designed a conspiracy to overthrow the Savoy monarchy without alienating Italians. On December 2, 1928, major members of the Italian House of Savoy were called to meet Mussolini to discuss "issues concerning the monarchy". Upon the members including the King arriving to meet Mussolini, the meeting was stormed by Fascist Black Shirts who arrested the King and the other members of the House of Savoy on the charge of "treason against the Italian nation" and "accessory to treason against the Italian nation". Utilizing the fact that the Savoy had mixed heritage, including strong French heritage the Fascist media proclaimed that King Victor Emmanuel III after World War I, agreed to let go of Italian territorial claims on Dalmatia and imperial expansion into the Middle East in order to appease the French members of the House of Savoy who along with the French government, according to the Fascists bribed members of the House of Savoy in Italy to give up their claims. After the official declaration went out, Benito Mussolini made an emergency speech and declared "I declare with great frustration and anger to the Italian People, the devastating truth that We were betrayed by the House of Savoy in the Great War. We Fascists always had our suspicions and our original principle of republicanism was based on that. We had hoped that the King had the wisdom and the foresight of his noble knightly warrior ancestors to recognize the importance of a State led by the new knights of Fascism to restore Italy to greatness. But the evidence is clear, the House of Savoy was paid off by France to sell out Italy. (The crowd roars in denunciation of the Savoy) But with this truth, comes a new reality, a truly Fascist Italy. I take with great humility and honour the position of Duce of Italy, which shall now be known as the Italian Empire. Long Live Fascism! Long Live Italy!" Monarchists and others deemed "irresponsible reactionaries" are purged from the Fascist regime while hardliner Fascists take power. Though the Italian Royal Army had held close ties to the monarchy, the wave of popular support for Mussolini's decision leads the new Italian Imperial Army to accept the Fascist republic but refuses to take part in any persecution of outspoken monarchists. Instead, the Fascist Blackshirts led the attack on activist monarchists.
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