The king was informed that about 100.000 fascists had gathered outside Rome around the 18 th of October, 1922

He feared revolution and/or a civil war between socialists and fascists

Salandra (the liberal leader) and his supporters told the king that the army was outnumbered by the fascists

The king was convinced that the military were unreliable and that it was absurd to stop Mussolini when everybody seemed to insist that the fascists should be included in any government anyway

The king feared that his pro-fascist cousin, the Duke of Aosta, would take over the reign if he didn't yield to the fascists