Monday, Mar. 12, 1951
Fluttering Wings
In the past two years, the free world's picture of Italian Premier Alcide de Gasperi has changed. The man who seemed at first a diligent but colorless politician has been disclosed as an anti-Communist statesman of impressive stature and strength. But as he succeeded in his fight against the Reds, and the Communist threat in Italy declined, the unity of his followers began to weaken.
De Gasperi's Christian Democratic Party is composed of widely divergent political factions, held together in the past by a common fear of Communism and by De Gasperi's skill as a compromiser. One of the factions that has been acting up is the Frondisti* who are left-wingers and want a faster program of social reform. At the other end of the Demo-Christian spectrum is a right-wing faction which wants less social reform (notably, less land reform). Its members are known as the Vespisti, because they meet in the club-rooms of Rome's Vespa motor-scooter club.
Last month the extreme wings of the party began to flutter dangerously. Both the Frondisti and the Vespisti started maneuvering for more seats in the cabinet. Last week De Gasperi called a meeting of all Christian Democratic Deputies, outlined the government's program for the next few months, and demanded a vote of confidence. After 40 hours of stormy debate, he got it. But in the Chamber of Deputies later in the week, on a relatively minor issue (a Communist-sponsored amendment to a bill calling for a nationwide inventory of critical raw materials), De Gasperi was defeated by five votes.
It was his government's first parliamentary defeat since he took office in 1948. Later, the bill as a whole passed narrowly. The ballots were secret, but it was obvious that many Christian Democrats had voted against the government. De Gasperi offered to resign, but worried ministers urged him to stay. At week's end he announced: "I will remain in my post . . ."
De Gasperi's real test is still ahead: the large defense program which he is about to submit to parliament. On an issue as critical as defense, De Gasperi probably will be able to unite his party, carry the day.
*Derived from the Fronde, French opposition movement (1648) against Cardinal Mazarin. The Italians use "frondista" to mean a rebel, especially one who is making trouble within his own group.
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