592
PARTISAN REVIEW
mate" political parties, such strikes may not be surprising. But they
would negate the frequent claim by some of the left that terrorism in
crowded places and in daylight could not occur without the tacit
consent, or at least the widespread disaffection of a large number of
citizens. The apprehension and trial of some of the Red Brigades
seem to show that this organization is losing strength. Nevertheless,
a number of kidnappers, including those of AIdo Mora, have not
been apprehended and eradication of terrorism has been promised
by campaigning politicians of every major party.
Accusations by the left against multinational corporations or
against American imperialism also appear to have become less fash–
ionable, and even the PCI has gone along with the proposed de–
nationalization of Montedison. Five of the largest private holding
companies, with the help of the government, had begun a complex
maneuver to acquire an as-yet-undetermined percentage of the
company's shares. Since nationalization of industry had always been
pushed for by the PCI - the ideological justification that socialism is
advancing peacefully - the party's increasing willingness to
strengthen Italian economic structures would indicate that it has
become "domesticated," has abandoned the revolution, and that it
can now be trusted to further social democracy . All this would imply
that the PCI, though internally split and responsive to signals from
Moscow - at least in international politics - is attuned to an opinion–
ated, involved, and for the most part informed electorate. Thus, the
revolutionary stance, I believe, is at least partly a response to the
party's perceived chances at the polls . And Mitterrand's success in
France, and his policies in relation to the Communists, and to the
nationalization of industries, is watched by all those Italians who are
looking for radical change but don't quite trust the PCl.
Equally cynical about their politicians' and their bankers' hon–
esty, many Italians expected that the recent disclosures, too, would
be swept into the Tiber. So even as the proofs of inordinate greed for
power and money kept mounting, many of them wondered why
neither PCI nor PSI leaders, long ago , had asked the "hard" ques–
tions that would have indicted dishonest bankers (for the most part
Christian-Democrats) along with their government officials - inside
or outside of P2 - and why only so few of the many culprits are being
convicted.
Essentially, the Christian-Democrats miscalculated when they
called for this recent referendum. Evocation of Don Sturzo's and
De Gasperi's names no longer is helpful to politicians whose reputa-
