Word: segni
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Last week, with similar equanimity, Lawyer Zoli, 69, took on an assignment which, sooner or later, would almost certainly cost him a few teeth politically. When courtly Antonio Segni resigned as Italy's Premier two weeks ago, the four-party coalition that has dominated Italian politics since 1953 was utterly shattered. The only alternative to the coalition, pending next spring's general elections, was what Italians call a "single color" government-an all-Christian Democratic Cabinet which, since it would lack an assured majority in the Chamber of Deputies, could probably only survive by ducking controversial issues...
...also an able and self-effacing Minister of the Budget in Segni's Cabinet. Last week, while he was still in the midst of his own Cabinetmaking-major appointment: ex-Premier Giuseppe Pella as Foreign Minister-a Roman newsman showed Zoli a journalistic guess as to the Cabinet's final makeup. "Looks fine," grinned the Premier-designate. "Only name I would change is the Premier...
Ironically, the ultimate causes of Christian Democrat Segni's downfall were de-stalinization and Russian brutality in Hungary. As the strength of the Italian Communist Party waned under these blows, so did the only real bond between the four center parties-the obvious need for "democratic solidarity" against Communism. Two months ago, convinced that the time had come to look out for its own interests in next year's general election, the tiny Republican Party withdrew its support from the government. The Vice Premier Giuseppe Saragat, who controls a pivotal 19 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, found...
Saragat, a staunch antiCommunist, who is not satisfied that Nenni has really broken with Moscow, managed to resist the pressure until last week. Then, seizing on the behind-scenes maneuvers of Italy's President Giovanni Gronchi (who not long ago outraged the Segni Cabinet by proposing to send a neutralist letter to Ike), Saragat suddenly charged that within the Christian Democratic Party itself there were forces guilty of "silent hostility" to Segni's pro-Western foreign policy. "For 22 months," intoned Saragat righteously, "we Social Democrats have kept the faith. Now we must withdraw." Left with only...
...would like to return to my students," said old Professor Segni with a broad smile. For the moment, President Gronchi and resigned Premier Segni (who may be asked to serve again) were too busy welcoming French President René Coty to Rome to give any attention to forming a new government. Though Coty's state visit caught them in a Cabinet crisis, Italians were not embarrassed. "After all," said a Roman politician, "Coty is a Frenchman. He will understand...