it IN Cade mbor topgakine.at phe te tpan Couns st ea oT eee a emer oh dS tha EENRSoc ratornal delegato, wont on to say thet there wore no factions in tha Italian Communist Party. jh: making this statcnent, it may be that; ac was teying to .convince himself as mich as tho Chinese, for of all the Comrinasié Parties of Yestorn Hurope the Italian is least monolithic. To give rasders sou.) background to the situation in the Italian C.P. wo reproduce the following artivio from liilivant of 3/12/62 entitled "C.P. Youth in Formont":
During Octobor the Federation of Italian Commnist Youth (7G0x) held its national convention in Bari. Tho FGCI is quite a largo organization ~- about 250,000 mombors — principally young workers and students of good fighting spirit and militancy. It differs from Commnist youth organizations in other Western Guropean countries - not to montion those in tho Sovict—bloc countrios —- in that, though it obviously is closoly connoctzd to the Italian Ccommnist Party, it has taken advantage of its formal dutonomy sufficiently to permit tho development of froe debato within its ranks and, in somes casos, to cluct local leaderships which are far from being "orthodox" and acceptable to Palmiro Togliatti, the head of the Commnist Party of Italy. ;
At tho close of the Bari Congross, Ochstto, thu official CP candidate for the post of FGCI national secretary, was olected to the contral committes hut only after his name had been crossod off the secret ballots by_moro than 10G delesatos.e It should bo noted that though Ochotto was the official choice of the UP, his political position is not 100 por cont in agroumont with that of Togliatvi. Nonethsless, as was shown by the vote Ochetto polled for momebership on the central committee, the CP leadership's manoouvro to put at th. head of the youth somcone who might bo acceptable to ths opzosition did not alto;other succeed because a considorable numbor of dologatcs considered his position was not sufficicntly critical of party policy. ’
Still mers significant was th.. vot: for FGCI scocretary by tho central committoe to which Ochotto had just boon cl.cted. It was 38 votes for Ochattc, 2 against. The immediate consoquence was that Ochetto, roalizing that ho could not lead tho FGCI against tho will of such a large opposition in its central committeo, was obliged to accept some of his left-wing opponents cnto the FGCI political buoroau and national secretariat. How has this situation, which is rathor oxtraordinary for the Communist movomont, come about? Theprovious FGCI congross was held immediately aftor tho July 1960 demonstrations, whon despite bloody repression ths work= rs forcod tho resignation of the Christian Domogratic government lod by Tamproni who was supported by the fascists in parliament). Tho Communist yxith cadros had been in the forefront of this struggle. This brought about a mounting, though confused, leftist wave leading to substantial changes -— pormitted by the party leadership in a manoouvre to obtain the support of the youth - in tho PGCI's organization and mothods.
However, many young militants took this manoouvre scriously and tho.CP leadership was soon confronted with tho accomplished fact of a fairly woll organized Loft opposition, ain ths youth fodgrution. — -Thic Pppesi tics HOrLOVer, won to.9 Zione, tho FGCI newspapor. Enthusiastic support for th. Cuban Revolution and tho principles of tho Sccond Declaration of Havana, sharp criticism of the opportunism of the French CP and Khrushchov in rogard to tho Algorian Revolution, condemnation of Stalinism, and a substantial op, osition to the CP's opportunism on certein oaconomic, political and cultural probloms in Italy - these wors the main points on which a loft opposition bogan to.coalosce. This tenloncy hold poritions samilar to those “of tho Loft wing in Nonni's Socialist Party ani the trado uiiens.
Togliatti's fight against this tcondency in thu youth has gone sove-ral. rounds) without obtaining a final political victory ot smashing ti. cppositicn ly repression. The sharpost momont in tho fight came after the 22nd. Congress cv the Sovict Communist Party, whon Nuova Generazione, by openly publishing artivies aw photographs, raised ths issuc of tho moral and political rohabilitation ov Leou Trotsky.
Apart from the historical-judicial mattor, tho influcnce of Tretekvy's idoas on tho Youth Communists, ospecially on tho Communist studonts, bux beon «: amporyant olomcnt in thoir idoological devslopmont. This has béon facilitated ny tho fast that the now climate in tho Italian Communist movoment docs not permit any birecaucratic ban on Trosky's writings. Books by Trotsky, for sxampls, are available to Communist monbors at tho library of the Gramsci Instituto, the CP's vontral national library. The battle begun by the FGCI at its provious national congross goos on. Ths CP's tonth national congress has been scheduled for Docombor and th. debate in the FGCI has already had a cortain influence en tha dobate now going on in the party. Togliatti's policios have found a powerful now loft opponont.