211. Editorial Note

The Italian national elections were held on May 25. The Christian Democratic Party ran on a program of “progress without adventures,” and increased its parliamentary representation by 12 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The Socialists gained 9 seats and the Social Democrats 4. The Communists largely held their own, losing 3 seats. While the conservative Liberal Party gained seats, other parties of the further right did badly: the Monarchists lost 17 deputies and the neo-Fascist MSI lost 4 seats. The election was widely viewed as a shift to the left in public sentiment and laid the groundwork for a Catholic-Socialist coalition (the “opening to the left”), which was not fully realized, however, until nearly 4 years later.

On July 2, Amintore Fanfani formed a government consisting of his own Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. The coalition had the support of the Italian Republican Party which provided it with a narrow parliamentary majority. A Department of State analysis of the new government noted:

“The program which the Fanfani Government intends to pursue (in CD terms: ‘progress without adventures’; in PSDI terms: ‘collaboration on an advanced social program’) seems calculated to provide a basis for satisfactory partnership through the next few months. On the other hand, Socialist unification is still a live issue. This is particularly reflected by Signor Saragat’s self-exclusion from the present Cabinet. Further developments in this area could tend to limit the life of Signor Fanfani’s Government. It should be noted that all of the Center parties and also the (Nenni) Socialists (PSI) will have held national Party Congresses by the end of 1958. As a result of considerable soul-searching during these meetings a number of significant shifts may occur in the Italian political scene which may also affect the duration of the Fanfani Government.” (Memorandum from Torbert to Elbrick, July 3; Department of State, Central Files, 765.00/7–358)