ITALIANS' DISCONTENT BEHIND NEW-FASCISM, SAYS SALVEMINI

L'Uomo Qualunque, recently founded Italian newsmagazine, has already been denounced as the possible beginning of a dangerous New-Fascist movement in Italy, "Discontent--this is the reason for the existence of a magazine of this sort; when discontent becomes universal, such a magazine becomes popular," claims Gaetano Salveminl, Lauro de Bosis Lecturer on Italian History and Civilization.

Since its establishment, L'Uomo Qualunque, a weekly publication written, edited, and published by Gugliemo Gainnini, has boosted its circulation to 800,000, and it has recently given birth to a daily newspaper, II Sense Commune.

Former Professor at Florence

Salvemini, a former professor of History at the University of Florence, left Italy in 1929 after opposing Mussolini from the start. Since 1933 he has held a post here, created from a fund left in honor of the noted Italian poet and liberal Lauro de Bosis.

Because of the popularity of such organs as "The Common Man" and "Common Sense" various observers have attempted to analyze the movement to discover whether there are dangerous seeds within. One of the most recent analyses, an article by Max Ascoli in Commonweal, credited the growth of these periodicals to the Italians' desire to give vent to their restlessness now that they are no longer under the thumb of Mussolini.

Against Every Thing and Body

In Salvemini's words: "L'Uomo Qualunque is against everything and everybody." By endlessly pointing out every mistake made by the parties of the left, and, at the same time, sheltering fascist officials who are threatened with dismissal, such a magazine is both an instigator of unrest and a result of it.

"Do you think that such extensive movements as Fascism and Nazism have been killed in a moment--like that?" queried Salvemini snapping his fingers. To say that all Italians or Germans are Fascists or Nazis is Idiotic, but there are still a great many Nazis and Fascists left who would like to get back into control. Also, there are many Italians who, without being Fascists, think of the Mussolini era as "the good old days."

Skeptical on Fascist Rebirth

Despite this, Salvemini is skeptical about the possibility of any fascist revival, or to use the current term: NeoFacism. "The horrible experience which Italy has been through will keep her wary of any such plans," he declared. "But, on the other hand, the mistakes made in Italy by England and the United States have made Democracy as unpopular as Fascism. Many Italians look at it very simply; Democracy is Fascism plus hypocrisy. Many Italians will next turn to Communism. They don't think very deeply about anything: Fascism failed, Democracy seems to be failing, let us try Communism.

"During this turmoil, L'Uomo Qualunque, reverting to a well-known type of fascist propagandas, whips up universal discontent and makes use of psendo-democratic catch words against all Democratic movements. How great an effect it will have is yet to be seen."