NITTI,    GIOLITTIj   DON   STURZO	55
Everyone worked on his own by a sort of division of labour
to which none raised any objection. In Moscow the results
of the Congress of Bologna, unanimously ratifying adhesion
to the Third International, were hailed as a great achieve-
ment* Lenin., however, wrote to Serrati1 towards the end
of October, to warn the Italian proletariat against a c pre-
mature insurrection ', adding his praises and one piece of
advice : c The marvellous work of the Italian communists
assures us that they will win over to the cause of communism
the whole industrial and agricultural proletariat, as well as the small
proprietors, which is essential for their victory.3 The praise
was unmerited and the advice was Ignored. The party's
work was far from c wonderful \ and instead of trying; to
win over c the whole of the industrial and agricultural pro-
letariat, as well as the small proprietors ', the party remained
drunk with words, drawing up paper plans for Soviets, and
taking no notice of the factory councils in the north or the
land-hungry peasants of the south.
A great number of the small landowners were corning
under the influence of the c Italian Popular Party', the
Popolari, which had just been formed. At the November
elections it had obtained more than a million votes and a
hundred seats. The Vatican had approved its creation at
the end of 1918 to stem the rising tide of socialism. In
addition, c a fair number of liberals 5, writes Signer Tittoni,
' counted on its support as an ally against socialism \
The Popolari thus began life with two souls, one democratic
and eager for great reforms, the other profoundly reaction-
ary. As time went on the conflict between these tendencies
became more marked. The conservative elements, Don
Sturzo remarked, c will leave the party when the agrarian-
fascist phenomenon materializes'. But quite apart from
this initial equivocation, the attitude of the Popolari and the
confusion of the socialists resulted in the former being
called upon to play a chiefly conservative role during the
years 1919-20. Mussolini took the measure of the party
exactly in January 1919, a few days after its creation :
* The event of the day in national politics is the creation
of the Italian Popular Party. ... Its programme is demo-
1 Then editor of the AvantL