THE INTERNAL CRISIS OF FASCISM 133
Mussolini had many reasons for seeking power, but a mere
desire for a portfolio was not one of them. If necessary he
would get In by the back stairs, but foreign policy was his
great passion and the only way of satisfying his will to power.
His imperialism was his own policy, realizable by him alone.
How could it be carried out with the Chamber resulting
from the elections of May 15 ? The socialists and Popolari,
who accounted for nearly half the seats, were hostile to
Giolitti ; only by abandoning him was it possible to come
to terms with them. And Mussolini had other reasons for
such a course. In a coalition cabinet Giolitti would play
the leading part and had sufficient strength and cunning
to outwit Mussolini, who would be compromised in the eyes
of his squadristi without having gained his object. Profitless
betrayal was not his line. So during the electoral campaign
he had taken the precaution of separating himself as far as
possible from Giolitti, and once elected he came out openly
against him.
For some time he considered whether he could down
Giolitti and bring in his own coalition government. The
manoeuvre depended on the Popolari, who were still demo-
crats after their own fashion and were calling for great
social reforms. He prepared the way by separating himself
ostentatiously from the right wing, and particularly from the
nationalists. With this end in view he persuaded the
Fascist National Council in Milan (June 2-3, 1921) to
readopt the republican doctrines that he had previously
dropped ;*• on the same occasion he got a motion passed
which declared the complete independence of the Fascist
Party of the other groups, and in favour of the abstention "of
fascist deputies from the opening session when the king
would be present and would read his usual speech. It was
a first step towards the large scale manoeuvre he was
preparing when he made his first speech in the Chamber
on June 21, 1921. The speech was fiercely nationalistic.
He referred to the Ticino, Alto-Adige, Fiume and Monte-
negro, and- roundly abused the policy of Count Sforza,
Giolitti's minister for foreign affairs. At the same time he
flirted with the Popolari: fascism e neither preaches nor
1 P. 132.