THE GAPORETTO OF SOCIALISM
practice. This was a further reason for his not wanting the
socialists in the government, except as prisoners. Internal
pacification for him meant simply an effective background
for a bold foreign policy, expansionist and aggressive. If
the Socialist Party continued as a force they could prevent
its being carried out ; therefore they must be relentlessly
exterminated.
The socialist movement was doing its best to facilitate this
task. On July 17 the new executive of the parliamentary
group, which included Turati, Treves, Matteotti, Modigliani,
D'Aragona, and Baldesi, passed a resolution appealing to
the workers to support the action of the group, which aimed
at' the freedom of syndical organizations, the solution of the
economic crisis with the least possible injury to the prole-
tariat, and the pacification of Europe '. They were opposed
by the maximalist £ parliamentary committee', which was
c opposed to any programme which involved collaboration
and joining a ministry \ and the party executive, which
called for a declaration of allegiance from all deputies,
allowing them four days to reply to this ultimatum. The
communists were delighted, for, they said : c The fall of the
Socialist Party is raising the Communist Party to the leader-
ship of the Italian working class and its revolutionary
struggle.5 As a matter of fact they were beginning to feel
rather anxious. After the fascist occupation of Novara,
with its direct threat to the Milan, Genoa, Turin triangle,
the communists of Turin felt themselves cut off and sur-
rounded. With the idea of saving what they could from the
wreck of the situation, they made overtures to the left wing
of the Popolari and even to the liberal group centres round
the Stampa, edited by the senator Frassati, a great friend of
GiolittL After the first contacts had been made a delegation,
consisting of a representative from the communist section
and one from the Chamber of Labour, went to Rome to
report on the situation as it appeared in Turin arid to ask
the Communist Party to take definite action, or at any rate
to authorize the formation of a common front with the
socialists and other anti-fascist groups. The delegates were
coldly received in Rome by the party secretariat and sent
home, having gained nothing but abuse.