THE GAPORETTO OF SOCIALISM 215
The Rome correspondent of the Popolo (TItalia wrote the
same day that :
e the extremist elements of the party have attempted to
make a skilful diversion by imposing practically by force
on their more lukewarm comrades the proclamation of a
general strike, which must be considered therefore as a tactical
manoeuvre against the reformists, to stir up the masses at a
moment when an attempt is being made to divert them
from the class struggle ',
The executive of the Fascist Party, on the other hand, said :
c the general strike which is to begin at midnight is cowardly
and contemptible, because its object is not to liberate the
working classes from fascism but to establish the so-called
Left Ministry '. Which of these two versions coming from
fascist centres was correct ?
In actual fact the general strike was not called for either
of these reasons, but was the direct and inevitable result of
the situation created by the Ravenna incident. After the
fascist occupation of Novara (July 16), which followed the
fascist exploits in Cremona, Rimini, Andria, Viterbo, Sestri
Ponente, a general strike was proclaimed all over Piedmont,
then Lombardy, and would have reached Liguria as well,
had not the * autonomous * socialist leaders of Genoa
prevented it, thus breaking the pledges they had exchanged
with the workers5 organizations in Milan and Turin. The
general strike infected the Marches, where a small fascist
army from neighbouring Umbria had occupied Macerata,
Fabriano, and Ancona, the e redJ town of June 1914
and June igso.1 Everywhere the workers5 organizations
demanded that these protests should be immediately com-
bined in a general strike which would show their desire to
have done with fascist terrorism. The Confederation leaders
hesitated and did nothing, for the ministerial crisis was in
progress and they were afraid of compromising the issue.
But pressure from the more militant elements was so strong
that the central committee of the Alliance of Labour, while
ordering strikes in progress to be broken off, promised to
prepare a concerted movement which should be launched
1 Pp. 1-2 and 68.