down its body, shedding heavy and cumbersome garments by means of restructuring? Questions to which, unfortunately, there are no satisfactory answers. In all events the PCI and, in an analogous way, the PSI (Italian Socialist Party), are seeking to widen the compass of the uniformed spokesmen by proffering a cover of « popular » credibility to an institution which is scarcely highly esteemed by workers, and by pushing conscripts and the hierarchies into collaboration. In this way they assure the possibility of gradual and painless changes. To achieve this they are, paradoxically, compelled to detach themselves from the category of sub-officials, in particular from those in the Aeronautics division who perform delicate tasks essential to the entire air traffic network, and who are snapping at the bit with « irresponsible » agitation, and finding support in Marxist groups of the extreme Left. On the other hand it is a point of note that for the first time an ex-general of Aeronautics an ex-commandant of the Navy haye entered Parliament, elected on the Left's slate and, as experts, have taken important positions in the organisational structure of the legislature. The present objective of the parliamentary Left is to redefine the army as a « useful » instrument: whether as an aid-force in public emergencies, or as a professional formation, or as a client of crisis-ridden national industry. Its formula for the internal functioning of the armed forces seeks to conciliate constitutional democracy, hierarchical discipline and technobureaucratic efficiency in a neomilitarist model. The military policy of the Left parties is to seek a particular arrangment within the institution which will overcome, by use of the very thrusts of rank and file struggle, those delays and uncertainties which might compromise the stabilizing effects of the entry of the PCI into various ministeries at a high level, in a fundamental sector of state power. RESUMEN En este articulo el autor se propane describir la evoluci6n real de las relaciones entre la estructura militar del Estado italiano, cuyo peso en la historia contemporanea de la peninsula se ha solido subestimar, y la fuerza politica que constituye el Partido Comunista Italiano, que vuelve al gobierno de forma explicita y sin reservas al cabo de un largo parentesis de treinta aii.os. ,Que representa esta mutaci6n politica dentro de una instituci6n como el Estado italiano, reconstruida despues de 1945 gracias a los Estados occidentales y en particular al Pacto Atldntico a partir de 1949, con la finalidad declarada de constituir un obstdculo, un « baluarte » frente al comunismo de los paises del Este y el comunismo italiano? Al final de los aii.os sesenta, pese a los gobiernos de centro-izquierda, el aparato militar, fuertemente burocratizado, estaba politicamente situado a la derecha. pero desde hace unos aii.os la situaci6n ha variado de manera apreciable. El ambiente soii.oliento y obtuso de los cuarteles ha sido sacudido desde 1969-1970 por la agitaci6n de los reclutas, manifestada en sus intentos de reivindicaciones democraticas, no exentas de 98
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTExMDY2NQ==