Italy: The Night the Communists Won

It is election night, and the old parties are awaiting the government's victory. In the composing room of the right-wing newspaper Il Tempo, a makeup man puts the banner line into the form: GOVERNMENT WINS WITH LARGE MAJORITY. A state television news director instructs his assistant: "Feed in the usual commentary—that one we used in 1969 will do fine." Forecasters have predicted a government victory, because again, as in previous elections, voters are unable to remember candidates' names. At Communist Party headquarters on Via delle Botteghe Oscure (Street of the Dark Shops),...