Growing cracks in the state apparatus in tary nave me imperalists seriousiy wor red. Dissent is spreading in tne judiciary, in the police, and most of all in the army. This is an immense boost to the revolutionary thrust of the working class.
The movement in the Italian army came out of the general radicalisation oT 1908/09. The tirst episode or organised revolt took place in 1971 at the Casale Monterrato barracks near Turin. Since then the number of organised demonstrations has mushroomed, and on 4 December 1975, Italian soldiers held their first national suke.
ne movement arose in orotestacainst bad conditions. Conscripted soldiers are compelled to carry out 15 months of service. During this time they are paid miserable wages, have to be subsidised by their families, and are stationed far from home.
Another major flash point was the strincent disciplinary code or me army. waict means that soldiers are frequently obliged to rise their lives in dangerous manoeuvrés. To fight back against these conditions, a rank and file organisation called 'Proletarian in Uniform' (Proletari in Divisa -PID) was formed with a regular newspaper.
The events in Chile provoked a broadening of the struggle onto the terrain of trade union and political rights, involving a struggle against military laws and courts. The Italian military hierarchy cracked Tighter control over the soldiers was to be entorceo trough a new discip minary reculation proposeo ov te aerence minister rorian!.
The soldiers replied by holding a national assemov or cemocratic soldiers in Rome on 22 November 1975. Two hundred and twenty delegates participated, 60 of whom were elected by assemblies of various companies and barracks. A moron to noid a general strike was un animously approved, and 4 December was set as tne care On that dav tor ine tirst time in Italian history, soldiers all over the coun try marched in every major city against the 'attempt of the military hierarchy, of NATO and of the government to suffocate anv movement aimed at the ceverooment or democracy ano imoroved living conditions of soldiers serving in the Italian armed forces'. They also demanded the right to organise, stressing that they identified their struggle with that of the whole working class against capitalist