From Dregs to Scum

The usual effect of social upheaval is to enable the dregs of society to rise to status as scum. In Italy the war and its aftermath produced a copious froth at the top of the pot.

When the American forces occupied Rome, they found an eager and useful collaborator in a man named Ugo Montagna. After some early failures as a sneak thief and forger, Montagna had made a fresh start in life as a pimp, and during the German occupation had become one of the big operators on the black market. Under American protection he flourished mightily. He became a power behind the scenes in the Demo-Christian Party, and shared its triumph when the monarchy was replaced by a more modern government. He began to shovel out Marshall Plan funds to his friends, and himself enjoyed an apparently unlimited income. In recognition of his many virtues he promoted himself to the nobility with the rank of Marquis of San Bartolomeo and concocted a suitable genealogy.

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Revilo Oliver

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The usual effect of social upheaval is to enable the dregs of society to rise to status as scum. In Italy the war and its aftermath produced a copious froth at the top of the pot.

When the American forces occupied Rome, they found an eager and useful collaborator in a man named Ugo Montagna. After some early failures as a sneak thief and forger, Montagna had made a fresh start in life as a pimp, and during the German occupation had become one of the big operators on the black market. Under American protection he flourished mightily. He became a power behind the scenes in the Demo-Christian Party, and shared its triumph when the monarchy was replaced by a more modern government. He began to shovel out Marshall Plan funds to his friends, and himself enjoyed an apparently unlimited income. In recognition of his many virtues he promoted himself to the nobility with the rank of Marquis of San Bartolomeo and concocted a suitable genealogy.