Page - XXII - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

xxii introduction to the english edition ForAustrianSocialDemocracy, to assess this phenomenonwas to create the basicoutlineforamodificationofitsstrategyandtactics.Arecurringthemein Bauer’sthinkingonthesubjectisthenecessityofco-operationbetweenSocial Democrats andCommunists for the sakeofdefendingdemocracy.Bauerand thesdap leadershipwereguiltyofdownplayingthethreatof fascism,as their strategywas founded upon amisrecognition of the socio-political situation. The results were that Austromarxism was exposed and compromised as a political theory, accompanied by the defeat of the party, and the demise of democracyinAustria. Thework you are holding in your hands is based on theGermanedition, butithasbeenrevisedandexpandedbyinsightsdrawnmainlyfromliterature published from1990–2014. I have rectified inaccuracies andmistakes spotted byreviewersof theGermanedition.For this, Iwould like to thankthecritical remarks of Dr Uli Schöler, Dr Gerald Mozetič, and Dr Mark E. Blum. The overlyarbitrarynatureofmyopinionsand judgementswith respect toBauer, the sdap leadership, and their politicalwork consequently underwent some moderation, and Ihave removed someof them. Indeed, I havearrivedat the conclusionthatit isnotthebusinessofananalystofphilosophical, social,and political thought to rather liberally pass political judgement,much less so if theyareaforeignerandlackthequalificationsofapoliticalscientist.Naturally, thisdoesnotmeanthat thebook isentirely freeof suchopinions.Compared to theoriginalPolish text, theGermanandEnglish languageeditionscontain shorterpassagesonsuchmatters thathavebeencompetentlyandthoroughly studied by Austrian andGerman authors, especially historians, prior to the releaseofmywork. Imakeuseof their insights and refer to themwhere Ido notsee theneedtorehearseexistingaccountsofAustria’spoliticalhistory for thesakeofstudyingBauer’s thought. As the author of the present text, I donot claim the right to pass general judgementoverBauer’sworkandthepoliticsonwhichhehadadetermining influence. Imerely offer the reader oneofmanypossible analyses and inter- pretations of theAustrian socialist’s key theories and strategical and tactical concepts. I strove tomakeuseofallmaterialsavailable tome inAustria,Ger- many and Poland. Primarily, I drew on all of Bauer’s works that dealt with the areas under discussion, as well as consulted an extensive collection of publications on the social andpolitical history of the First Republic. Noori- ginalarchivematerialsofBauer’shavebeensaved,astheywereconfiscatedby Viennapolicealongwiththehandwrittenmanuscriptofhisunfinishedwork, Rationalisierung-Fehlrationalisierung, during the events of February 1934.His very extensive theoretical, journalistic, and epistolarywork, in contrast, has beenpreserved.