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

xxiv introduction to the english edition within theworkers’movement. To understandwhy one should refrain from classifyinghimin thismanner, onemustbecomeawareof the special traitof hispoliticalviews–thatis,theirevolutionfromthelefttotheright,contraryto their stereotypical categorisationascentrist. Thesecondquestionpertains to terminology.Ihaveconsciouslyretainedtermsfromtheeraunderdiscussion– especially those suchasclass struggle, bourgeoisie andproletariat,whichare typical of theperiodandare generally recognised in relevant literature. I am aware that to counterpose thebourgeoisie to theworkers’ party is somewhat vague–afterall,partofthebourgeoisiebelongedtotheelectorateofthesdap, andsomeweremembersof thatparty. The thirdquestion is somewhatdelicate.Acomprehensivemonographon Bauerwill inevitablycontainparagraphsandevenchapters thatparallelpub- lishedworkofAustrianandGermanauthors. Ihavethereforedecidedupona rule that is, inmyview, fairlyclear.WhereI refer toalreadyexisting insights, I will confinemyselfeither toroughlysketchingout the issueathand,orelse– that is, inmostcases–analysing itanewbyaddressing therelevant literature inanaffirmativeorpolemical fashion. The nature of this book was, to some degree, influenced by the events of the 1980s, including in Poland: the devaluation of Marxism as ideology andsocial theory, thepolitical defeatofEurocommunism, and thedemiseof ‘really existing socialism’.Attempts tobuildbridgesbetween theEasternand WesternblocsbasedonBauer’sthoughthavebeenrenderedfutile,asthesetwo worldsbecamepoliticallyandeconomicallyalike.Likewise,Bauer’sproposals tobringtwoideologicallydifferentparties togetherhavenotprovedanymore useful. Thisbook is therefore intendedas ahistoricalwork–whichdoesnot mean,however, thatallquestionsandproblemsaddressedherehavelosttheir relevance. Everywork towhichonehasdedicatedmanyyearsof research– I studied Bauer andAustromarxismmainly from 1978–2003 – contains an element of subjectivityandemotionalbaggage. Ihaveattempted tokeep these toamin- imum.TofollowthegoodexamplesetbyErnstHanisch,14 IoughttoaddthatI havebeen,andcontinuetobe,amoderateSocialDemocrat sincemyteenage years.Mypolitical sympathies are reflected inmy studies of Austromarxism andcanalsobefoundinthispublication. EwaCzerwińska-Schupp Vienna,2014 14 InhisOttoBauerbiography,DergrosseIllusionist,Hanischstatesatthebeginningthathe hasneverbeenasocialist.SeeHanisch2011,p. 14.