Page - 15 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

otto bauer andhis time 15 meaning that they became the strongest political group in parliament, and theyremainedsountil 1912.Theparliamentarygroupof theSocialDemocrats consistedof four fractions:German,Czech, Polish and Italian, aswell as two SlovenianandUkrainianrepresentatives.Hence,therewasapressingneedfor a secretariat tocoordinateall theworkandensure that thedifferentnational fractionsadvocatedacommonstandpoint inparliament. Inamovedesigned to demonstrate his recognition of Bauer’s contribution to Social-Democratic theory,VictorAdlersuggestedthatthe26-year-oldtakeupthepostofsecretary of theparliamentarygroup.Heheld this functionuntil theoutbreakofWorld Wari.Asparliamentarygroupsecretary,Bauerwastheinitiatorof theBoden- bachparty school founded in 1910. In addition tohiswork inparliament, he engaged inplentyof party activism. From1911–33, he attendedall party con- gresses, from11November 1911, hewasamemberof thesdap leadership, and in1914hecommencedhisactivityontheplatformsoftheSecondInternational. In1918,hebecametheparliamentaryrepresentative for theSocialDemocrats. During the second legislative period (1923–5), hewas amember of about 30 committees.Amongotherfunctions,hewasthechairoftheconstitutioncom- mittee and foreign policy committee, and amember of the central, finance, legal, trade andmilitary committees. From 1919–33, he heldmore than 130 speeches inparliament, speakingwithapassionthat lenthiswordsgreatsug- gestivepower. Inhis presentationson ‘LebensmittelteuerungundWohnung- snot’ (‘Rising Food Prices andHousing Shortage’, 1911) and ‘Wirtschaftskrise undArbeitslosigkeit’ (‘EconomicCrisis andUnemployment’, 1913),hedecried the deficiencies of a social security system that led to economic stagnation, lowefficiencyinproduction,especially inagriculture,ahousingshortage,and growingunemployment. It isnotdifficult tounderstandwhyBauer’s appear- ancesprovokedindignationandturmoilintheranksoftheparliamentaryright, aswellasearninghimtheresentmentofrepresentativesofthearistocracyand bourgeois-peasantparties(theChristianSocialsandGreaterGermans). Bauercombinedhisactivityinparliamentandpartydutieswithhisjournal- isticandpublishingwork. In1907,heco-foundedthecentral theoreticalorgan ofthesdapwithRennerandAdolfBraun.Themonthlyjournal,DerKampf,was dedicated to the theoryand immediate issuesof theAustrianworkers’move- ment.39Thejournalgavehimtheopportunitytopublish152theoreticalarticles underthemonikersKarlMann,HeinrichWeber,aswellashisownname.From 39 Compare Bauer 1961, p. 14. The first issue of the journal was published in September 1907, afterwhichmonthly editions continued until 1934.When the partywas banned, Bauer relaunched the journal inBerne.Afterhis emigration toParis in 1938, the journal continuedtobepublishedasDersozialistischeKampf rightupuntilBauer’sdeath.