Page - 24 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

24 chapter 1 qualmsenforcingabanonAnschluss intheTreatyofSaint-Germainanderas- ing theword ‘German’ fromthestatenameandconstitution.Equally,Bauer’s attempts to reclaimAustria’s lost territories failed: South Tyrol;60 thewhole of thecrown landCraniola, a territorydisputedbyYugoslavia; and territories inhabited by 3.5million SudetenGermans, which Czechoslovakia incorpor- atedaccording to theTreatyof Saint-Germain.Austria’s economic instability andpolitical isolationintheearlyyearsoftherepublic,whichallowedthevic- toriouspowersunlimitedroomformanoeuvre,validatedthefailureofBauer’s foreign policy. Austria suffered great territorial anddiplomatic losses during Bauer’s timeinofficeasforeignsecretary.BesideSouthTyrolandtheGerman- speakingterritoriesofCzechoslovakia,SouthCarinthiaandSouthStyriawere also at stake. A plebiscite in Vorarlberg concerning unionwith Switzerland resulted in 80 percent of the votes cast against Austria, even if the annexa- tionwasnot accomplishedand the territory remainedAustrian. In addition, relationswithGermanyandItalyweretense,andthetariffsunionwithLiecht- enstein,whichhadbeeninplacesince1852,wasdissolved.61Embitteredbyhis political defeats, Bauer tenderedhis resignation to the chair of theNational Assemblyon25 July 1919.Heexplainedthemotivationbehindhisdecision in moredetail inthepamphlet,AchtMonateauswärtigerPolitik (EightMonthsof ForeignPolicy, 1919).62TheratificationofthecontractofSaint-Germain,which extinguishedanyhope for unificationwithGermany, coincidedwithBauer’s resignationfromgovernmentandelectionaschairof thesdapparliamentary club. On16February 1919, the firstdemocraticNationalAssemblyelections took place.Winning72seats, theSocialDemocratssawavictoryovertheChristian SocialParty(69seats)andGreaterGermanParty(26seats).Inthecoalitiongov- ernment formedbythesdapandtheChristianSocialPartyon15March1919, whoactedonbehalfof thePrussiangovernment.See letter fromLudoHartmanntoOtto Bauer,24June1919;compareReimann1968,p.284. 60 On8July1919,PrinceBorgheserefusedtoparticipate inthenegotiationsonbehalfof the Italiangovernment. 61 WhencharacterisingBauerinhisroleasstatesecretaryforforeignaffairs,Hanischwrites that Bauer was lacking diplomatic experience, knowledge of conventions, a sense of situationthatcharacterisedthearistocratsholdingthisofficeatthetime,and, finally, the kindofpresencethat isuseful inthisposition.SeeHanisch2011,pp. 149–50. 62 After Bauer’s resignation, Karl Renner took over theMinistry of Foreign Affairs as its Chancellor.On5July1920,heinitiatedanagreementwiththeSovietUniontogetherwith theChristianSocialParty inorder tosecureAustria’sneutrality intheEast-Westconflict. CompareHaas1982,p.5.