Page - 33 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

otto bauer andhis time 33 degreethattheSocialDemocratswereunabletotackleevenobvioussymptoms ofdemocracy’s degeneration.One suchproblemwas thearmedparamilitary unitsdeployedbythebourgeoisparties,especiallythewaveofterrorunleashed bytheHeimwehr(HomeGuard)after1923,whichgrewmoresevereafter1925. Theheadofgovernment,IgnazSeipel,deemedthedebateofLinztobeanother politicalmanoeuvreratherthanagenuinethreat.Nonetheless,Bauerhadmore inmindthanmeretacticswhenestablishingthe‘theoryofdefensiveviolence’– heintendedtobridgethegapbetweenreformismandrevolutionarysocialism. Whilehealreadyentertainedtheideaatthattime,hewouldgoontoelaborate it theoretically inhis lastbook,ZwischenzweiWeltkriegen (BetweenTwoWorld Wars), thus establishing integral socialism, a theory nowassociatedwithhis name. In light of the enthusiasmand faith expressed inLinz, theAustrianwork- ingclassonceagainprovidedits trust,despitesuffering frommassunemploy- ment (in 1927, theunemployment rate inViennawas33percenthigher than in 1923 and 116percent higher outside ofVienna), a lackof compliancewith social legislationinthefactories,andpowerabusesonthepartofofficialsand police.72 Its faithwas beneficial for the sdap,whichwon its all-time largest share of the vote at 42 percent in the 24April 1927 elections. This was also due to theparty’s electoral agitation,which focusedontheprotectionof rent controls. Although the electionsmeant three additional seats for the Social Democrats (71mandates in total) andabitter defeat for theChristian Social Party (which lostninemandates), thisdidnotchangethedynamics inparlia- ment.73TheloneSocialDemocratsfacedtheunitedoppositionofconservative forces:theChristianSocials,theGreaterGermans,theRuralFederationsuppor- tedby thearmyunder the leadershipofCarlVaugoin, and looseparamilitary organisationssuchastheHeimwehrandtheFrontkämpfervereinigung(Front Fighters’Union).TheSocialDemocratswereonlyable tocounter themilitary organisations of thebourgeois blocwith thepoorly armedRepublikanischer Schutzbund(RepublicanProtectionLeague),whichwasestablishedin1923to defend the constitution of the republic. As FriedrichAdler pointed out, this organisationwasonlymeanttobeadefensivemeasurefromitsinception,pre- servingtheprogressof therevolutionaryperiodbeforethebourgeoiscounter- revolution.74 72 CompareLeichter1964,p.28. 73 CompareZöllner1979,p.509. 74 See Adler 1923, Rede auf der Sitzung der Roten Garde, in the archival sources in the referencessection.