Page - 69 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

thematerialist view of history 69 ownapparatuses such as parties and trade unions. It becomes obvious here thatBauerreducedthemeaningofthesubjectivefactortotheconceptofsocial consciousness, andheconsideredpolitical consciousness itsmost significant type.Hethoroughlyanalyseditsdevelopmentasanindispensablecomponent oftheclassstruggle,and,furthermore,deemeditoneofthemostcrucialfactors of the revolutionaryprocess. LikeKautsky, andMarx too,Bauer conceivedof the transformationof a ‘class in itself’ intoa ‘class for itself’ as a gradual and lengthyprocess,whichnonethelesspointedinonedirectiononly.Heregarded theconflictofeconomicinterestsanditsextrapolations(political,cultural,and national interests), class struggles, andknowledgeof the lawsandtendencies ofsocialevolutionarydevelopmentasdeterminantsofthisprocess.According toBauer,theformationofthistypeofconsciousnesswastraceabletoprocesses intheeconomicstructureofsocieties–yetatthesametime,hestressedthatit evolved inthecourseof thehistoricalprocess.Hedistinguishedbetweenfour stagesofdevelopmentinthatprocess: 1. During the first stage, an occupational notion of solidarity emerges; this occursduring the initialphaseofworking-classorganisationat the levelof differenteconomicbranches. 2. Thesecondisatransitionalstagebetweenoccupationalandclasssolidarity. Theproletariat achieves itduring its volatile struggleagainstotherclasses. Aswiththepreviousone,thisstageisdevoidofhistoricalself-consciousness. It isworthnoting thatBauermerely spokeof the tendencyof theworking class of one particular nation state to unite. Because of the scramble for the labourmarketundercapitalism,heregardedinternational solidarityas problematic. 3. Thirdly, the organisational stage of theworking class in parties and trade unions struggling for economic and social reforms within the legal and institutionalframeworkofthecapitaliststate.Duringthisstage,theworking andmiddleclassesaretooweaktoseizestatepower.Hence,theydependon findingadvocatesof their ideologyamongall progressive forces in society. It ishere thatBauerunderestimatedhowalien ideologiesmightnegatively affectproletarianclassconsciousness. 4. During the final stage, theworking class understands that the conflict be- tweentheir interestsandthoseofothersocialgroupsandclasses is irrecon- cilable; it demonstrates that it isprepared towageastruggle foreconomic andpoliticalstatepower. Bauer’s reconstructionof historical stageswithin thedevelopment of prolet- arian political consciousness was significant to the theory of revolution, of