Page - 86 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

© ewa czerwińska-schupp, 2017 | doi: 10.1163/9789004325838_004 This isanopenaccessarticledistributedunderthetermsofthecc-by-ncLicense. chapter 3 AContributiontotheTheoryofImperialism Even as a student, Bauer took an interest in economics. In these early days, he initiatedapolemicagainst the foundersof theAustrianSchoolofnational economy.1 He would return to these topics throughout his entire life. As a theorist, he felt compelled to investigate the degree to which the levels of developmentachievedbycapitalismcouldpotentially facilitate thevictoryof socialism.As a pragmatist, he had to considerwhat consequences imperial- istpolicieswouldhavefor theworkingclass.Manyofhis textswerededicated to observations on the nature of imperialism and its perspectives, its rami- fications for the proletariat, and the problemof crises.2 Although it is diffi- cult toassess towhatextent thiswas intentional,hisanalysesbecamepartof anargument about thebreakdown (Zusammenbruch) of capitalism thatwas 1 AsHanisch states inDer große Illusionist (TheGreat Illusionist), Bauer studied economics under the tutelage of the second-generation Austrian School, Friedrich vonWieser, and EugenvonBöhm-Bawerk.Whenparticipating in a seminarbyBöhm-Bawerk, hedefended Marxianeconomicsagainsthis teacher’scritique.SeeHanisch2011,p.67. 2 These included the following articles among others:Marx Theorie der Wirtschaftskrisen (Marx’s Theory of Economic Crises, 1905),Über britischen Imperialismus (OnBritish Imper- ialism, 1907), Krise und Teuerung (Crisis and Inflation, 1907/8),Österreich und der Imperi- alismus (Austria and Imperialism, 1908),Der Staat unddieKartelle (The State andCartels, 1908/9),Das Finanzkapital (Finance Capital, 1909/10), Theorien über denMehrwert (Theor- ies of Surplus Value, 1909/10),DieAkkumulationdesKapitals (TheAccumulation of Capital, 1913), Kapitalvermehrung und Bevölkerungswachstum (Capital Increase through Population Growth, 1914), andDieWirtschaftskrise imAuslandundinÖsterreich (EconomicCrisis inAus- tria and Abroad, 1924). In addition, he authored the following works:Die Teuerung. Eine Einführung in dieWirtschaftspolitik der Sozialdemokratie (Inflation. An Introduction to the EconomicPolicies of SocialDemocracy, 1910),Großkapital undMilitarismus.Wemnützendie neuenKriegsschiffe? (BigCapitalandMilitarism.WhoBenefits fromtheNewWarShips?, 1911), VolkswirtschaftlicheFragen(QuestionsofPoliticalEconomy, 1921),DieWirtschaftskriseinÖster- reich. IhreUrsachen– ihreHeilung (TheEconomicCrisis inAustria. Its Causes and its Cure, 1925),ZollfrageninderLebensmittelindustrieunddieStellungnahmederArbeiterschafthierzu (TaxProblemsintheFoodIndustryandtheResponseoftheWorkingClass, 1928),Kapitalismus undSozialismusnachdemWeltkrieg.Band1Rationalisierung–Fehlrationalisierung (Capital- ismandSocialismafter theWorldWar.VolumeOne–RationalisationandMisrationalisation, 1931),ZwischenzweiWeltkriegen.DieKrisederWeltwirtschaft,derDemokratieunddesSozial- ismus (BetweenTwoWorldWars.TheCrisisof theWorldEconomy,DemocracyandSocialism, 1936),EinführungindieVolkswirtschaftslehre (IntroductiontoPoliticalEconomics, 1956).