Page - 87 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

a contribution to the theory of imperialism 87 beingwagedwithinEuropeanSocialDemocracy.Thecrisistheoryofcapitalist economywasapartof thatdebate. Therewerethreesources forBauer’s theoryof imperialism.3Marx’sCapital served as an inspiration, though itwas not themost crucial one. FromCap- ital,heborrowedMarx’sconceptualframeworkandresearchtechnique, i.e.he utilised theabstract-deductivemethod to theoriseaccumulationandanalyse businesscycles.4Moreover,heemployedMarxianguidelinestoinvestigatethe historical courseofphenomenaandprocessesof social life, aswell asMarx’s functional-genetic explanatorymodel. Someelements, however, played a far moreprominentroleinBauer’seconomicthoughtthantheanalysescontained inCapital: above all, his fascinationwith the theoryof ‘organised capitalism’ that Rudolf Hilferding outlined in Finance Capital (1910).5 Secondly, his cri- ticisms of Rosa Luxemburg’s conclusions, which he elaborated on in detail inAccumulationofCapital (1913).6ChallengingLuxemburg,Bauer specifically attempted todemonstratehowwrong shehadbeen inher judgementof the followingfactors: – Thecharacterofthesymptomsthataccompanyimperialisminthefollowing spheres:economic(monopolisation,cartelisation, theroleofbankcapital), social (unemployment, impoverishment of the proletariat), and political (roleof thestate,militarisation); – Limitstothedevelopmentofthecapitalistmodeofproduction; 3 Grzegorz Kotlarski wrote: ‘In the second half of the 19th century, theword “imperialism” appeared in scientific literature that explainednewpractical andeconomicphenomenaof capitalism…Theterm“imperialism”(Latin: imperialis–powerful)hasEnglishorigins.Inthe beginning,itwasusedtodescribeaprotestmovementofthosewhoadvocatedGreatBritain’s colonialpolicies. Itwasdirectedagainst theactivitiesof thechanginggovernmentcabinets, whichitdeemednotenergeticenough,toprotecttheinterestsofcolonialofficials.Later,after thereformsofWilliamEwartGladstone, “imperialism”referredtotheconsolidationpolitics oftheBritishEmpire.Inthe1890s,itbecamepartofthepoliticaljargonandsynonymouswith thepoliticsofconquestandcolonialexpansion.Theleadingideologuesof imperialismwere BenjaminDisraeli,CecilRhodes,andOttoBismarck’–Kotlarski 1987,p. 142. 4 The fact that he employed the abstract-deductive method, and appealed toMarx as its pioneer, is testimony to the incoherence in his thinking. Asmentioned at the beginning of the secondchapter, Bauer believedMarx’smethod tobe inductive. The reasons for this kindof inconsistencyremainunclear.OnecanonlyassumethattheinterpretationofMarx’s method present in Bauer’s philosophical thought was heavily shaped by the influence of scientism. 5 SeeBauer1980c,pp.377–99. 6 SeeBauer1986and1979h.