Page - 99 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

a contribution to the theory of imperialism 99 TheAustriandelegate in thecommittee for colonies at theStuttgart Interna- tionalSocialistCongress(18–24August1907),EngelbertPernerstorfer,pleaded foranexpansivecolonialpolicy.38Atthesametime,theAustrianSocialDemo- crats voiced their opposition to a resolution that denounced themethodsof colonisation. Indeed, in1917, theparty leadershipsupportedthegovernment’s colonial policies. Bauer hadalreadybeenaware since 1910 that the scramble for new salesmarkets, new rawmaterial markets, and cheap labour in the colonieswould lead to theoutbreakofwarbetweenhighly developed coun- tries.HewarnedofthepotentialconsequencesofwarfortheAustro-Hungarian monarchy:defeatanddemise.Takinga long-termview,Bauerclaimedthat in the case ofmilitary conflict, Germanywould strive to incorporate German- speakingterritoriestosecureanadditionalreservoirofrawmaterialsandcheap labour for the armaments industry.39 In this context, hewrote: ‘The collapse of Austria presupposes the triumph of imperialism in the German Empire, in Russia, in Italy…TheAustrianworkers cannot place their hopes inGer- man, Italian, andRussian imperialism,which is the enemyof their brothers abroadandthevictoryofwhichwoulddiminish theirownpowerathome’.40 Fromthis,hedrewthefollowingconclusion:duringtheepochof imperialism, theworking class is probably not interested in the demise of themonarchy because thatwould result in thedefeatof theproletariat onan international scale. Bauer strikingly exposedanadditional featureofGerman imperialism, namelyanationalismthat linked theprojectof capitalist expansionwith the pan-Germanidea. Its ideologuesstrovetobreaktheresistanceof theGerman workingclassagainst theeconomicpolicyof conquestby suggesting that the latter amounted to a struggle for national liberation. Exposing its predatory face,BauerarguedthatthefightagainstGermannationalismanditsrealaim– aworldwar–shouldbewagedasaworkers’ struggleagainst imperialism.41 For Bauer, a committed Social Democrat, themost significant part of his researchintoimperialismwastheeconomicandsocio-politicalconsequences ofexpansionismandmilitarismfor theworkingclass.Ofcourse, this isnot to saythathisanalysesweredevoidofmoregeneralassessmentsof imperialism’s economicandsocialeffects.Onthecontrary,Baueravoidedtheone-sidedcon- clusions so characteristic ofmany socialist authors –Kautsky andLenin, for instance–anddepictedtheresultsofthenewepochofcapitalistdevelopment withahealthydoseof sobriety.Heargued thatmanyeconomicphenomena, 38 SeePernerstorfer 1907,p. 112. 39 SeeLederer1956,p.387;comparep.391. 40 Bauer1996,pp.403–4. 41 SeeBauer(aliasHeinrichWeber)1909,p.538.