Page - 153 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the national question 153 WhendefendingthenationalitiespoliciesofSocialDemocracyatpartycon- gresses,Bauerpassionatelyarguedagainst theCzechseparatistswhodeman- dednational tradeunions.The issueof federal structureshadbeensettled in 1897, yet the argument about local tradeunions continued. LikeRenner and Friedrich Adler, Bauer regarded Czech separatism as a great danger for the workers’ movement in themonarchy and opposed splitting up the unions. He based his argument on the common economic interests of the interna- tional working class, the necessity to preserve a centralised financial sector andunity of administration, and theneed topursue a common social polit- ics. In 1910, when the breakup of the unionswas a long accomplished fact, Bauer defended the territorial principle against Czech demands to base the trade-unionmovementonthepersonalprinciple.77Heregardedtheterritorial principle as the last effectivemeans to preserve the unity of the proletarian movement. In this context,Bauer’spositionon thePolishquestion in themonarchy is remarkable.HedidnotattachanyimportancetoPolish independencewithin thecontextofAustro-Hungarianpolitics.NordidhefearawarbetweenAustria andRussia over Poland’s independence. Althoughhewas critical of Luxem- burg’s thesis thatPoland’seconomywasinsufficientlyautarkic,hersuggestion toconcedenational-culturalautonomytosolvethePolishquestionwaswhere theirpositionsoverlapped.Luxemburgenvisionedautonomywithintheframe- workofaRussianstatethatwouldarisefromtheruinsoftheTsaristEmpire.For Bauer,autonomywouldbegrantedinRussia,PolandandAustria.Thissolution tothePolishquestionwasconsistentwithBauer’snationalitiesprogramme.Its essencewas toconcedenational-culturalautonomytothenationsofAustria- Hungaryandsuppresstheirpursuitofstate independence. 2.2.2 TheProgrammeofNational-CulturalAutonomy Bauer drew the basic premises of this programme from some of Renner’s texts, where the author had declared that autonomywas a prerequisite for oftenunderlinedtheleadingroleoftheGermannationanditsculturalmissioninEurope. Hisproclivity to link theclass struggleof theproletariatwithGermannational interests isdocumented inmanyofhis texts. It is alsonoticeable inarticles inwhichheanalyses German-CzechrelationsandCzechnationaldemands.Concerningthese,Bauerendorsed thelinguisticdemandsoftheCzechs. 77 Thepersonalprinciple,whichwascounterposedtotheterritorialprinciple,wasthesub- jectofmuchargumentintheAustrianSocial-Democraticmovement.Nottheindividual’s place of residence, but subjective identificationwith national ties and descentwas to decideoverone’snationality.