Page - 168 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

© ewa czerwińska-schupp, 2017 | doi: 10.1163/9789004325838_006 This isanopenaccessarticledistributedunderthetermsofthecc-by-ncLicense. chapter 5 The‘ThirdWay’toSocialism Bauer’s philosophical, economic, and sociological inquiries,whichwere cov- ered inChapters 1–4, held crucial elements to the fundamental political tra- jectories of Austromarxism: peaceful social transformation and correspond- ingpractical activities requiredofAustrianSocialDemocracy todemocratise thecapitalistorder.Theway inwhichBauerapproachedmattersof the state, includingitsdifferentforms(democracyanddictatorship)andthestateofthe future,wasentirely theoretical. It alsodroveSocial-Democraticpolitics in the bourgeois state inaspecificdirection.Thenotionofa ‘third’way tosocialism onlyfadedwithfascism’svictory,precededbyacrisisofdemocracy.Atthetime, theSocial-Democraticparty’sstruggleagainstfascistreactionbecamethecent- ralquestion.TheseissuesformthesubjectmatterofChapters5–8. 1 TheVisionofPeacefulRevolutionandItsRealisation Perspectives andpossibilities of proletarian revolution, including the poten- tial for a revolution in Austria, and the relationship to the Russian Revolu- tion and Bolshevismpreoccupied Bauer’smind. Crucially, statementsmade bysdap leadersonpossiblewaysof transformationfromcapitalismtosocial- ismwerepurely theoretical upuntil 1917, aswere remarksonperspectivesof socialist revolution.With thevictoryof theOctoberRevolution inRussiaand therevolutionarywave inEurope, thisbecameapractical,distinctlypolitical, issue.Thatdoesnotmeanthatthetheoreticalaspectsofrevolution–its form, thechangingclasscontentofthebourgeoisstate,andthespeedofchange–lost significanceforBauer.Onthecontrary,hisviewsmaturedthereandthen.Non- etheless, potential roads to socialism and correspondingmeasureswere not centralduringtheperiodofsocialupheaval inAustria–theAustriansocialists hadalready elaborated these,whichallowedBauer todefine ideological and theoretical solutionsmore closely.What insteadbecame importantwere the Social-Democraticparty’s perspectiveandstrategy for the revolutionary situ- ationandfortheeventofabourgeoiscounter-attack. Bauer’soverallconceptofrevolutionwasborneoftheoreticalreflectionson theperspectives, conditions, aspects, formsanddevelopmentmechanismsof socialistrevolution.Equallytantamountwasthequestionofallies:whatsocial forcescouldpotentiallybewonforsocialism?Apartof thiscomplexsituation