Page - 185 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the ‘thirdway’ to socialism 185 burgandLorraineofanyclaimstopower.Attendingtothesecondissue,Bauer usedallofhisauthoritytopreventrevolutionandsovietrule inAustria. Bauerknewhiscountry’sdomesticandforeignsituationwell.Accordingto Steiner,his insightextendedfarbeyondthebasicinternationalconditionsand expectations of theworkingmasses.36 Bauerwas equally alert to sentiments heldbythepeasants:heknewoftheirhostilitytothewar-pronemilitaryappar- atus andwar profiteers, and he knewhowmuch they loathed the defeated generals.Hewasalsoawarethat thesoldiersof thedissolvedarmyhatedtheir officers.What ismore,Bauerwaswell informedabout thenewlyestablished workers’ councils, and he knew that soldierswere arming theworking class withtheintentionofpittingthemselvesagainsttheremnantsofstatepower.37 During this very tense period for Bauer, hewas convinced that theworkers couldnotbringtheirowndemandstofruitionandtakepower–hewouldlater confirmasmuchat thesdapcongress inOctober 1922.Almostall ofhis texts heldargumentsagainstaproletariandictatorshipinAustria.Hisevaluationof the historical situation andpolitical balance of forces provided the basis for these,asdidhisaxiologicalposition. Bauer citedmoreprecise and concise arguments against the creationof a soviet republic in theaforementioned letter toBelaKun,appealing toaspects ofdomestic and foreignpolicy.His argumentsmightbe summarised in three categories: 1. Economic reasons: Vienna and the industrial areas, whichwere econom- ically dependent in terms ofmaterial and food supply, had no chance of economicdevelopmentwithout the financial help of theEntente powers. Foras longas states couldnotprovideevidence for their efficiency inpro- ductionandfinances,theyhadnochanceofreceivinganycreditfromWest- ern countries – nor could they count on help fromRussia. The country’s weakdomesticproductioncapacitywould lead tocurrencydevaluation, a rise in inflation, scarcity, and thusadecline in living standardsandstarva- tion.Theseconditionswerefertilegroundformassdemonstrationsagainst theworkers’ andpeasants’ government. Bauer concluded that the revolu- tion could not change international economic relations; however, revolu- tions occurring in countries that had emerged the strongest from thewar woulddecideoverthevictoryofsocialistrevolutionforthewholeofEurope. 36 SeeSteiner1967,p. 10. 37 InTheAustrianRevolution, Bauerdepicted thesituationas follows: ‘Thus, actual control of armswas not only passed over from the Emperor to the people, but also from the propertiedclassestotheproletariat’ (ourtranslation)–Bauer1923,p. 100.