Page - 188 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

188 chapter 5 thansixmillion. It isalso true thatenergyandgassupplieswerereducedand breadrationedduetoweakproductivityatthebeginningoftheFirstRepublic. Nonetheless, therepublicinherited90percentoftransportation,34percentof agriculturalmachines,35percentofsteelproduction,75percentofrubberpro- duction,and40percentof leatherproduction.43 Inaddition, ithadplatinum, zinc,magnesium,andcopper stock.Contrary toBauer’s claims,Austria’s eco- nomicsituationin1918wasnoworsethanthatofborderingcountries: indeed, itsper capita incomewas8percenthigher than thatof itsneighbours. Itwas also quite common for a postwar country not to have independent foreign trade. As Stiefelwrites, neighbouring countries differed fromAustria in that theyattemptedtodeveloptheindustriesinwhichtheywerelacking,whileAus- triaembracedtheroleofaclientstateunabletosurviveofitsownaccord.There werepolitical objectivesbehind this voluntarybeggar status– including cer- tainassociations’ drive to instigateaunionwithGermany.44 Indeed, 1919 saw animprovement indeficienteconomicbranches; industrialoutput increased, andtheunemploymentratelowered.Onlyinearly1921,aperiodduringwhich the revolutionaryuproarhadcalmed,did theneighbouringcountries impose hightariffsonAustrianindustrialproducts,leadingtoalackofforeigncurrency tobuyrawmaterialsabroad.Consequently,reservesofcapitaldestinedforpro- ductionwereusedupandthecurrencydevalued.45Onlyin1922,ratherthanin 1918,wouldAustriabecamedependentonBritish,FrenchandGermancapital. Bauer’ssecessionargumentdoesnotstanduptoscrutinyeither.TheFrench primeminister, Georges Clemenceau, and the Italian representative in Ver- sailles,TommasoTittoni,wereopposedtoabloodysuppressionof therevolu- tionincentralEurope–afactofwhichBauerwaswellaware.46Ashis letterto Rennerof8June1919proves,Cunninghamhadadmittedtohimthathesawno possibilityofanarmedinterventionbytheEntentepowers,whichfocusedon Germany, inHungary in1919.Likewise, thevictoriouspowersdidnotconsider aninterventioninAustria in1918–19.47 Nevertheless, Bauerwas right inhis assessmentof thedomestic situation. The economic, geographic, and demographic structure of the country was important for the futureof the revolution.TheFirstRepublicwaspredomin- atelyanagrariancountry inwhichthepeasantrymadeupsometwothirdsof thepopulation. The industrial centres reached fromVienna throughWiener 43 CompareSlavik1928,p.9. 44 CompareStiefel 1978,p.6. 45 Stiefel 1978,p.25. 46 SeeLöw,MattlandPfabigan1986,p.22. 47 SeeBauer1980s,p. 1054.