Page - 190 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

190 chapter 5 CivilWar inFrance. This formofworkers’ rulewas toconsistof towncouncils emerging fromgeneral elections.52Workers’ councilswere formedduring the Russianrevolutionsof1905and1917asorgansofproletarianstruggle.InAustria, the firstworkers’ councils emerged in 1917andgained importanceduring the Januarystrikeof1918whentakingcontroloveradministrationandfoodsupply. In theearlydaysof theFirstRepublic, theywereapolitical factor in thestate, demanding that the sdapcease co-operationwith thebourgeoisparties and restoreunitywithinitsranks.Thesympathiesfortheworkers’councilspresent in theparty, though limited to its leftwing, strengthened theHungarianand Bavariansovietrepublics.53 Remaining true to the basic premises ofAustromarxist revolutionary the- ory, thesdap’sviewofthecouncil(soviet)systemwasunequivocallynegative: it considered it a threat to thedemocratic systemof government, an expres- sion of despotism and terror, and a rejection of its objectives of a peaceful road to socialism. InAustromarxist theory, theworkers’ councilmodel is not related to the perspective of seizing power. A fewmonths later, Braunthal citedthereasonsfor introducingcouncils: ‘Aboveall, thepurposeofthework- ers’councilswastomaintainimmediatecontactbetweentheworkingmasses in the factories and the party, trade unions, and parliamentary delegates of theproletariat’.54Themostcommonconcept incontemporarydiscussionsof Social-Democraticactivistswasthecoexistenceofthecouncilsystemandpar- liamentarism.ItispreciselythisformofpoliticalpowerstrugglethatMaxAdler referredtoasthe‘thirdway’tosocialismin1919.Hisproposal,submittedatthe firstcouncilcongressfrom1–2March1919,representedthemostradicalvision in the ranksof the sdap, allocatinga relativelybroad realmof activity to the councils. Adler thought that they should function in parallel to thenational 52 SeeMarx1977,p.70.AlsoKatsoulis 1975,p.311. 53 In 1919, the Social-Democratic Committee of RevolutionaryWorkers’ Councils (sara) cameintoexistence,whichreferredtoitselfas the ‘newleft’ todistinguishitself fromthe left gatheredaroundFriedrichAdler. Its leaders–Paul andElfriedeFriedländer, Joseph Frey,TeresiaSchlesingerandFranzRothe–demandedadictatorshipofthecouncils/sovi- ets (in 1920, thesaramovedcloser totheCommunists, andthenjoinedtheCommunist PartyofAustriawhenexpelledfromthesdap).TheCommunistsalsocalledtoattendthe 15 July 1919demonstrationtodemandthe introductionofa sovietdictatorship. Itwas to haveapurelyproletarian character and takeover legislationand jurisdiction.Compare Kreissler 1970,p. 70.Prior to this, aprotest calledby theCommunistParty tookplaceon 17April 1919 in frontof theparliamentbuilding– sixpeoplewerekilledand56 injured. SeeKulemann 1979, p. 224. The sdapdenounced theactionsof theCommunists at the 28–9April 1919congress. 54 Braunthal 1919,p.4.