Page - 192 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

192 chapter 5 During the revolutionaryperiod, thequestionofAnschlussof theAustrian partof thecountry toGermanyreceivedmoreattention in thesdapthandid thecouncilquestion.Bauermadeitpartofhisrevolutionarytheory–itwould remainacomponentofhisvisionofproletarianrevolutionuntil theendofhis life –andpushed for itwithunusual persistence. Bauerwaspartly drivenby hiswariness thatAustriamightbecomeaprovincial countryandhisdisbelief thatitcouldbeanautarky.Thereismuchtosuggest,however,thathisbelief in Germany’s special role in thesocialist revolutionwaspivotal.Therewere two underlyingelements to this: (1)profoundsocial changeofasocialistnature is possibleonlywhenstatepower is strong; and (2) the strengthof theGerman proletariatwill facilitatetheseizureofpowerbydemocraticmeans.ForBauer, thesewerethepreconditionsthatasuccessfulrevolutioninAustriamustmeet, oneofwhichwasthematurityandrevolutionarypotentialoftheGermanwork- ers’movement.59MaxAdler andRenner equally advocated an Anschluss to Germany, thoughtheirmotivationsdiffered.ForRenner, theeconomicaspect wastheprimaryconcern: thenotionofAnschlusswasconsistentwithhispro- grammeofcreatingvasteconomic territoriesandexposedhis support for the expansionist aimsofGerman imperialism. Incontrast, BauerandAdlerwere morepreoccupiedwithmaintainingarevolutionaryperspective.60Bauer’svis- ionof an all-Germanproletarian revolutionwasoneof the greatest illusions in his struggle for socialism.Not only did he overestimate the revolutionary potentialof theGermanworkers’movement–by1919, theGermanrevolution wasdefeated–hewasalsomistakenabouttheattitudeoftheinternationaland domesticworkingclasstowardshisproposals.Muchtohisdisappointment,the workers of France, Britain, Yugoslavia, Romania andCzechoslovakia did not connecting channels betweenworkers and the local organisationsof the sdap. In June 1922,theCommunistslefttheindustrialcouncils.Thesoldiers’councilsproclaimedthem- selvesthearmedforcesoftheworkingclass,subordinatedthemselvestothesdapleader- ship,andin1923agreedtojointheSchutzbund.InNovember1924,thecentralcommittee made a formal decision, effective as of 31 December, to dissolve theworkers’ councils, arguing that the tasks and responsibilitiesof thecouncilswere identical to thoseof the workers’ party. This decision is contained in the appendix to the Salzburg 1934 party congressprotocols–seepp.253–6.Hanischevaluatestheroleof thecouncils intheAus- trianrevolutionthus: ‘Theworkers’andsoldiers’ councilswere instruments topacify the masses. Everynowandagain, thecouncils steppedoutof line, but,whenall is saidand done, theyservedtostabilisethesituation’–Hanisch2011,p. 146. 59 SeeBauer1976b,p. 131. 60 EvenbourgeoispublicistsadmittedthatBauer’spushing forAnschlusswasdrivenbyhis desire to linkAustria to the revolutionary transformations takingplace inGermany. See Morgenblatt,6 July1927,p. 1.