Page - 196 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

196 chapter 5 Bauer’s statements at the party congress testified to his illusion of prolet- arian strengthand theunjustifiedbelief that capitalismwould soonbeover- come.Winningpolitical powerwas a task that thepresent generationof the working class had to complete.68With great conviction, he remained faith- ful to the theory that thebourgeois republichad tobepreservedas themost advantageous platformofworking-class struggle for the socialist state order. He argued in favour of preserving democratic principles of struggle, citing a sociologicalanalysisof thecompositionof theproletariatandhisbelief inthe ‘hegemonyoftheproletariat’.DrawingonMarx’smodelofsociety’spolarisation intotwomainsocialgroups,Baueremployed,asLeserwrites,abroaddefinition of the term ‘workingclass’.According toBauer, agriculturalworkers, officials, and theworking intelligentsia – all ofwhomthe sdapneeded towin for its strategy–belongedtotheworkingclass.69Hededucedanother incorrectcon- clusionfromMarx’sthesisofsocialpolarisation:accordingtoBauer, thewhole ofthebourgeoisclasswasareactionarymasslordingovertheproletariatbyvir- tueof itspoliticalandculturalhegemony–hebypassedtheeconomicaspect. In his view, these conditionswould bemet once the socialists hadobtained mostoftheseatsinparliamentandexcludedthebourgeoisiefromthepolitical stage.Bauerwasconfidentthatthechosenstrategywouldsucceed,andnearly allmembersofthesdapleadershipsharedhisassurance.OnlyMaxAdler,who hadwarnedofdemocraticillusions,wassceptical.Atthecongress,hedecisively opposedthe‘pathofthevotingcard’asideologicallyharmfulandchimericalin practice.ForAdler, it seemedunfeasiblegiventhesocial,economic,andpolit- icalcircumstancesandofnoprosperity totheproletariatgiventhebalanceof class forces.70Yethiscontributionwasignored. TheprogrammeofLinzbolstered the reformist orientationof theparty. It furthermorecontainedaproposalof co-operationbetweenthesdapandthe bourgeois parties.Onemight perceive the ethos of thenewprogrammeas a warningof bourgeois counter-revolutionandarmedconflict. Its orchestrator knewthatthebourgeoisiewouldrejectalldemocraticformsif theyfoundthat democracyhadbecome inopportune. Itwould then strive to either establish 68 In 1925, the party was 592,346members strong (of which 324,525 were in Vienna). It publishedsixdailypapers,31weeklymagazines,andmanymonthly journals.TheSocial- DemocraticFreeUnionscomprised807,515membersandpublished54trademagazines. SeeReimann1968,p.340. 69 CompareLeser1968,pp.386–7. 70 His critique was part of a broader argument about attitudes towards democracy and dictatorshipledbyAdleragainst theothersdapideologists.