Page - 205 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the ‘thirdway’ to socialism 205 3 TheQuestionofRevolutionaryAlliesfortheWorkingClass The relationship of themiddle classes to theworking class andbourgeoisie, including its positionduringdemocratic and socialist transformations, occu- piedaspecialplace intheconceptofgradual revolution.Thisquestionwasof great importance insofar aspeaceful revolutionwouldonlybepossible if the workingclasswonthesesocial layers to thesocialist idea. Indeed, theneutral positionof thenon-proletarianclassesunderminedhopesofwinningthepar- liamentarymajorityandcommencinganeraof social revolution.Boththeory and revolutionarypracticedeterminedSocial-Democraticpositions concern- ingallies.Hence, itappears justifiedtoapproachthequestionofrevolutionary alliesbycontrastingtheoretical insightswiththeexperienceoftherevolution- ary period. The fact that the Social Democrats’ proposals towin themiddle classesonlyemergedintheyears 1920–6isnottheonly factorthatwouldsug- gestsuchanapproach. Whiledebatesaboutthemiddleclasseswereongoinginthesdapformany years, theywerenotbasedonmuchtheoreticalanalysis.Onlythesociological aspect was touched upon due to Bauer’s writings – and this was limited to defining the place and function of themiddle classes within the bourgeois state’s socio-economic structure andbalanceof class forces. Bauer identified twoproblems.First,Marx’sprognosis thatthemiddleclasseswoulddisappear andbecomeproletarianised in the course of capitalist developmenthadnot come true; second, thedegree towhich thepetty bourgeoisie andpeasantry arepoliticallyorganisedincreasesundertheideologicalleadershipofthebour- geoisieas thesegroups tie their class interests tobigcapital. Fromthis,Bauer concludedthatthepettybourgeoisie,peasantryandintelligentsiawerepolitic- allydependent,andthattheproletariat,onaccountofitseconomiccondition, wastheonlyconsistentpoliticalopponentofthebourgeoisie.Whileconsider- ingitthesolerevolutionaryclassinAustria,Bauerdidnotexcludethepossibil- itythattheworkingclassmightgainsupportfrompoorpeasantsinitsstruggle. Forsuchasituation,hereservedtheroleofhegemonconcerningtheprocessof social transformationsfortheproletariat.Notably,neitherBauernortheother sdaptheorists,incontrasttoLenin,raisedthequestionofaworkerandpeasant alliance for socialist revolution.This iseasilyexplained in that theBolsheviks wantedanarmeduprising,whichwouldonlybepossiblewithunified forces. The SocialDemocrats’ objective,meanwhile,was to acquire legal legitimacy for workers’ rule, and that did not require a permanent alliance.More cru- cial thantacticaldifferences,however,weredifferencesinpositionheldbythe working classes in the social structures of their respective countries. InRus- sia,peasantswerenaturalallies totheproletariatduetotheirsocio-economic