Page - 207 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the ‘thirdway’ to socialism 207 for the working class. Both programmes framed the question of class allies in the revolution in a new light.Whether themiddle classes could become potential allies for the working-class revolution became of secondary con- cern; rather, convincing these layers that the process of democratising the capitalist state, inaugurated by the proletariat and its party, was in its own interest. Bauer’s projects forwinning over broad social layers for the socialist idea will beexamined further; however, it isnecessary tomakeageneral observa- tioninadvance.Bauer’snotionwasanoverallconceptofstruggleforsocialism, accordingtowhich,however,socialismcouldnotbeintroducedduetotheeco- nomic,political andsocial factorsof the time.Simultaneously, itwasamodel thatallowedSocialDemocracy to substantially improve the livingconditions notonlyof theworkingclass,butalsoofothersocialgroups. 3.1 TheSocialisationProgramme TheworkingclassofAustriaentrustedaspecifichope to theproclamationof theRepublic and seizure of power by the SocialDemocrats: that their party would make every effort to transform the old social system. Among their demands to this effect, socialisation occupied a central place. The newly formedCommunistPartyofAustria(kpö)wasthefirstpoliticalpartytoadhere tothis:theprogrammeitintroducedwasoneoffullsocialisation–i.e.national- isation–oftheindustries,banks,land,andwoods.90Likewise,the28December 1918electionmanifestoofthesdapcontainedthedemandforsocialisation.Its primemotivationwasthefearthatthemassesmightcommencespontaneous actiontotransformthestateorder–in1918,thesloganof‘socialisation’featured inthepartyprogrammewasameretacticalmanoeuvre,notaseriousprogram- maticdemand.91TheSocialDemocrats, liketheCommunists,hadnoreal idea ofhowafunctioningsocialisteconomymightbeorganisedatthetime. It is necessary to elaborate the content of the term ‘socialisation’ as inter- preted by the Social Democrats, not least because itwas fundamentally dif- ferent from the way the Communists understood it. For the Social Demo- crats, ‘socialisation’wasopposedtosocialisationinMarx’sinterpretation.They 90 SeeHautmann1970,p.60. 91 Bauer’spositionwascrucialforadoptingthedemandforsocialisationintotheprogramme ofthesdap.Hedefendedthestanceinhistext, ‘BolschewismusoderSozialdemokratie?’, as follows: ‘Inwest and central Europe, one cannot do as in Russia, first leaving social organisation to thedestructive forceof instinctivemassmovements forhalf a year, and thenusestatepowercontrolledbyasmallminority to imposea fundamentallydifferent stateorderuponthepopularmasses’ (ourtranslation)–Bauer1976c,p.318.