Page - 213 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the ‘thirdway’ to socialism 213 tical,didnotraiseanyobjectionsofficially.OutsideofAustria, theprogramme was recognisedamongSocialDemocrats.107 Likewise, itwaswell receivedby thebourgeois. Indeed, the programme complemented the broad social reforms that the Social-Democratic government, with Ferdinand Hanusch at its helm, had already attempted to push through parliament since autumn 1918.108 These bylawswere nothing unique. On the contrary, they had beenpresent in the programmes of the sdap for decades. Even representatives of the Christian tradeunions suggestedcomparablemeasures, although thebalanceof forces inAustriahadbeenunfavourabletoputtingthemintopractice.Inthisrespect, the revolutionaryperiodofferedauniqueopportunity.TheSocialDemocrats usedittopasslawswhichchangedthelivingandworkingconditionsforbroad layers of theworking population to a degree that cannot be overstated. The bulkof these lawscontinue tobe inplace today.Theyare rightly regardedas the greatest successes of Social-Democratic reformist politics. The period of social legislationwasagenuinesocialrevolutionnotonlyforactivists,butalso formassesofordinarypeople.The following laws,draftedbythesocialisation commission andpassed from 1918–19,were among themost important new regulations: – Public unemployment insurance, passed on 6November 1918. This insur- anceappliedtoall industrialandagriculturalworkers.109Duetothis,arbit- rationcommissionshelpingworkerstofindemploymentandprovidingpro- tectionagainstunlawfuldismissalweresetupinalldistricts. – The eight-hourworkday, passedon 19December 1918. Thiswas consistent withthedemandput forwardatthebigdemonstrationof theinternational workers’movementon 1May 1890.Rulesoutlawingchild labourandnight workbywomenandminorswerealsoincluded(passedon14May1919). 107 KarlKautskyandamemberof theGermansocialisationcommission,RobertWilbrandt, were among thosewho lauded theprogramme– seeEuchner 1979, p. 32. The congress of theSecondInternational inGeneva from31 July–5August 1920upheldasocialisation programmeinthespiritofOttoBauerandAustromarxism.InPoland,MieczysławNiedzi- ałkowski, Adam Próchnik, Bronisław Ziemięcki, Zygmunt Żuławski, Oskar Lange, and KazimierzCzapiński further developedBauer’s ideas of socialisation – seeCzerwińska 1991,pp.431–2. 108 Theministry ofwelfareworkwas established as early as 22December 1917. See Steiner 1967. 109 According to Kreissler, the number of unemployed claiming benefits rose every year: 46,203on1December1918; 162,104on1February1919; 178,553on1April2015.