Page - 219 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the ‘thirdway’ to socialism 219 Communist agitation fornationalisationanddemanded that landbeequally distributed(especiallysoinLowerAustria).125IntheearlydaysoftheRepublic, the countrysidewelcomed thedemocratisationof theAustrian state – espe- cially the suffrage reforms,which resulted in changes to the representations of class forces in regional governments. For the first time in its history, the Social-Democraticmovementfacedtheopportunitytoacquaintsocialistideas to ruralpartsof thecountry,which ithad largelyneglected.The strugglewas aided by the spontaneous emergence of socialist peasant organisations and growingmembershipnumbers in theassociationof agricultural and silvicul- turalworkers.126InApril1919,thisassociationsubmittedadraftforagricultural reforms that envisaged the expropriation of large rural landholdings by the state, federal governments, andcommunes, and their socialisationaccording to theco-operativeprinciple.Theassociationcountedonthesdap’s support. Likewise,thesmallholders’unionsidedwiththeSocialDemocrats,hopingthat independentagriculturalenterpriseswouldbesetup.However, thesdappaid no great attention to agitation in the countryside. True, Bauer had already discussed these issues inTheRoadToSocialism, andhis ‘Leitsätze zurAgrar- politik’ (‘PrinciplesofAgriculturalPolicy’, 1921)providedthebasis foradebate held inDerKampf in June1921.But thesdap leadershipdidnotconsiderany close co-operationwith the socialist peasantmovement at the time.What is more, during the revolutionaryperiod,when therewas a genuineopportun- ity for the peasant parties and Social Democrats towork together, the sdap leaderssoughtcompromisewiththebourgeoisparties insteadofapproaching theSocial-Democraticpeasants’movement.TheChristianSocialPartyreadily exploited thesdap’spassivestancewithrespect to thecountryside, consolid- ating its positionwhen it established theChristian Peasants’ Union. Froma historicalpointofview, it is justifiedtoaskwhethertheco-operationproposal submittedtothesdapin1918–20hadanyrealchancesofsuccessandwhether it couldhave strengthened theparty’s position in the countryside. For some, 125 Formoredetailsaboutthesituationinthecountryside,seeMattl 1985b,p.219. 126 In Lower Austria, for instance, a regional organisation of smallholders was created in 1920. InVienna, anational association called ‘Unionof Smallholders,Winegrowers and Crofters’emergedandjoinedtheAssociationofAgriculturalandSilviculturalWorkersas anautonomous section. In 1925, smallholders split fromtheAssociationofAgricultural andSilviculturalWorkersandformedtheAssociationofFreeWorkingPeasantsofAustria. SeeWinkler 1976, pp. 31–2. According toMattl, the Social-Democratic agricultural and silviculturalworkers’associationgrewfrom700to30,000members intheyears1918–20– compareMattl 1985b,p.220b. Inhiswritings,Bauerpassionatelysupportedtheemerging workers’movement.