Page - 254 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

254 chapter 6 dimensionofdemocracyanditsroleinestablishingthebürgerlicheGesellschaft (civil society). Bauerunifiedbothaspects– theevaluativeand thepolitical– inhismodel,whichhebasedonpoliticalandfunctionaldemocracy. Indeed, it isevidentfromBauer’swritingsthatpoliticaldemocracyplayeda fundamentalroleinhistheory.DrawingonKelsen’sarguments,hisanalysisdis- tinguishedbetweendemocracy’s formal andsocial content. Inall statements on democracy as a principle that shaped the political order, Bauer consist- entlypointedoutitsahistorical,class-neutralqualities.WithreferencetoJean- JacquesRousseau,heproclaimedthatpopular sovereigntywas thecoreprin- cipleofthisformofstateorganisation–i.e.thefreewillofthepeopletodecide whomtoentrustwithgoverningthestate.Here, ‘thepeople’wereunderstood as a political rather than class order. Againwith reference to Kelsen, Bauer designedadistinctmodelof representativedemocracy,whichbecameoneof severalcompetingtheoriesofdemocracy. According toBauer, theessential componentofdemocracywas the formal majority principle, with universal suffrage as the benchmark that decided whetherthemajorityreallyhadasay.Bauerarguedthattheproletariatwasnot yetpoliticallymatureenoughtoacquirepowerbecauseitdidnotenjoythesup- portof themajorityofsociety.Secondly,heconcludedfromthis that thestate performed its duties onbehalf of thewhole of society. Bauerwas convinced that themajorityhadtostrive for thecommongoodinsteadofenforcingsec- tionalobjectives if itwantedtoremaininpower.Forhim,equalopportunities toobtainpowerandtheright tochangeone’spoliticalviewswere intrinsic to themajorityprinciple,andtoconsenttothisprinciplewascrucialforahealthy democracy.Thesetraitsalloweddemocracytosurvivecrisesinthemosteffect- ivemanner: opposing interests were brought to the surface and reconciled through legally defined regulatorymechanisms. Therefore, preserving social peacebymeansofpolitical compromisewasahallmarkofdemocracy,which Kelsenalsoconceded.Nodoubt,aliberalthinkersuchasThomasVernorSmith, according towhomthetermpoliticaldemocracydenotedaprocessof resolv- ingcollectiveconflicts throughlegislativebodies,wouldfullysubscribetothis interpretation.19 ForBauer,freedomwasthesecondfundamentalprincipleofthedemocratic politicalorder, therightofthepeopletoelecttheirowngovernment,andboth toentrustitwithauthorityandtodepriveitofauthority.20Animportantaspect of his theorywas that he connoted freedomwith democracy and socialism. 19 SeeSmith1942,p.2. 20 SeeBauer1976p,p. 194.