Page - 297 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the spectre of fascism 297 themwerepeasants.However,members of different social classes andpolit- icalpartieswerealsoamongthem–for instance,sectionsoftheworkingclass tiedtotheChristianSocialParty, the Jewishbourgeoisie, radicalanti-Semites, proponentsandopponentsofanannexationtoGermany,andChristianSocial andGreaterGermanpartymembers.4 Inthelate1920s, theHeimwehrbecame apolitical force andmassmovement.When several unions joined– in 1929, forinstance,100,000membersoftheAustrianPeasantAssociationand250,000 membersof theAustrianTradeAssociation– it founded its ownAssociation ofIndependentTradeUnions.5SincetheSocial-DemocraticFreeUnions(sfg) recognisedthefascisttradeunions, itsownranksdiminishedrapidlyasformer members began to join the fascist unions enmasse – until 1933, the num- ber of itsmembers declined by half.6 From 1928–9, the ranks of the Heim- wehr swelled, and it enjoyedmilitary and financial support fromMussolini andAustrian finance capital. It stagedmarches and demonstrations largely in Tyrol and Styria, which claimedmany casualties – e.g. 12 November 1928 in Innsbruck, 18 July 1929 in St. Lorenzen, and 20August 1929 in Vösendorf. The leader of the Styrian sectionof theHeimwehr,W.Pfirmer, openly called for thedestructionof parliamentarydemocracy and the creationof an ‘anti- Marxistcoalition’.7Atthetime,BauerandRennerstillunderestimatedtherole and importance of theHeimwehr. At the 1929 party congress, Bauer denied that theHeimwehrwas an independent political force, as he believed it to be a tool of the bourgeois parties. In the ranks of the sdap, Leichter was theonly one to take to thepages ofDerKampf towarnof the acutedanger. He pointed out that the economic crisis was driving theworkers and petty 4 SeeWandruszka1954,pp.362–3. 5 SeeSchöpfer1929,p. 1033. 6 From 1922–32,manymembers of the Social-Democratic party and Social-Democratic Free Unionsjoinedtheranksofthefascistgroups.Theavailabledataprovesthatthisprocesswas slower inparties thatweremoreeffectiveat spreading illusionsabout theirownstrengthto themasses.DatacitedfromLeichter1964,p.31. sdapmembers sfgmembers 1922 553,000 1,080,000 1929 718,000 737,000 1930 698,000 655,000 1932 649,000 520,000 7 SeeOberkofler 1979,p.210.