Page - 312 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

312 chapter 8 that it would suffice for theworkers to refrain fromany defensive activities in order to restore social peace, as well as an underestimation of the influ- enceof fascist ideologyupon thepetty-bourgeoismasses andpeasantry. It is not hard to agreewithKösten,whoclaims thatBauer’s approach to fascism, basedas itwason theblueprintofBonapartism,wasnota strategy tomobil- ise theworking class against fascism, but rather a pious hope to strengthen democraticbourgeois forcesasacounterweighttofascisisation.37It isalsodif- ficult to rationally explain howBauer could overlook the growing influence of theHeimwehr in theChristian Social andGreaterGermanparties. There is simply no logical explanation for why Bauer demanded in 1929 that the Schutzbundbedisarmed, in thehope that thiswouldavert the threat of fas- cism. ItwasnotuntilHitler’svictory inGermanyandthedefeatofhisownparty in 1934 thatBauer revisedhisassessments fromthe late 1920sandearly 1930s, developing and heightening his analyses. In 1936, he returned to his earlier theory of fascismasBonapartismand its basic premise of a balance of class forces.Hemodifiedhis standpoint in three respects: thepositionand roleof theworkingclass, the social andclass contentof fascism, and the separation betweenpowerapparatusandrulingclassunderfascism. Bauerabandonedtheideathatfascismwasadefensivereactionofthebour- geoisie to the system’s readiness for social revolution. He conceded that it amassedpower at a timewhen theworking classwaspowerless. In contrast, he interpreted fascism’s successes and its support from the bourgeoisie as a result of thecrisis of bourgeoishegemony,whichcoincidedwith thecrisis of theworkers’movement. Bauer’s tense relationship to reformism is an inter- esting aspect in this. On the onehand, he accused reformismof impotence. It had proved incapable of protecting theworking andmiddle classes from the effects of economic crisis. On theother, he gave toomuchweight to the bourgeoisie’s struggleagainst thegainsof reformistsocialisminattemptingto explainthefascistvictory.ForBauer, fascismsupersededtheoldorderbecause thebourgeoisiesoughtthehelpofillegalfascistsquadstoprotectitsprofitsdur- Austrianworking class,which is a far greater part of our population and farmore geo- graphicallyconcentratedthanisthecaseinItaly,wouldputupmuchstrongerresistance. Ingeneral,dictatorships–bothfascistandBolshevik–haveonlyemergedintheagrarian states of east and southEurope. In the industrial countries, democracyhas alwayspre- vailed’ – Protocol of the Social-Democratic congress 1927, inDocuments, Programmes, Protocols,p. 120. 37 SeeKösten1984,p. 152.