Page - 336 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

336 chapter 8 tionthattheworkingclassmightattempttodriveforwardandtransform intoaproletarianrevolutionata laterpoint. It canonlybeaproletarian revolution fromtheoutset, for therearenomorebourgeois revolutions inEurope.Thetaskofoverthrowingfascismthuscoincideswiththetask of theworkingclass toconquerstatepower.Thestruggleagainst fascism thereforebecomessynonymouswiththestruggle forsocialism.88 In 1934, Bauerdidnot shyaway fromusing the term ‘dictatorshipof thepro- letariat’ when defining the type of state andmethods for the proletariat to seize power, even if hewasmotivatedby tactical considerations rather than histruebeliefs.Nonetheless,heacknowledgedtheneedfortheworkingclassto garneralliesinthestruggleagainstfascism,namelythepettybourgeoisie,peas- antry, and intelligentsia.Hence, he insisted that the proletarian dictatorship wasmerelyabrieftransitionalstageduringwhichsocietywouldevolvetowards classlessness.Bauerwasconvincedthatasectionof themiddleclasseswould turnawayfromfascismandbesodiscouragedbyitsrestrictionofcivil liberties and evident failure to realise its economic programme that itwould instead give the workers’ movement its support. He ignored one important aspect: themiddleclassessoughtprotectionunder thewingsof fascismbecausethey fearedbeingdeclassed.Thenotionofaclasslesssociety filledthemwithmore anxietythanthetotalitariangoalsof fascism. Bauer revisedhisaforementionedviewsonthecorrectanti-fascist strategy for theworking-classmovement after the February events. Did he, however, also changehis attitudes towards collaborationwith theCommunists in this struggle? Inthemid-1930s,his relationshiptotheCommunistPartyofAustria wasnolessambivalentthanhisperspectiveontheSovietUnion.Whilehedid stressthedifferencebetweenfascistandBolshevikdictatorships,heremained sceptical towardstheCommunists.His incredulitywasduetodivergentviews on the formsofpower struggle, the character and shapeofproletarian force, democracyanddictatorship.Furthermore,hisfailuretocomprehendtheposi- tionof thekpö,whichhadgained inpower after thedefeat of SocialDemo- cracy, as well as its justified critique of the sdap leadership, reinforced his aversiontotheCommunists.Whenfendingofftheirobjections,Baueraccused theCommunistsofhavingmadeiteasierforthefasciststoseizedominance.89 Heperseveredinhisoppositiontotheunitedfrontoftheworkingclasscreated bybothwingsofthelabourmovement.Bauerjustifiedhisreluctancebypoint- 88 Bauer1934b,p.9. 89 Moredetails inHanisch1974,p.259.