Page - 343 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

the spectre of fascism 343 and become a significant political bulwark.103 During the first phase of the organisation’sdevelopment, the ‘timeof revengeandromanticism’, according toGulick,104 theRevolutionarySocialistswere striking in their verbal radical- ismandunduefaithintheimminentoutbreakoftheanti-fascistrevolution.105 In reality, their activitywas confined to three duties: helping the families of combatantswhohadfallenintheuprising;anti-fascistpropaganda;andtrain- ingnewrecruits–noneofwhichweakenedtheAustrofascistdictatorship.Lack ofdecisivenesswithrespecttoprogrammaticlinesandpositionsontheFebru- ary 1934uprisingdefinedthe leadersof thenewparty intheBauer-ledforeign office inBern.106 Fromthedawnof theparty’s existence,Bauer’s standpointwasas follows: ‘Political emigrationcanonly flee fromthis fate…[I]t canonlybecomeany- thingotherthantheflotsamandjetsamofhistorytotheextent it iscapableof servingtheillegalmovementathomeandfulfil functionsthatcanonlybeful- filled fromabroad’.107That is tosay,Bauer recognisedthenewleadershipand refrained fromoverseeing theorganisationhimself. It alsomeant that aid for thesocialistsathomewouldbelimitedtofinancialdividendsandadvocacy.108 Behind thiswasnot simplyBauer’sbelief thatan illegalmovementcouldnot bedirectedfromanoutsideagent,butalsoaself-criticalassessmentofhisown failed politics, and a partial change in his views on the role of theworkers’ party intheageof fascism.Hisposthumouslypublishedtext,TheIllegalParty, attestedtothefactthatBauerhadlostfaithinarebirthoftheoldparty,advoc- 103 ‘Despite importantsuccesses,organisationalconsolidation,andideologicalstabilisation, theRevolutionary Socialists’ immobility in relation to formingalliances rendered them incapableofplayinganypoliticalroleinthestruggleforAustria’sfuture’(ourtranslation)– Butterwegge1990,p.534. 104 InformationaccordingtoBotz1978b,p,363. 105 The illegal paper of the rswas namedDie Revolution. According toHoltmann, it was published irregularly – twice amonth atmost – and its circulationwas an estimated 10,000–15,000.SeeHoltmann1996,p. 1996. 106 Its vacillations were a symptomof attempting to define the relationship between the old andnewparty, especiallywith regard to questions of leadership and the degree of collaboration. 107 Bauer1939,p.512. 108 His attitude towards thenewpartywas transparent: ‘We, theoldguard, cannot takeup this task fromthem.However,wehaveadutytopassontheexperience,knowledge,and values thatweacquired throughourworkandour struggles.Weneed topass it onso it maymergewiththenewknowledgeandvaluesthatcomeoutfromthelifeandstruggles of thenewmovement that emergedunder thepressures of fascism’ (our translation) – Bauer1976p,p.325.