Page - 352 - in Otto Bauer (1881–1938) - Thinker and Politician

352 closing remarks – BauerdeterminedlysettledscoreswithLenin’s interpretationofMarx’shis- toricalmaterialismandtheBolshevikmethodofbuildingsocialism. – Hisvisionofafuturestate,hisprogrammeforculturalautonomy,hissocial- isationandagrarianprogramme,andhistheoryof‘integralsocialism’,which areassociatedwithhimtoday,wereall original contributions to theevolu- tionofMarxistandsocialist theory. – His proposals concerning the socio-political and democratic systemwere remarkable. There isyetanotheraspect toBauer’s theoretical inputwhichusuallyescapes theattentionofhistoriansandpoliticalscientists.Althoughheinvariablyasser- tedhis loyalty toMarxism,Bauer remainedan independent thinkerwhowas far from blind to changing realities. Hence his texts contain ideas strongly rooted inMarxistdogma,butalsoattempt tobreak free fromsuchstrictures. This tension inBauer’s thinkingwasparticularlymanifested inhis consistent attempts to incorporate thesubjectiveandevaluativeaspect into thedeterm- inistperspective.Hefavouredthelatteroutlookinthehistoriosophical,ethical, and political realms, and he employed it whenever hewanted to stress the autonomyof politics fromeconomics.2 The same tensionwas present in his nowcontroversial attempts at solving the contradictionsbetween individual freedomandfreedominacommunity,andtheantinomybetweenpowerand voluntarycompromise. Manywriters are critical of Bauer’s political activism. Ellenbogen,Wand- ruszka,andButterweggeexplaintheschismsofhispoliticsbywayofaconflic- tedpersonality–thatis, thedivergencebetweenthoughtandaction,apparent inhisattitudetowardrevolution,coalition,democracy,anddictatorship.3Leser accusesBauerofactinginapoliticallyhalf-bakedmanner,which,accordingto him,becameapparentduringperiodsof increasing socialpressuresandcon- flicts,e.g.war,revolution,andthefascistoffensive.Moreover,hecriticisesBauer for consciouslyoscillatingbetweenprogrammaticminimalismandmaximal- ism.Finally,heblamesBauer for thesdap’serraticpolitical line.4 Inmyview, thesechargesdoadisservicetoBauer.Ultimately,theysubjectivelypresumean 2 Of all analysts of Bauer’s thought, only Saage developed this aspect of his historiosophy. I wish to stress, however, that we arrived at our convergent conclusions independently. Saagewrites: ‘In fact, noMarxist of the Second International before or afterWorldWar i emphasisedtheimportanceofthe“subjectivefactor”asstronglyasBauerdid’–Saage1990b, p.56. 3 SeeEllenbogen1980,p. 1095;Wandruszka1954,p.451;andButterwegge1981,pp.61–71. 4 SeeLeser1968,p.304.