The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-15

had the Austrian bourgeoisie trembling for its exis
tsnce after the revolution Of 1919.
was proletariat that had arms IN its hands
ready to strike out for Socialism And is driven
steadily backward without being able to offer efec
tive resistance was dsarmed by the Austrian bour-
geoisie, who marched back to power after facing
the menace of imminent proletarian revolution.
Why? How did it happen' It is upon Austrian
Social Democracy that the full historic blame must
rest. And that is what Bauer is trying TO hide.
FROM the day in 1919 that Bauer disSuaded the
Austrian proletariat from smashing the institu-
ton Of capitalist private property that he persuaded
them from smashing the bourgeois state power and
setting up an Austrian Soviet Government and
got them to leave every basis of capitalist rule prsc
tically untouched-t was from this day that the
rise of Fascist counter-revolution in Austria
inevitable. Let us recall the words of Bauer boast
ing how he alone able to save the bourgeoisie
from the revolutionary fury of the Austrian working
class:
mo bourgeois government" Bauer tells us in
his book on the Austrian Revolution, could have
COPIED with such task. 1t would have been
disarmed by the distrust and contempt of the
masses. 1t would have been overthrown in eight
days by street uprising and disarrned by its
soldiers. Only the Social-Democrats could have
safely handled such difficult situation because
they enjoyed the confidence Of the masses. -"
And Otto Bauer and the Social-Fascist leaders
did indeed handle the stuation"-for the capitalist
class. They prevented proletarian revolution and
the setting up of Soviet Austria That was the
first step in the Social-Fascist paving of the way
for the victory of Austrian Fascism.
Then for Is years, Austrian social-Fascism led
the working class in steady retreat before the
return Of the counter-revolution The Austrian
ruling class slowly regathered its strength With
the breaking out of the crisis in 1929, the advance
of the counter-revolution was swift.
But even then the Austrian working class could
have smashed the Austrian bourgeosie-if it had
had a revolutionary leadership, not a treacherous
Social-Fascist leadership. But instead of fighting
the rise of Fascsm Otto Bauer sounded the retreat
before it, and helped to strengthen it, while he
Gripping the fighting power of the working class.
The Communist Party of Austria called for
united front, for general strike again and again.
year ago general strike would have been
successful Even Bauer has been forced to admit
that In a recent statement Why did he refuse to
call it? Why did he spurn the offers of the Com
munist Party? Why did he prefer to negotiate"
with Dollfuss for "a government by decree?" Let
the workers of the world give their judgement on
these questions. 1t was because Bauer feared one
thing more than death or torture-striking a blow
against the advance of Austrian Fascsm under Doll
fuss.
THROUGHOUT 1888 the Austrian proletariat still
had tremendous power in the factories The
workers were burning with eagerness for struggle,
for strike. They still had a powerful weapon in
their armed Republican Guards, the Schutzbund.
Above all they had powerful allies in the interna-
tional proetaria in the working class of the Soviet
Union in the working class of Czechoslovakia, Hun
gary, etc, of the whole world who even before the
uprising showed in France, for example readiness
to go out in political strike at the given signal
The Austrian workers could have dealt smashing
blows against Austrian Fascism, could have driven
not only Austrian but world ascism back in retreat
But they were doomed to defeat by Socialist
leadership unutteraby foul with treachery and ser
Witty to capitalism In agony and bewilderment
the Austrian proetariat day by day watched every
of its weapons taken from it while its leader
ship was negotiating" with the head of Austrian
Fascism, Dollfuss, and urging it to submit pa
tently to search for arms" They saw the Schultz
bund dissolved. They saw government by DEGREES
instituted. They saw all the united front appeals
of the Communist Party for strike unheeded and
spurned by the Socialist leadership. They were
called to retreat step by step. The situation was
rotten ripe for revolutionary attack The workers
waited eagerly for the call to attack But the lead
always cried wait, wait, till tomorrow" while
FaSclSm prepared itself Tor the hnal brutal offensive
getting stronger every day through the fatal in
action of the working class paralyzed by it's leader
ship -
And when the blow fell, even then the Social
Fascist leadership broke the ranks of the heroic
Austrian revolutionary fighters gave them no leader
ship no guidance, no revolutionary detectives but
left them to the mercy of the Fascist massacre
Bauer himself, in words that brand Social Fascsm
forever as the hideous accompice of of Fascist
massacre, declares in his article:
When the struggle broke forth if the leader
ship of the Party had agreed to this, then the
fight would have been better organized and the
broad masses would have better understood it."
IF the Party leadership had agreed" = here
breatheS the full horror of Social Fascist treachery
Here is the deadly admission that it was the masses
alone who took the road Of struggle against Fas-
cism over the heads of their leaders. But above
all here is the CHASTITY admission that the terrible
slaughter of hastily organized workers dsarmed
and lacking in vital communications and isolated
from the broad masses, rests upon the Otto Bauers
and his Socal-Fascist traitors.
THAT is why the Austrian proletarat lost its first
open battle with Fascism. 1t was betrayed from
within-betrayed by the agents of the ruling class
the Socisl-Fascist leadership