The Transformation of Austrian Socialism

Kurt Leo Shell

SUNY Press, Jan 1, 1962 - Literary Collections - 305 pages

As most political observers know, the powerful socialist parties of Western and Central Europe are facing a profound crisis due to their departure from the Marxist slogans of their youth and their increasing inability to define the meaning of "socialist" goals in the prosperous mixed economy of individual enterprise and welfare state now in full blast in most European countries.

In Dr. Shell's judgment the Austrian Socialist Party exhibits this transformation most clearly. A modern "mass" party, containing more then ten per cent of the entire Austrian population as dues-paying members, it is no longer full of the sound and fury of Marxist class-war slogans. Instead, its traditional labels conceal a loss of direction, of clear sense of mission, and of the "State within a State" function originally envisaged.

In tracing its history, its personalities, and achievements from World War I to the present day, Dr. Shell presents a complete and authoritative picture not only of the Austrian Socialist Party, but of what may well be the shape of things to come in the other Socialist parties of Central and Western Europe.

Contents

• Austrian SocialismPast and Present: 7
• 18891918: 8
• The Party as a State Within the State: 9
• Left and Right in World War I: 11
• 19181934: 13
• The Party in Opposition: 15
• Impending Civil War: 17
• Days of Defeat: 20
• 19341945: 21
• New Men Versus Old Social Democrats: 24
• Destruction and Dispersal: 26
• 1945 and After: 28
• The Provisional Government: 29
• Elections and Coalition: 31
• The Demise of Integral Socialism: 34
• Problems of Organization: 35
• Cadre Organization Versus Mass Organization: 36
• The Problem of Socialist Shop Organization: 40
• Proletarian Core and Marginal Strata: 43
• Ancillary Organizations: 47
• The Mass PartyOccupational Stratification: 49
• Miscellaneous Organizational Changes: 52
• The Ambiguity of Function: 54
• Confrontation of Generations: 55
• The Revival of Trade Union Organization: 58
• Organizational Structure of the Trade Union Federation: 60
• The Trade Union Federation and the Socialist Party: 62
• The Socialist Fraction: 63
• PartyTrade Union Alignment: 64
• Labor Peace: 68
• Work Council Elections: 70
• Chambers of Labor Functions: 71
• Elections: 73
• Parliamentary Democracy or Chamber State?: 75
• Party Structure Hierarchy Participation and Inner Democracy: 77
• The Party Bureaucracy: 80
• The Cadre of Party Functionaries: 81
• Length of Party Membership: 83
• The Age Structure of Party Membership: 84
• Development and Distribution of Party Membership: 86
• Socialist Education: 90
• The Party as a Democratic Community: 95
• The Organizational Statute: 96
• Oligarchic Tendencies: 100
• The Party Conference Parteitag: 103
• The Composition of the Party Conference: 108
• Stability of Leadership: 111
• Accumulation of Offices: 113
• Nomination for Public Offices: 115
• Party Discipline and InnerParty Opposition: 118
• The Case of Erwin Scharf: 120
• Party Unity in the Face of the Communist Threat: 122
• The Ebbing of Marxist Theory: 126
• The AustroMarxist Discussion: 127
• Parliamentary Democracy and Proletarian Dictatorship: 130
• Revolutionary Socialism: 137
• The Disappearance of Theory: 139
• Democracy Triumphant: 141
• AustroMarxism Today: 144
• Humanitarian Socialism: 150
• Changing Attitudes Toward Soviet Communism: 152
• The Capitalist West: 155
• The Permanent Coalition: 159
• Renners Argument for Coalition: 162
• The Permanent Coalition: 163
• Criticism from the Left: 164
• The Lack of an Alternative: 166
• The Ghost of February 1934: 168
• The Coalition Pacts: 172
• The Proporz: 174
• Problems of Church and School Sources of Traditional Conflict: 179
• Attempts at Conciliation: 180
• The Continued Struggle Against Clericalism: 182
• Equality of Educational Opportunity: 186
• Toward a Socialist Economy? Part 1: 189
• The Acceptance of a Mixed Economy: 192
• Cartels and Competition: 195
• Equality Efficiency and Incentives: 198
• Socialization in the First and Second Republics: 200
• History and Scope: 201
• Organization of the Nationalized Industries: 204
• Principles and Spirit of Administration: 207
• Planning of Production: 210
• Toward a Socialist Economy? Part II: 215
• The Failure of Codetermination: 217
• Consultation in Nationalized Industries: 218
• The WagePrice Agreements: 222
• Private Versus Public Saving: 228
• Tax Policy: 230
• Welfare Services: 232
• Public Housing and Tenants Protection: 237
• Socialism in the Age of Fulfillment: 243
• The Change of Objective: 246
• The Sources of Socialist Inspiration: 248
• Equality of Opportunity: 249
• The Utopian Vision: 251
• The Rise of a Class: 252
• Causes of Disappointment: 254
• Socialist Ideals: 256
• Socialism and the Proletariat: 262
• A Socialist Way of Life?: 265
• Resistance to Rethinking: 267
• The Failure of the Left: 270
• Appendix 1 The Electoral Position of the Socialist Party in National Elections Since 1930: 275
• Appendix 2 Elections to Chambers of Labor and Work Councils: 281
• Appendix 3 The TenPoint Program: 287
• Bibliography: 289
• Index: 297

About the author

Kurt L. Shell, recently Assistant Professor of Political Science at Harpur College of the State University of New York, and presently at the Institute for Political Science at the Free University of Berlin, was born in Vienna in 1920. Forced to emigrate by the Nazi occupation of Austria, he worked in a London bakery before serving the U.S. Army on the Italian front. After the war, he studied and received his bachelor's and master's degrees at Columbia University, taught at the University of Minnesota, returned to Columbia as instructor in Public Law and Government, and in 1955 received his Ph.D. after a leave of absence to do research in Vienna. He was guest lecturer at Cornell in 1958 and Fulbright Professor at the Paedagogische Hochschule in Berlin in 1959.

He is the author of a number of articles and is now working in West Berlin on a new book. In response to a question about his personal life, he responded: "Married, no children, two cats."

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Transformation of Austrian Socialism; G - Reference,Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series
• Author: Kurt Leo Shell
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: SUNY Press, 1962
• ISBN: 0873950054, 9780873950053
• Length: 305 pages
• Subjects: Literary Collections / General; Political Science / General