What do you think?
Rate this book
The Question of Nationalities and Social Democracy
Book by Bauer, Otto
696 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
4 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Otto Bauer
78 books6 followers1881-1938
Austrian Social Democrat who is considered one of the leading thinkers of the left-socialist Austro-Marxist grouping.
He was also an early inspiration for both the New Left movement and Eurocommunism in their attempt to find a "Third way" to democratic socialism.
Austrian Social Democrat who is considered one of the leading thinkers of the left-socialist Austro-Marxist grouping.
He was also an early inspiration for both the New Left movement and Eurocommunism in their attempt to find a "Third way" to democratic socialism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 18, 2025
As in-depth of a crack at the national question as you'll ever read from the Marxist perspective. I don't agree with Bauer on every point, but he approachsd the topic with nuance and puts in the work to present a very compelling look at the national question.
June 2, 2025
Wow. What an incredible read by an author who shouldn’t be as unknown as he is. For the past year I’ve been working through with the podcast The Regrettable Century and being able to slowly work through this text has really allowed it to become timeless.
The questions Bauer asks about the multinational state, especially one that is simultaneously a crumbling empire, is incredibly prescient today in the context of not just the United States but also the EU and to a lesser extent: China, Indonesia, and the Russian Federation. His analysis of the process of national creation is miles more useful and rigorous than anything gracing the pages of most academic journals today, many who have simply fallen back on reactionary and racist biological-essentialist understandings of nation and language.
The true tragedy of this book is that it wasn’t taken seriously enough at the time to establish a thorough critique which both highlighted its shortcomings (particularly his blind spots when it comes to imperialism) while building on what he was right about.
The questions Bauer asks about the multinational state, especially one that is simultaneously a crumbling empire, is incredibly prescient today in the context of not just the United States but also the EU and to a lesser extent: China, Indonesia, and the Russian Federation. His analysis of the process of national creation is miles more useful and rigorous than anything gracing the pages of most academic journals today, many who have simply fallen back on reactionary and racist biological-essentialist understandings of nation and language.
The true tragedy of this book is that it wasn’t taken seriously enough at the time to establish a thorough critique which both highlighted its shortcomings (particularly his blind spots when it comes to imperialism) while building on what he was right about.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews