The Austrian socialist experiment : social democracy and austromarxism, 1918-1934 9780813301860, 0813301866

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The Austrian Socialist Experiment

Westview Special Studies The concept of Westview Special Studies is a re­ sponse to the continuing crisis in academic and informa­ tional publishing. Library budgets for books have been severely curtailed. Ever larger portions of general library budgets are being diverted from the purchase of books and used for data banks, computers, micromedia, and other methods of information retrieval. Interlibrary loan structures further reduce the edition sizes required to satisfy the needs of the scholarly community. Economic pressures on university presses and the few private schol­ arly publishing companies have greatly limited the capac­ ity of the industry to properly serve the academic and research communities. As a result, many manuscripts dealing with important subjects, often representing the highest level of scholarship, are no longer economically viable publishing projects— or, if accepted for publica­ tion, are typically subject to lead times ranging from one to three years. Westview Special Studies are our practical solution to the problem. As always, the selection criteria in­ clude the importance of the subject, the work's contribu­ tion to scholarship, and its insight, originality of thought, and excellence of exposition. We accept manuscripts in camera-ready form, typed, set, or word processed according to specifications laid out in our comprehensive manual, which contains straightforward instructions and sample pages. The responsibility for editing and proofreading lies with the author or sponsor­ ing institution, but our editorial staff is always available to answer questions and provide guidance. The result is a book printed on acid-free paper and bound in sturdy, library-quality soft covers. We manu­ facture these books ourselves using equipment that does not require a lengthy make-ready process and that allows us to publish first editions of 300 to 1000 copies and to reprint even smaller quantities as needed. Thus, we can produce Special Studies quickly and can keep even very specialized books in print as long as there is a demand for them.

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About the Book and Editor The first comprehensive réévaluation of the Austrian Republic and the role of Austrian social democracy be­ tween the two world wars, this volume presents new re­ search on the events and personalities that led from the renowned social and cultural accomplishments of "Red Vienna" to the bloody civil war of 1934. In particular, the contributors analyze "Austromarxism" within the context of the historical limitations of an Austrian Republic divided into ideologically rigid and militarized camps and beset with political violence. At the center of the debate is whether Austromarxism truly represented a new concept of politics. The volume concludes with a comparative assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of other interwar Socialist parties in combatting the threat of fascism. Anson Rabinbach is a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, and an assistant professor of history, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York.

Published with the support of the Federal Ministry for Science and Research in Vienna and in cooperation with the Center for European Studies, Harvard University

The Austrian Socialist ^ Experiment Social Democracy and Austromarxism, 1918-1934 edited by Anson Rabinbach

Westvlew Press / Boulder and London