Otto Bauer, Left-wing Populism and the Challenge of Right-wing Nationalism

This paper examines the underexplored parallels between the thought of Austrian Marxist Otto Bauer and contemporary discussions on left-wing populism and national identity. While Marxist theory has often been accused of disregarding the political salience of national belonging, Bauer’s work offers a nuanced perspective, advocating for strategic engagement with national identities to counteract bourgeois and warlike nationalism. This study connects Bauer’s early 20th-century reflections to the strategies employed by 21st-century European left-populist movements, such as Podemos in its early phase in Spain, identifying notable parallels in both political context and strategic insight. By revisiting Bauer’s critique of naive cosmopolitanism and his emphasis on national identity as a site of class struggle, the paper argues that 21st-century European left-wing populism, in seeking to reclaim national belonging and identity as platforms for progressive, inclusive politics, adopted a counter-hegemonic approach that closely resembles Bauer’s vision.