isaac-deutscher-the-prophet-armed-trotsky-1879-1921

THE DOLDRUMS: 1907-1914.
refused him domicile in Berlin. He was anxious to stay within
the orbit of German socialism, and for this Vienna was second
best. From Vienna he also watched the clash of German and
Slav aspirations in the Balkans. Towards the close of Francis
Joseph's rule Vienna, although already somewhat provincial,
was still one of Europe's spiritual centres. In politics it prided
itself on Austro-Marxism, which had broken the unchallenged
domination of clericalism in the most Catholic of empires. In
literature it had made, with Arthur Schnitzler, Peter Altenberg,
Karl Krauss, and others, its contribution to the hypersensitive,
sex- and death-conscious trend of the.fin de siecle. In the
arts, its secession revolted mildly against academic conservatism
and bourgeois crudity. There was no lack of solid education
and taste in the Viennese intelligentsia and its radical
wing, although these virtues were not matched by strength of
character or sense of purpose. Perhaps only in psychology did
Vienna at that time produce anything epoch-making: Freud's
great mind was beginning to dominate the field. For the rest,
Court, Parliament, editorial offices, Socialist meetings, literary
and artistic groups and cliques, were all reflected in the life and
gossip of the cosy Viennese cafes, always astir with intelligent,
witty, yet strangely futile conversation.
In My Life Trotsky describes this environment with disdainful
irony. His writings at that time, however, strongly
suggest that he enjoyed the mild effervescence of the Viennese
atmosphere. He plunged into local life, joined the Austrian
Social Democrats, visited their clubs and meetings, contributed
to local Socialist papers, was stirred by local literary and artistic
events, and occasionally gave way to the attraction of the cafes.
Years later, as the leader of a victorious revolution and the
implacable enemy of reformism he drew devastating portraits
of the Austro-Marxist leaders. During his stay in Vienna, he was
less hard on them and felt gratified by their friendship. He
warmly admired Victor Adler, the founding father of the party,
in whose home he was as welcome as he was at Kautsky's in
Berlin and repeatedly for Russian readers he wrote of Victor
Adler with gusto and love.' He was attached to Victor's son,
Fritz, the rebellious Benjamin of the party and editor of Kampf,
who would one day kill the Austrian Prime Minister Baron
1
L. Trotsky, Sochinmya, vol. viii, pp. 10 ff.