Unfortunately he had a most imperfect perception of the extraordinary limitations of the “Bourgeoisie’s” readiness to fight, due to their situation in business, which individuals are too much afraid of losing, and which therefore deters them from action.
This lack of understanding of the significance of the lower strata of society was the cause of the utter inadequacy of his views on the social question.
In all this Dr. Lueger was the opposite of Schoenerer. He understood only too perfectly that the fighting strength of the higher Bourgeoisie is small nowadays, and insufficient to win a victory for a great new Move¬ ment. He was prepared to make use of all available means of power, to attract to himself strong existing institutions, so as to derive the greatest possible profit for his movement from such old established sources of power.
He based his new Party first of all on the middle class which was threatened with extinction, and thus secured a class of adherents extremely hard to shake, ready both for great sacrifices and capable of stubborn fighting.