Latest / The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History / Otto von Bismarck and the Anti-Socialist Laws
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about Bismarck — the Ems Telegram, the unification wars, his Realpolitik. But there's a chapter of his career that's less about foreign policy and more about crushing his domestic enemies. Luna: The socialists, right? Lucas: Exactly. By the 1870s, the Social Democratic Workers' Party — later the SPD — was gaining traction. And Bismarck saw them as a threat to the empire he'd built. Then, in May 1878, two separate assassination attempts on Kaiser Wilhelm I gave him the opening he needed. Luna: Two attempts? I only remember one. Lucas: Most people do. The first was on May 11, 1878, by a plumber named Max Hödel. He fired at the Kaiser's carriage but missed. Hödel had ties to the socialist movement — though he was more of a lone fanatic. Then, on June 2, a doctor named Karl Nobiling shot the Kaiser from a window, wounding him badly. Neither was directly connected to the SPD, but Bismarck didn't let facts get in the way. Luna: He used it to crack down. Lucas: He called for a law to suppress the socialists. The first attempt failed in the Reichstag — the National Liberals were hesitant. But after the second attempt, Bismarck dissolved parliament and called new elections, campaigning on a platform of law and order. The new Reichstag passed the Anti-Socialist Laws, or Sozialistengesetze, in October 1878. Luna: What did the law actually do? Lucas: It banned all organizations that aimed to overthrow the state through social democracy. Socialist meetings, publications, unions — all outlawed. The police could shut down newspapers, arrest agitators, and impose 'minor states of siege' in cities deemed trouble spots. But here's the twist: the SPD wasn't outlawed as a political party per se — its members could still run for Reichstag as individuals. So they kept winning seats, even as their infrastructure was crushed. Luna: So the repression actually backfired? Lucas: Massively. In the 1877 election, before the laws, the SPD got about 9% of the vote. By 1890, when the laws expired, they had 20%. Persecution gave them a martyr's aura and radicalized the base. The party leaders, August Bebel and Wilhelm Liebknecht, became folk heroes. They were arrested, tried, and imprisoned — but that only boosted their profile. Luna: Bismarck must have hated that. Lucas: He did. So he tried a different approach — the 'carrot' to go with the stick. In the 1880s, he introduced pioneering social welfare programs: health insurance in 1883, accident insurance in 1884, and old-age pensions in 1889. He hoped that by giving workers a safety net, they'd stop listening to the socialists. Luna: That's where Germany's welfare state comes from? A cynical political move? Lucas: Pretty much. Bismarck himself called it 'state socialism' — but he wasn't being ironic. He believed the state should provide for workers to keep them loyal. The laws were the Krankenversicherungsgesetz and the Alters- und Invaliditätsversicherungsgesetz. They were genuinely groundbreaking — Germany became the first country with a national social insurance system. Luna: But did it work? Did workers stop supporting the SPD? Lucas: Not really. The SPD kept growing. By 1890, the Reichstag refused to renew the Anti-Socialist Laws, and Bismarck was forced to resign shortly after. The welfare state softened some grievances, but it didn't kill the movement. And in a way, the laws created the modern SPD — forced it to become more disciplined, more organized, and more committed to democracy. Luna: It's almost ironic — Bismarck's repression forged the very party that would later shape the Weimar Republic. Lucas: And beyond. The SPD emerged from the 1918 revolution as the leading party, and it's still a major force in Germany today. So the Anti-Socialist Laws are a classic example of a crackdown that backfires — but also a reminder that political repression often leaves a lasting mark, even when it fails. Luna: If you've been coming with us through these conversations about Germany — from the Kaiser to the Wall — you might have noticed that these shows are ad-free and rely on listeners like you. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Lucas: Yeah, it makes a real difference. So, speaking of lasting marks — let's talk about what happened to the SPD after Bismarck fell. The party had been illegal for twelve years, but it came out stronger. Luna: What was their first move once the laws were lifted? Lucas: They held a congress in Halle in 1890, renamed themselves the Social Democratic Party of Germany — SPD — and adopted a new platform. By 1912, they were the largest party in the Reichstag, with 34% of the vote. But they also faced a dilemma: should they work within the system to reform it, or stick to revolutionary rhetoric? That tension would define them for decades. Luna: And it came to a head in 1914, with the war. Lucas: Exactly. But that's a story for another episode.