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Events on Saturday 19 October 1878 1
1878Anti-Socialist Laws enacted in GermanyBismarck outlaws the Social Democratic PartyFollowing two assassination attempts on Kaiser Wilhelm I earlier in the year, the Reichstag passed laws banning Social Democratic organizations, meetings, and publications. The laws remained in force until 1890, driving the socialist movement underground even as it continued to win votes. Bismarck paired the crackdown with early social insurance measures to undercut socialist appeal.