GERMAN POLITICAL PARTIES AS A RESOURCE FOR SOCIAL REFORM IN GERMANY IN THE 70S OF THE XIX CENTURY

Abstract

The paper analyzes the role of political parties and other political resources in the context of social reform in the German Empire in the 1870s. Not only political parties and movements, but also professional associations, entrepreneurial groups that demonstrate a certain degree of social responsibility are referred to political resources. The indicated period in Reich Chancellor O. Bismarck’s domestic policy was marked by an active search for like-minded people represented by representatives of various political parties, economists, and large industrialists for social reforms development and implementation. It is proved that in search of the all-German social support, O. Bismarck demonstrated the ability to maneuver between political parties and groups, business and other social strata. The study focuses on Reich Chancellor’s strategy was aimed at reducing the severity of political and social problems and creating a social balance between different social strata. The author emphasizes that the head of the German government not only sought to isolate the working class out of the social democracy through social concessions, but also to maintain peace and harmony in new industrial society, open the way to its consolidation, which was supposed to come to stability through social reforms. The author pays particular attention to the structure, organization and influence of the political parties. The study provides the statistical data on the share of voters who voted for the parties and the number of deputy mandates received from the results of general elections, as well as describes various political programs.