 He had already, in 1881, joined the (by some criteria illegal between 1878 and 1891) Social Democratic Party (""Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands"" / SPD).He had also served, between 1877 and 1880, in the 4th Westphalia Infantry Regiment.At the start of 1890 the Reichstag refused to renew the Anti-Socialist Laws and a couple of months later Chancellor Bismarck resigned.