On a coarse level, it was the German Empire under William I and Otto von Bismarck that created the first general (non-military) welfare program for older workers introducing the concept of retirement for the working class. It was a plan, along with mandatory health insurance, to counter growing support for Marxism. One would get a modest pension from the state at age 70, a seemingly cynical choice for a population with a life expectancy in the mid 40’s that was declining.