Interest groups and the rise of the people

In 1918, terms emerged with the focus on the people "such as Volksgemeinshaft (people's community), Volksstaat (people's state), and Volkspartei (people's party)" which "acknowledged that unity" was necessary to challenged the Socialist left. The revolution involved all parts of society and "nowhere in the Reich did the revolution encounter opposition," as it included support from "men and women, workers and burqhers, city and countryside, (and) socialists and nationalists." This mass support for the revolution took the power away from the established government and its leaders.

With this mass support and the mentality that people had that they could be successful in not only the large-scale revolution, but also in more focused agendas, the middle class began gravitating towards interest groups and unions. People spoke "most loudly as constituents of particular social and economic interests" with a focus on occupational concerns. Numerous interest groups were established, such as the socialist Free Trade Union which tripled in size compared to pre-war participation.

This huge increase in political activity by the middle-class upset the norms of previous society and government. Which such active participants who were focused on certain specific issues, the right wing lost huge amounts of support and representation in the Reichstag. This revolution gave a much more recognized voice to the middle-class through their ability to join together in small interest groups with direct focuses to upset the social norms of pre-war Germany.