Somehow, Bismarck found a peaceable solution for rising worker agitation in the 19th century.

You mean imprisoning the leaders of the unions and the social democratic party?

(I get what you mean, but IMO reducing Bismarcks policy too introducing pensions seems way to simplistic. Especially how that worked out a few decades later...)

Still, undercutting the opposition by beating them to the punch in creating a proto-social welfare state is something that few other reactionaries have tried since.

Sure, sure, Amazon has increased the base rate for their warehouse workers, but it’s clearly not enough.