In 1871 the German nation was formed under the 2nd Reich. Soon after this German nation began to rival the European superpowers of the time. In the early 20th century, Germany, under the leadership of its Kaiser, would challenge the British Empire for supremacy in Europe. In 1914, Germany would embark on a war that would end in chaos for its people. The following years brought difficulties that would affect the new Weimar Republic, creating fertile ground for extremist groups. These extremist groups came from both ends of the political spectrum and were able to promote their ideas based on the fears of the middle and upper classes and the conflict of the degraded working class. The party that benefited most from the events that occurred from 1871 to 1933 was the NSDAP led by the charismatic Adolf Hitler. The Second Reich was governed by the Kaiser and a weak bicameral parliament. According to the constitution the Kaiser controlled the army, was responsible for foreign policy and had the power to declare martial law. During the Second Reich the government centralized the economy by setting standards for industrial processes and controlling the railways. The government also established interest-free loans for those who started businesses that were in the government's interest. Although these actions tended to aid the German aristocracy, the average German was loyal to the governing authority of the Second Reich. The average German of the time supported the old guard government. The average German also supported his own governmental authority because he was subjected to a paternalistic system. Loyalty to the crown was rewarded with unemployment, social security, workers' compensation and without... half of the paper... Germany had anti-Semitic views. He argued that liberal anti-Semitism viewed Jews as separatists, conservatives hated their unrest, and socialists viewed them as the head of capitalism. Hitler managed to mix all three of these views into a single vision of racial anti-Semitism. The Germans had already been under an authoritarian government and began to lean towards an anti-republic as a whole. National pride and glory, along with militarism, were instilled in Germans even during the Second Reich. The Nazis were able to seize power by expressing existing opinions and taking them to extremes. The paternalism, militarism, nationalism and racial views of the Second Reich set a limit for the Germans. The failure of policies in these categories during the Weimar Republic led to calls for change. Calls for change allowed the Nazi Party led by the charismatic Hitler to gain power.