Looks like it was just for those who served in the military, what did other people do?
In 1881,[3][4] the conservative German chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck, in a maneuver against Marxists who were burgeoning in power and popularity, announced that anyone over 70 years old would be forced to retire and that he would pay a pension to them
Pensions are a roman invention
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_retirement
Looks like it was just for those who served in the military, what did other people do?
What did they do before 1881? Just keep working?
Usually, they died well before, or lived in wealth from the remaining wealth.