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Political activism demanded way more involvement back then, but more risks also. Even mortal risk. Just putting a message out there meant actually going out to the streets and meeting places, talk to people, argue with them. Quite a good description is what Hitler gave in the Mein Kampf how he got into politics, as young men. Visiting the Austrian legislation, arguing with workers, etc. For the violent nature of the movements the NSDAP is also a great example.
Another approach to politics was Szálasi's. He was part of the system, and he did a "tour" in the country, see how the people lived, he talked to them, and wrote a study describing their poverty and hardships. Then he passed this study upstairs into one of the ministry's where it went ignored. After that he started his Arrow Cross Party, and Hungarist movement, he got jailed as a radical, a potential left-wing radical I think. The war was turbulent times ofc, so that we can consider uncommon circumstances. After it he was executed by the communists (well I think we still had Republic, and not People's Republic, so was executed by "democratic" forces).
Communist movements were also tough since the beginning. The strikes frequently meant violent clashes, with police, or other political groups. And then by the end of WWI they sparked the revolutions and violence.