Paul von Hindenburg

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg^[a] (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military leader and politician who led the Imperial German Army during World War I^[1] and later became President of Germany from 1925 until his death in 1934. He played a key role in the Nazi seizure of power in 1933 through his appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany.^[1]

Hindenburg was born to a family of minor Prussian nobility in the Grand Duchy of Posen. Upon completing his education as a cadet, he enlisted in the Third Regiment of Foot Guards. He saw combat during the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars. In 1873, he was admitted to the prestigious War Academy in Berlin, where he studied before being appointed to the General Staff Corps. In 1885, he was promoted to major and became a member of the German General Staff. After teaching at the War Academy, Hindenburg rose to become a lieutenant general by 1900. In 1911, Hindenburg retired.

After World War I began in 1914, Hindenburg was recalled and achieved fame on the Eastern Front as the victor of Tannenberg. He oversaw crushing victories against the Russians that made him a national hero and the center of a pervasive cult of personality. By 1916, his popularity had risen to the point that he replaced General Erich von Falkenhayn as Chief of the Great General Staff.^[2] He and his deputy, General Erich Ludendorff, exploited Kaiser Wilhelm II's immense delegation of power to the Supreme Army Command to establish a de facto military dictatorship. Under their leadership, Germany secured Russia’s defeat and achieved the largest advance on the Western Front since the early days of the war. However, after the US entered the war on the side of the Allies, Germany's fortunes were sharply reversed after its army was decisively defeated in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive. Following the armistice, Hindenburg stepped down as Chief of Staff, before retiring again in 1919.

In 1925, Hindenburg returned to public life to become the second elected president of the Weimar Republic. Opposed to Hitler and the Nazi Party, Hindenburg nonetheless played a major role in the instability that resulted in their rise to power. After twice dissolving the Reichstag in 1932, Hindenburg agreed in January 1933 to appoint Hitler as chancellor in coalition with the Deutschnationale Volkspartei. In response to the February 1933 Reichstag fire, Hindenburg approved the Reichstag Fire Decree which suspended various civil liberties. He likewise signed the Enabling Act of 1933 which gave the Nazi regime emergency powers. After Hindenburg died the following year, Hitler combined the presidency with the chancellery before declaring himself Führer (lit. 'Leader') of Germany and transforming the country into a totalitarian state.

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