Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) was a Prussian officer who served in the Austro‑Prussian and Franco‑Prussian wars before retiring in 1911. Recalled to service in 1914, he achieved near‑mythic status after the Battle of Tannenberg, where, alongside Erich Ludendorff, he oversaw the destruction of Russia’s Second Army. The victory cemented his reputation as Germany’s preeminent wartime commander.

Elevated to lead the Third Supreme Army Command (OHL) in 1916, Hindenburg presided over a total war strategy: the Hindenburg Programme to mobilize industry, and the construction of the fortified Hindenburg Line on the Western Front. Despite these measures, Germany’s position deteriorated in 1918, and the empire collapsed amid military exhaustion and domestic upheaval.

After the war, Hindenburg supported the Dolchstoßlegende—the “stab‑in‑the‑back” myth—claiming the army was undefeated in the field but undermined by civilians and politicians. Retiring to private life, he remained a towering symbol to conservative and nationalist Germans, which set the stage for his reemergence in politics.

In 1925, Hindenburg was elected Reichspräsident of the Weimar Republic as a unifying, non‑partisan figure. Governing in a period of crisis, he increasingly relied on Article 48 emergency decrees and appointed a succession of chancellors—Heinrich Brüning, Franz von Papen, and Kurt von Schleicher—seeking stability while bypassing a fragmented parliament.

Amid deadlock and elite intrigue, Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor on January 30, 1933, believing conservative control could restrain him. Instead, the Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act dismantled Weimar constitutionalism. Hindenburg died in 1934; his passing allowed Hitler to merge the presidency and chancellorship, consolidating dictatorial power.

Legacy

• Lauded as a national hero of World War I for Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes.
• Associated with the Hindenburg Line and wartime mobilization policies.
• As president, his reliance on emergency rule weakened parliamentary norms.
• His appointment of Hitler remains one of the most consequential and controversial decisions in modern history.