Paul von Hindenburg

Paul von Hindenburg (full name Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg) (October 2, 1847 – August 2, 1934) was a German Field Marshal and statesman. An important figure during World War I, he also served as President of Germany from 1925-1934. The zeppelin Hindenburg was named in his honor (see Hindenburg disaster).

German army

Hindenburg was born in what was then Posen (now Pozna?, Poland), located in the Kingdom of Prussia, as the son of the Prussian aristocrat Robert von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg and his wife Luise (born Schwickart). After his education at the Wahlstatt and Berlin cadet schools, he fought at the 1866 Battle of Königgrätz and in the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War. In 1903, he gained promotion to the rank of general. During his time in the German Army, Hindenburg was regarded by his superiors as an imposing, but mediocre officer. He was not charismatic, but he did possess an ablility to impress people.

Related Topics:
Pozna? - Poland - Kingdom of Prussia - Prussia - Wahlstatt - Berlin - 1866 - Battle of Königgrätz - 1870 - 1871 - Franco-Prussian War - 1903 - General - German Army

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He retired from the army in 1911, but returned on the outbreak of World War I. He was called to service to command the armies in East Prussia essentially to serve as a Junker frontman for his Chief of Staff, the middle class officer Erich Ludendorff. Ludendorff was the real brains and the dominant personality behind the Hindenburg-Ludendorff partnership. However for propaganda purposes, the German government choose to present Hindenburg as a military genius.

Related Topics:
1911 - World War I - East Prussia - Erich Ludendorff - Propaganda

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Hindenburg was victorious in the Battle of Tannenberg (1914) and the 1915 Battle of the Masurian Lakes against the Russian army. Much of the credit for these victories belongs to Colonel Max Hoffmann, who recognized the significance of the breakdown in the security of the Russian Army's radio communications. Enough information was sent in a simple and quickly-cracked block code that the German Army in the area, under Ludendorff and Hindenburg, knew where the Russians would be and when. The result was Germany's greatest First World War victory with two Russian armies destroyed.

Related Topics:
Battle of Tannenberg (1914) - 1915 - Battle of the Masurian Lakes - Russia - Max Hoffmann - Block code

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In November 1914, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal and given the position of "supreme commander east". Through Hindenburg was only average in terms of military ability, he had a team of talented and able subordinates who won him a series of great victories on the Eastern Front between 1914-1916. These victories transformed Hindenburg into Germany's most popular man. During the war, Hindenburg was the subject of a enormous personality cult. He was seen as the perfect embodiment of German manly honor, rectitude, decency and strength. The appeal of the Hindenburg cult cut across ideological, religious, class and regional lines, but the group that idolized Hindenburg the most were the German right who saw him as a ideal representative of the Prussian ethos and of Lutheran, Junker values. During the war, there were wooden statues of Hindenburg built all over Germany into which people nailed money and cheques for war bonds. It was measure of Hindenburg's public appeal that when the Government launched an all-out program of industrial mobilization in 1916, the program was named the Hindenburg Program. Before 1914, any such program would have borne the name the Kaiser Wilhelm Program.

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In 1916 he became Chief of the General Staff, although real power was exercised by his deputy, Erich Ludendorff. From 1916 onwards, Germany became a unofficial military dictatorship, often called the "Silent dictatorship" by historians. In September 1918, Ludendorff advised seeking a armistice with the Allies, but in October, changed his mind and resigned in protest. Ludendorff was succeeded by Wilhelm Groener, an able staff officer who served as Hindenburg's loyal assistent until 1932. In November 1918, Hindenburg and Groener played a decisive role in persuading the Kaiser Wilhelm II to abdicate for the greater good of Germany. Hindenburg who was an firm monarchist throughout his life, always regarded this episode of his life with considerable embarrassment, and almost from the moment the Kaiser abdicated, Hindenburg insisted that he played no role in the abdication and assigned all of the blame to Groener. Groener for his part loyally went along with Hindenburg's lies in order to protect the reputation of his chief.

Related Topics:
1916 - Chief of the General Staff - Erich Ludendorff - Wilhelm Groener - Wilhelm II

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