HomeNationsGermanyHeads of StateHindenburg, Paul von
Hindenburg, Paul von

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

b. 2 Oct 1847, Posen, Prussia
d. 2 Aug 1934, Neudeck, German Reich

Title: Reichspräsident (Reich President)
Term: 12 May 1925 - 2 Aug 1934
Chronology: 5 May 1925, the election to the office of Reich President is declared upon counting the votes (cast 26 Apr 1925), meeting of the Reich Electoral Committee (Reichswahlausschuss) of 5 May 1925 (Deutscher Reichsanzeiger und Preußischer Staatsanzeiger, No. 105, 6 May 1925, p. 1)
  11 May 1925, the validity of the election held on 26 Apr 1925 is confirmed at the session of the Electoral Court (Wahlprüfungsgericht) of 8 May 1925 and proclaimed by a public announcement made by the Reich Minister of the Interior on 9 May 1925 (Deutscher Reichsanzeiger und Preußischer Staatsanzeiger, No. 109, 11 May 1925, p. 1)
  12 May 1925, took oath of office, session of the Reichstag, Reichstagsgebäude, Berlin (Verhandlungen des Reichstags. III. Wahlperiode 1924. Band 385. Stenographische Berichte: von der 37. Sitzung am 18. März 1925 bis zur 70. Sitzung am 10. Juni 1925. Berlin: Druck und Verlag der Reichsdruckerei, 1925, p. 1721)
  23 Apr 1932, the election to the office of Reich President is declared upon counting the votes (cast 10 Apr 1932), meeting of the Reich Electoral Committee (Reichswahlausschuss) of 23 Apr 1932 (Deutscher Reichsanzeiger und Preußischer Staatsanzeiger, No. 96, 25 Apr 1932, p. 1)
  4 May 1932, the validity of the election held on 10 Apr 1932 is confirmed at the session of the Electoral Court (Wahlprüfungsgericht) of 3 May 1932 and proclaimed by a public announcement made by the Reich Minister of the Interior on 4 May 1932 (Deutscher Reichsanzeiger und Preußischer Staatsanzeiger, No. 104, 4 May 1932, p. 1)
  2 Aug 1934, died
Biography:

Born in the family of a Prussian military officer and landowner, Hindenburg also chose a military career and graduated from cadet school in 1866. He participated in the wars with Austria and France and rose in rank until he became general in 1911 and retired. Three weeks after the beginning of World War I, Hindenburg was called back into service and took over as commander in chief of the 8th German army involved in military actions against the Russian troops. He was promoted to colonel-general (27 Aug 1914). On 1 Nov 1914, Hindenburg was appointed commander in chief of the German armies in the eastern front and promoted to field marshal (27 Nov 1914). After major victories over Russians, Emperor Wilhelm II agreed to appoint Hindenburg as commander of all German armies in 1916. After the November revolution in 1918, Hindenburg and the army swore an oath of allegiance to the government of Friedrich Ebert, but he retired again in June 1919. Hindenburg did not play any role in German politics until 1925, when he was convinced by nationalist politicians to run for president at the elections held after the death of Ebert. Although a supporter of monarchy, Hindenburg made no attempts to return to the old regime, but he imposed authoritarian style of governing. When his governments faced the Great Depression, which deeply struck Germany, he provided the Reich government with additional powers including a right to dissolve the Reichstag. The political crisis followed in 1930 and resulted in the Reichstag's dissolution. The new parliament proved to be even less cooperative than its predecessor and Hindenburg introduced the system of presidential cabinets (Präsidialkabinett) governing without party support in Reichstag, where National Socialists became the second largest party. In early 1932, the political crisis and the advanced age of Hindenburg, who was 83, provided the Reich chancellor Heinrich Brüning with an excuse to propose the extension of presidential term without elections, but the Reichstag declined the proposal. At the elections in March/April 1932, Hindenburg won over the National Socialist candidate Adolf Hitler with the support of the Catholic Centre Party and the Social Democrats. However, the short-lived governments of Franz von Papen (1 Jun 1932 - 3 Dec 1932) and Kurt von Schleicher (3 Dec 1932 - 30 Jan 1933) were unable to prevent the advancement of the Nazis, who received 230 seats in the Reichstag elected in July 1932 and became a major political force in Germany. In the fall of 1932, the Nazis lost more than 30 seats, but Papen and Hitler agreed on forming a government. After futile attempts to receive parliamentary approval for the new cabinet, Hindenburg dismissed Schleicher and appointed Hitler Reich Chancellor (30 Jan 1933). Through terror and manipulations Hitler and his party assumed full control over the country and forced dissolution of political parties. Hindenburg supported the destruction of the Weimar republic remaining a figurehead in the early Nazi Germany. On 1 Aug 1934 the Hitler's government decreed that the offices of Reich President and Reich Chancellor would be merged upon Hindenburg's death, which followed the next day. Sources: Maser, Werner. Hindenburg. Eine politische Biographie. Rastatt: Moewig, 1989.

Elections:

Candidate (party) Popular vote (1st round: 29 Mar 1925)
registered voters 38,846,897
returned ballots 368,335
invalid votes 150,640
valid votes 26,866,103
Otto Braun (Social Democratic) 7,802,496
Heinrich Held (Bavarian People's Party) 1,007,450
Willy Hellpach (Democratic) 1,568,398
Karl Jarres (People's Party) 10,416,655
Erich Ludwig Ludendorff (populist) 285,793
Wilhelm Marx (Centre Party [Catholic]) 3,887,734
Ernst Thälmann (Communist) 1,871,815
scattered 25,762
   
Candidate (party) Popular vote (2nd round: 26 Apr 1925)
registered voters 38,928,957
returned ballots 493,704
invalid votes 216,051
valid votes 30,351,948
Paul von Hindenburg (Reichsblock) 14,655,766 (48.3%)
Wilhelm Marx (Centre Party [Catholic]) 13,751,615 (45.3%)
Ernst Thälmann (Communist) 1,931,151 (6.4%)
scattered 13,416 (0.04%)
   
Candidate (party) Popular vote (1st round: 13 Mar 1932)
registered voters 43,949,681
valid votes 37,648,317
Theodor Duesterberg (Stahlhelm) 2,557,729 (6.8%)
Paul von Hindenburg 18,651,497 (49.6%)
Adolf Hitler (National Socialist - NSDAP) 11,339,446 (30.1%)
Ernst Thälmann (Communist) 4,983,341 (13.2%)
Gustav Winter (Inflation-damaged) 111,423 (0.3%)
scattered 4,881 (0.0%)
   
Candidate (party) Popular vote (2nd round: 10 Apr 1932)
registered voters 43,386,757
returned ballots 659,809
invalid votes 280,926
valid votes 36,489,811
Paul von Hindenburg 19,359,633 (53.0%)
Adolf Hitler (National Socialist - NSDAP) 13,418,051 (36.8%)
Ernst Thälmann (Communist) 3,706,655 (10.2%)
scattered 5,472 (0.0%)
Information source (officially approved results): Deutscher Reichsanzeiger und Preußischer Staatsanzeiger, No. 84, 9 Apr 1925, p. 1; Deutscher Reichsanzeiger und Preußischer Staatsanzeiger, No. 105, 6 May 1925, p. 1; Deutscher Reichsanzeiger und Preußischer Staatsanzeiger, No. 96, 25 Apr 1932, p. 1; (statistics): Statistisches Jahrbuch für das Deutsche Reich : Herausgegeben vom Statistischen Reichsamt : Einundfünfzigster Jahrgang 1932. Berlin: Reimar Hobbing, 1932, pp. 546-547.