Hindenburg became celebrated during planet War I/Source: Wikimedia Commons/BundesarchivIt can surely be said that today, especially in Poland, Paul von Hindenburg is associated primarily with the function he played in Hitler's coming to power. His planet War I achievements and the fact that for many he was the personification of German imperialism and conservatism are alternatively overlooked, and it was they who decided to become president of the Weimar Republic.
It should be noted that Hindenburg's period of fame came comparatively late for him, for he was only in 1914, erstwhile he was 66 and retired for 3 years. Problems on the east front led the German general staff to decide to appoint him as commander of the 8th Army, which was stationed in East Prussia. Thanks to tactical genius chief of his staff Erich Ludendorff, he managed to rapidly crush Russian armies first in the conflict of Tannenberg and later over the Mazury Lakes. German war propaganda utilized this chance almost perfectly. She created Hindenburg as the 1 who was at the unification of Germany in 1871, and now in an hr of large trial he came to rescue his homeland in distress. This image was intensively exploited by leading him in 1916 to the function of Chief of the General Staff, which he held until 1919.
It became loud again in 1925 when, after the death of Friedrich Ebert, he decided to run for president. However, there were many concerns about his candidacy, his military background was emphasized, which was put on the same level as his monarchist, anti-democratic, and conservative views. Hindenburg in contra to this he promised to abide by the constitution of the Weimar Republic and, ultimately, many may have been surprised, kept his promise. The instability of the interwar period was very well illustrated by the environment by which it was supported – in 1925 by the conservative right hand, and 7 years later by the centreleft. “This, of course, must be seen in a certain context, in the context of who Hindenburg was and what his position in Germany after planet War I was. First, he was a kind of incarnation of the spirit of old Germany, or German of the Vilnius era. It was a golden time for this country and for its citizens, due to the fact that it was a period of fastest development, the top increase in power, specified a circumstantial belief that Germany is simply a nation that is predestined to rule. Of course, all of this ended effectively in 1918. Nevertheless, Hindenburg was not associated with defeat, but with victory. He functioned as individual who denies the story of Germany's defeat, was to any degree the embodiment of a political story that existed after planet War I and active a alleged stabbing in the back. As far as Hindenburg's conservatism is concerned, it was supported primarily by its home environments, or the conservative environment of the right, but not by nationalist colour. These were groups that initially played a rather crucial function in Germany after 1918, but later especially since 1929/30, erstwhile the large Depression came, they fell rapidly due to the fact that the right-wing electorate was taken over by the NSDAP. At this point, Hindenburg became individual about whom 1 could say that he was specified a last line of opposition against Nazism, and that is why he was supported by groups specified as the Centre organization during his second word of office," explains Prof. UAM Dr hab. Paweł Stachowiak.
Interesting in this context is the circumstances in which Hitler was allowed by Hindenburg to power. "The most interesting minute is 1932, erstwhile the Nazis won the election with nearly 40% of the vote and in principle, if Germany were then a parliamentary republic alternatively than a presidential republic, Hitler should automatically become a candidate for Chancellor and form a government. However, the Weimar Republic was a presidential republic, so Hindenburg could refuse to appoint Hitler as Chancellor and so he did. Although NSDAP was the biggest organization in the Reichstag, Hindenburg was to say that he did not appoint this "Czech gefrajtra" Chancellor due to the fact that he would lead Germany to fall and resisted hard for more than six months before all kinds of pressures. He succumbed in 1933, in January, under the force of his political favorite, Franz von Papen, who believed Hitler would be in control. By the way,After Hitler's office was called up and ministers went to curse in, Papen was going to say to his organization companions, “gentlemen, we hired him”. We must besides remember that president Hindenburg's son, Oskar Hindenburg, played an crucial role, whose opinion proved decisive erstwhile making decisions. In addition, in 1933 Paul von Hindenburg was already a human being once, that age, two, that severely ill, began to appear first signs of dementia, which could affect his decision – added Prof. Stachowiak.
Historians frequently emphasize that Hindenburg's character is not unambiguous. On the 1 hand, to which he himself admitted in a confidential letter, he was liable for the course planet War I and Hitler's coming to power, and on the another hand, he was a respected statesman who was able to keep Germany united and, unfortunately, only for a time to prevent the dictatorship of the Nazis.
Adam BRATKA
