Paul von Hindenburg: Germany’s President

Paul von Hindenburg’s presidency is the focus of this documentary about German political history. The episode considers the leader behind the name and his place in the history of Germany’s presidency.

Historical background

Paul von Hindenburg’s military reputation from the First World War helped shape his later political authority in the Weimar Republic. As German president, he operated within a constitutional system increasingly weakened by economic crisis, political violence, and emergency government. His appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor in 1933 was a decisive event. His career illustrates how established elites and institutions could facilitate the destruction of parliamentary democracy.