Paul Von Hindenburg

Paul Von Hindenburg

Greetings my fellow comrades,

My name is Paul Von Hindenburg and I was born on October 2, 1847 at Posen, Prussia. I was born into a rich aristocratic German family. The name of my mother and father were Robert von Benecendorff und von Hindenburg and Luise schwickard. Even though I loved my mother dearly, she embarrassment to our family name. She was not part of the aristocracy so I did not mention her much in my memoirs. After a few years, I was sent to school to be a soldier and fight for Prussia at that time. Also I was a part of the war against Austria in 1886 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Prussian was successful in defeating France and gained Alsace-Lorraine. We knew that France was burning with rage and wanted revenge. After many years in the military, I was appointed lieutenant general in 1900. In 1911, I decided to retire from military service due to my old age. I had thought my life would calm and free from any government influence. After the start of World War I, the German army asked me to command the army against the Russians on the eastern side. Even though I was 67 at the time, I accepted the offer and led my troops to victory in the Battles of Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes. Also in 1916, I was appointed to chief commander of the German armies. I received great acclaim for defending the Hindenburg line on the western front in 1917. My defensive line stopped the allied forces from advancing into Germany. Nationalism was a large factor within the German people that kept my spirits up. German industrial workers increased as the need for more armaments were demanded. One thing that astounded me was that more women were working in the factories. They were taking over jobs of missing men that signed up to fight for their country. The German army was crushed and we had no other choice but to surrender to the allies. I decided to retire from my military position because of my old age in 1919. As I lived my life as a retired commander of the great German army, I was elected as president of the German Republic in 1925. Of course I accepted the offer because of my desire to bring Germany back to its feet. I aimed to reconcile with the western countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and Italy. My term as president of Germany was renewed by a re-election as president in 1932. I decisively defeated Adolf Hitler from becoming a dictator of Germany. I virtually controlled the government with Erich Ludendorff and ruled like military dictators. Economic conditions in Germany were worsened by the outcome of the war. We needed to accept the Treaty of Versailles and take the blame for starting the war. Germany was falling into darkness as the reparations demanded impossible amounts to pay. I eventually gave the position of chancellor of Germany to Adolf Hitler. After he took control of the government, I perished on August 2, 1934.