page_title: Paul von Hindenburg
section_title: In the Prussian Army
hierarchical_section_title: Paul von Hindenburg / In the Prussian Army
caption_attribution_description: English: Hindenburg as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Garderegiment in 1870
context_page_description: Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg, typically known simply as Paul von Hindenburg, was a German general and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany from 1925 until his death during the Weimar Republic. During his presidency, he played a key role in the Nazi Machtergreifung in January 1933 when, under pressure from advisers, he appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany.
  Paul von Hindenburg was born on 2 October 1847 to a family of minor Prussian nobility in the province of Posen. Upon completing his education as a cadet, he enlisted in the Third Regiment of Foot Guards as a second lieutenant. Hindenburg thereafter saw combat during the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars. In 1873, he was admitted to the prestigious Kriegsakademie in Berlin where he studied for 3 years before being appointed to the Army's General Staff Corps. Later in 1885, he was promoted to the rank of major and became a member of the Great General Staff. Following a five-year teaching stint at the Kriesgsacademie, Hindenburg steadily rose through the army's ranks to become a lieutenant-general by 1900.
caption: Hindenburg as a lieutenant in the 3rd Garderegiment in 1870[clarification needed]
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