Event Type: Branch

Takes Place: 12th February 2026

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: Online via Zoom

Description: Plucked from obscurity at the beginning of the First World War, Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) rose to be supreme commander of the armed forces of the Central Powers and, together with Erich Ludendorff, controlled the political as well as military destiny of Germany and its allies. Dodging responsibility for German defeat in 1918, Hindenburg was instrumental in popularising the ‘stab-in-the-back’ myth and was twice elected president of the Weimar Republic as a national unity candidate. Although he surprised many contemporaries during his first term by supporting the republic, he remained ambivalent towards democracy and played a fatal role in the political crisis of 1932-3 by appointing Hitler Chancellor and ushering in the Third Reich. This talk examines the life and career of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg with a particular focus on the fatal role that he played in German politics.

How to book: The Zoom details will be sent nearer the date

Price: Associate membership: £10 per year. Talks free to national HA members and students, visitors £3

Tel: 07988171708

Email: jacobscme@gmail.com

Website: https://www.facebook.com/HistoricalAssociationIW

Organiser: All enquiries to Caroline Jacobs

Lecturer: Dr Colin Storer, FHEA, FRHist Associate Professor in Modern European History, University of Warwick

Region: South-East England

Branch: Isle of Wight