President Hindenburg Lives Longer?

[GlobalHumanism]

President Hindenburg's death in 1934 basically opened the gate for Hitler to orgistrate the fusion of his position as Chancellor with the then vacant Presidency, into the Furher-dictator position.

So what if Hindenburg lived longer (5-10 more years) and remained politically active.

How would this effect Hitler's ambitions? And the future of Germany?

 

[chris N]

If President Hindenburg lived another 5-10 years longer then Hitler would never have gained the power that he did. It is even possible that he might have brought back the monarchy thus totally checking Hitler.

 

[Indicus]

If President Hindenburg lived another 5-10 years longer then Hitler would never have gained the power that he did. It is even possible that he might have brought back the monarchy thus totally checking Hitler.

You are right that Hitler would have never gotten his OTL power, but there is no way Hindenburg would bring back the monarchy as that would result in a Second German Revolution.

Once Hindenburg realizes the power of Hitler, he would repeal (or attempt to repeal) the Enabling Act, call for an election, and he would either appoint a lesser Nazi or a member of another party as chancellor.

 

[Byzantion]

President Hindenburg's death in 1934 basically opened the gate for Hitler to orgistrate the fusion of his position as Chancellor with the then vacant Presidency, into the Furher-dictator position.

So what if Hindenburg lived longer (5-10 more years) and remained politically active.

How would this effect Hitler's ambitions? And the future of Germany?

Hindenburg already was 87 when he died. He would have been close to hundred if he lived another 10 years. It is more than questionable that he still could have been able to be Reichspresident at that age.

 

[Cymraeg]

Hindenburg already was 87 when he died. He would have been close to hundred if he lived another 10 years. It is more than questionable that he still could have been able to be Reichspresident at that age.

Plus he was increasingly ga-ga in his last years. There's footage somewhere of him talking to a bunch of awed but bewildered kids during one of the presidential elections of 1932.

 

[jpj1421]

Wouldn't he just "die of old age" if he didn't die of old age on his own?

 

[zoomar]

He was very old and losing it. Had he lived another 10 years, he would be hopelessly senile and might end up in a concentration camp with a lot of the other conservative nationalists who thought they could "control Hitler". Hitler hated these people almost as much as he hated Socialists.

 

[avernite]

He was very old and losing it. Had he lived another 10 years, he would be hopelessly senile and might end up in a concentration camp with a lot of the other conservative nationalists who thought they could "control Hitler". Hitler hated these people almost as much as he hated Socialists.

WOuldn't the smart way be to keep senile-Hindenburg as nominal backup? "The Great Hero supports the Führer/Chancellor" is a good selling point internally, even if people think maybe the great hero is slowly losing it.

 

[Brundlefly]

Once Hindenburg realizes the power of Hitler, he would repeal (or attempt to repeal) the Enabling Act, call for an election, and he would either appoint a lesser Nazi or a member of another party as chancellor.

He didn't make that move after the Enabling Act, why would he have done so a few years later? After all, the appointment of Hitler as chancellor was made, because he thought that the alternative - a Hugenberg-von Papen led government - might provoke a civil war. Hindenburg was already senile and very much a puppet of his advisors. And they would all have been fine with Hitler's foreign policy until 1943.

He was very old and losing it. Had he lived another 10 years, he would be hopelessly senile and might end up in a concentration camp with a lot of the other conservative nationalists who thought they could "control Hitler". Hitler hated these people almost as much as he hated Socialists.

That doesn't mean that he'd have necessarily ended up in a camp, though. Some of those conservative nationalists were killed (like Bose and Jung), while others had no problems worming their way into the NS system (like von Papen and most of the aristocratic elite in the army).

 

[zoomar]

WOuldn't the smart way be to keep senile-Hindenburg as nominal backup? "The Great Hero supports the Führer/Chancellor" is a good selling point internally, even if people think maybe the great hero is slowly losing it.

It might be smart, but that's not really the way the Nazis thought. Hitler wanted no independent sources of political power in Germany, Left or Right. They eliminated the nationalist and conservative parties that helped give them legitimacy initially almost as soon as they could. Even a compliant and senile Hindenburg would probably be seen as a potential competitor for public or army loyalty. As others have said, he would probably "die of old age" and buried as a hero of the Reich.

 

[MonaroLS]

Hindenburg Lives

If Hindenburg lives, doesn't that negate the "Führer Oath" that was instilled on the armed forces. Therefore the armed forces are loyal to Germany, not Hitler.

 

[Admiral Halsey]

Didn't Hitler like Hindenburg?

 

[zoomar]

If Hindenburg lives, doesn't that negate the "Führer Oath" that was instilled on the armed forces. Therefore the armed forces are loyal to Germany, not Hitler.

Yup. Which is why the Great Hero of the Reich would "die peacefully in his bed to the sorrow of all Germany" shortly after Hitler's assumption of power whether he was ready or not.