Stock Photo - German President Paul von Hindenburg and Chancellor Adolf Hitler, c1933-c1934. A national hero for his victory over the Russians at Tannenberg early in World War I, Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) served as Germany's president from 1925 until his death. Although initially oposed to the idea, Hindenburg was eventually persuaded to appoint Hitler (1889-1947) Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933. Hitler had come second to Hindenburg in the 1932 German presidential election. A print from Adolf Hitler. Bilder aus dem Leben des Führers, Hamburg: Cigaretten/Bilderdienst Hamburg/Bahrenfeld, 1936.