Paul von Hindenburg was a private man.
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known generally as Paul von Hindenburg ( [ ˈpaʊl fɔn ˈhɪndn̩bʊɐ̯k ] ; 2 October 1847 -- 2 August 1934 ) was a German military officer , statesman , and politician who largely controlled German policy in the second half of World War I and served as the elected President of Germany from 1925 until his death in 1934 . As Germany 's Chief of the General Staff from August 1916 , Hindenburg 's reputation rose greatly in German public esteem . He and his deputy Erich Ludendorff then led Germany in a de facto military dictatorship throughout the remainder of the war , marginalizing German Emperor Wilhelm II as well as the German Reichstag ( Parliament . ) He became a second lieutenant in the Third Regiment of Foot Guards . A private is a soldier of the lowest military rank ( equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in ) .