As he continued in the presidency, the very men who helped put von Hindenburg in that office disassociate ed themselves from him, while the great masses of the people as well as the republican parties claimed him as their own. That turn of events resulted because the nationalists, who promoted his candidacy, had regarded von Hindenburg merely as a precursor of another monarchy.
The conflict between the president and his former political friends became an {rreconellable one in, 1929, when the nationalists started the Dlebiseite demand in an attempt to defeat the Young Plan of reparations. What particularly irritated the aged President was that the plebiscite proposal was almed chiefly at the polloies of the late, foreign minister, Herr Gustav Stresemann, who died only a few weeks before the vote on the plebiscite.
'Von Hindenburg had supported the Foreign Minister's policies and had taken a great fancy to him. He let the nation know in no uncertain terms that he was against the plebiscite demand and showed his feeling for Stresemann' by insisting upon walking behind the hearse at the Foreign Minister's funeral.
William 1 as Model to defeat the Young Plan, the' plebiscite Bill needed a favourable' Vote of 21,000,000, but the general apathy to the poll was indicated by'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.