Despite the limitations placed on it by the Treaty of Versailles, the German army remained a disciplined, influential, and united force. The appointment in January 1928 of retired General Wilhelm Groener to replace German Democratic Party [Deutsche Demokratische Partei or DDP] co-founder Otto Gessler as Minister of Defense signaled the end of political control over the army. Groener quickly established a close and confidential relationship with President Hindenburg, to whom he was able to report directly as opposed to going through the cabinet – one result of the expanded powers the president was steadily claiming for himself.