Joseph Goebbels

Lore & Background

Goebbels was born in Rheydt to Catholic parents of modest background. He had a deformed right foot from a congenital disorder or bone infection, which caused a limp and led to his rejection for military service in World War I. He excelled in school, earning his Abitur in 1917, and studied literature and history at several universities, obtaining a doctorate in philology from the University of Heidelberg in 1922. He aspired to be an author, writing a semi-autobiographical novel and several plays, but struggled financially before joining the Nazi Party in 1924.

He worked with Gregor Strasser in the party's northern branch and was appointed Gauleiter of Berlin in 1926, where he began focusing on propaganda. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, his Propaganda Ministry controlled news, media, arts, and information flow. He used radio and film effectively for propaganda, targeting antisemitism, attacks on Christian churches, and wartime morale. In 1943 he pushed for total war measures, and Hitler appointed him Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War on 23 July 1944, though his efforts were largely unsuccessful.

As the war ended, Goebbels and his family joined Hitler in Berlin. After Hitler's suicide on 30 April 1945, Goebbels succeeded him as Chancellor for one day. On 1 May 1945, he and his wife Magda committed suicide after poisoning their six children with a cyanide compound.

Reader's Guide

Joseph Goebbels is significant as the mastermind of Nazi propaganda, shaping public opinion in Germany through control of media, radio, and film. His extreme antisemitism and advocacy for the Holocaust made him a central figure in the regime's crimes. His push for total war in 1943-1944 reflected his fanatical commitment to the Nazi cause even as defeat loomed. His legacy is that of a highly effective propagandist whose techniques influenced modern political communication, but his actions are inextricably linked to the atrocities of the Nazi regime. His brief tenure as Chancellor and his family's suicide underscore the regime's catastrophic end.

Did You Know?

• Goebbels obtained a doctorate in philology from the University of Heidelberg in 1922.
• He had a deformed right foot due to a congenital disorder or bone infection and walked with a limp.
• He served as Chancellor of Germany for one day after Hitler's suicide.
• Goebbels and his wife poisoned their six children before committing suicide.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"In 1945, after the defeat of Germany in World War II became inevitable, he killed himself in the Führerbunker, shortly after Adolf Hitler." — Joseph Goebbels "Communism. Jewry. I am a German Communist." — Joseph Goebbels "The social is a stopgap. Socialism is the ideology of the future." — Joseph Goebbels "You and I, we are fighting each other but we are not really enemies. By doing so we are dividing our strength, and we shall never reach our goal.

Maybe the final extremity will bring us together. Maybe." — Joseph Goebbels