Joseph Goebbels Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (October 29, 1897–May 1, 1945) was Adolf Hitler's Propaganda Minister (see Propagandaministerium) in Nazi Germany. He came from a Catholic family, like many of the Nazi leaders. He was a prominent figure of the regime, known for his great rhetorical skills.
He was born to the accountant Friedrich Goebbels and his wife Marian (née Oldenhausen) in Rheydt, a Catholic area in the Rhineland. Because of a club foot he was rejected when he volunteered for military service at the beginning of World War I. Joining the Nazi Party in 1922, he initially opposed Hitler's leadership, but later changed sides to support him. His diary shows many instances of great admiration for Hitler, which some would classify as devotion.
He played a large role in helping the Nazis achieve and retain power by creating propaganda to present the Nazi ideology to the German people in a favourable light. He was also a committed anti-Semite, being involved with Kristallnacht in 1938, and later connected with the Nazi Final Solution, especially the deportation of Jews from Berlin.
During the final stages of the war, before his suicide, Hitler appointed Goebbels Chancellor of Germany in his will (with Karl Dönitz as President - the Führer title was not granted in the will). His government, which only ended up lasting a few hours, was not recognised by the Allied powers. But, shortly after Hitler had commited suicide, Goebbels added those lines to the "Politic Testament" of his beloved "Führer":
- Der Führer hat mir den Befehl gegeben, im Falle des Zusammenbruchs der Verteidigung der Reichshauptstadt Berlin zu verlassen und als führendes Mitglied an einer von ihm ernannten Regierung teilzunehmen. Zum erstenmal in meinem Leben muß ich mich kategorisch weigern, einem Befehl des Führers Folge zu leisten. Meine Frau und meine Kinder schließen sich dieser Weigerung an. Im anderen Falle würde ich mir selbst (...) für mein ganzes ferneres Leben als ein ehrloser Abtrünnling und gemeiner Schuft vorkommen, der mit der Achtung vor sich selbst auch die Achtung seines Volkes verlöre, die die Voraussetzung eines weiteren Dienstes meiner Person an der Zukunftsgestaltung der Deutschen Nation und des Deutschen Reiches bilden müßte.
- The Führer commanded me to leave Berlin and to participate at a new government, if the Capital of the Reich was defeated. The first time in my life I must strictly disobey a command of the Führer. My wife and my children accept that. In any other case I would become a criminal for my entire life. A criminal without any honour who lost his self-confidence and the confidence of his people, which would be absolutely necessary for me to be able to participate in the design of the future of the German nation and the German Reich.
- Helga Susanne (born, Sep 1 1932 † 12)
- Hildegard (Hilde) Traudel (born Apr 13, 1934 † 11)
- Hellmut Christian (born Oct 2 1935 † 9)
- Hedwig (Hedda) Johanna (born Feb 19, 1937 † 8)
- Holdine (Holde) Kathrin (born May 1, 1938 † 7) and
- Heidrun (Heide) Elisabeth (born Oct 20, 1940 † 4)
Goebbels in popular culture
In popular culture Goebbels is seen as the personification of misleading, harmful propaganda.External link
| Preceded by: Adolf Hitler | Chancellor of Germany 1945 | Succeeded by: Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk |
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