Historical Figures Codexery

Joseph Goebbels

Nazi propagandist and Reich Minister of Propaganda.

Paul Joseph Goebbels was born on 29 October 1897 in Rheydt, Germany, to Catholic parents of modest means.[1] He had a deformed right foot and walked with a limp, which led to his rejection for military service in World War I.[2][3] Goebbels successfully defended his doctoral dissertation and was awarded his PhD on 21 April 1922.[4] He later became the head of the newly created Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in March 1933, after Hitler appointed him to the cabinet.[5]

Quick Facts

Order
Chancellor of Germany
President
Karl Dönitz
Took office
30 April 1945
Left office
1 May 1945
Predecessor
Adolf Hitler
Successor
Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk (as Leading Minister)ch, 1

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Goebbels studied literature and history at several universities, completing his Abitur in 1917 as the top student of his class.[6] He wrote a doctoral thesis on the dramatist Wilhelm von Schütz, receiving his PhD on 21 April 1922.[7][4] After university, he worked as a private tutor, journalist, and bank clerk while trying to become a published author.[8][9] Goebbels founded the newspaper Der Angriff in 1927 and used provocative tactics, including violence, to gain attention for the party.[10][11]

He was appointed Reich leader of Nazi Party propaganda in 1930 and organized massive campaigns for the 1932 elections.[12][13] In March 1933, Goebbels became head of the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, centralizing Nazi control over culture and media.[5][3] He controlled radio, film, and press, requiring journalists to prove Aryan descent and censoring books and performances.[14][15][16] Attracted by Hitler's personal magnetism and dedication to his principles, Goebbels became a member of the Nazi Party around 1924, receiving membership number 8762.[17]

In August 1926 he was first offered the position of party Gauleiter for Berlin, and after travelling there in mid-September, he accepted the role by the middle of October.[3]

What the cited sources add

Life magazine wrote in 1938 that Goebbels "personally he likes nobody, is liked by nobody, and runs the most efficient Nazi department"[18] In 1940, John Gunther described Goebbels as "the cleverest of all the Nazis" but noted that he could never take over from Hitler because "everybody hates him".[18]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Reuth 1994, p. 6; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Hull 1969, p. 149; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shirer 1960, p. 124; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reuth 1994, p. 6; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Gunther 1940, p. 66 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Evans 2003, p. 204; Evans 2003, p. 204; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Evans 2005, p. 27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Reuth 1994, p. 6; Longerich 2015, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5; Gunther 1940, p. 66 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Kershaw 2008, p. 127–131; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Longerich 2015, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Miller Schulz 2012, p. 290; Kershaw 2008, p. 127–131; Longerich 2015, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5; Thacker 2010, p. 94; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  15. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Evans 2005, p. 27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  16. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  17. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5; Kershaw 2008, p. 127–131; Kershaw 2008, p. 127–131; Bullock 1962, p. 121; Longerich 2015, p. 5; Manvell Fraenkel 2010, p. 2, 299 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  18. Wikipedia, "Joseph Goebbels" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Longerich 2015, p. 5; LIFE Magazine 1938; Gunther 1940, p. 66 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Joseph Goebbels (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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