Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) was a German politician and philologist who served as Gauleiter of Berlin, chief propagandist of the Nazi Party and Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. One of Adolf Hitler's closest followers, he was known for his public speaking skills and his open antisemitism, and he advocated increasingly harsh discrimination, including the extermination of Jews and other groups in the Holocaust. He died one day after succeeding Hitler as Chancellor of Germany.
Early life and education
Born in Rheydt in 1897 to a modest Catholic family, Goebbels suffered from childhood illness and a deformed right foot, which kept him out of military service in the First World War. He studied literature and history at several German universities and earned a doctorate in philology from Heidelberg in 1922. Hoping to become a published author, he struggled financially and worked as a tutor, journalist and bank clerk, while his writing increasingly reflected antisemitism and hostility toward modern culture.
Rise and propaganda work
Goebbels joined the Nazi Party in 1924 and was appointed Gauleiter of Berlin in 1926, where he developed his interest in propaganda as a means of promoting the party. After the Nazis took power in 1933, his Propaganda Ministry gained control over the news, media, arts and flow of information in Germany. He was especially effective in using radio and film, and party propaganda focused on antisemitism, attacks on Christian churches and, after 1939, efforts to shape troop and civilian morale.
Total war and death
In 1943 Goebbels pressed Hitler to adopt measures for total war, and in July 1944 Hitler appointed him Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War, a role in which his efforts to expand the workforce for armaments and the army were largely unsuccessful. As Germany faced defeat in 1945, Goebbels moved with his family into Hitler's bunker in Berlin. After Hitler's suicide, Goebbels briefly served as Chancellor, then killed his six children and himself with his wife Magda on 1 May 1945.
