Joseph Goebbels | |
---|---|
Chancellor of Germany | |
In office 30 April 1945 – 1 May 1945 |
|
President | Karl Dönitz |
Preceded by | Adolf Hitler |
Succeeded by | Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk |
Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War | |
In office 23 July 1944 – 30 April 1945 |
|
Chancellor | Adolf Hitler |
Führer |
Adolf Hitler (1934–45) |
Preceded by | none (position established) |
Succeeded by | none (position abolished) |
Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda | |
In office 14 March 1933 – 30 April 1945 |
|
Chancellor | Adolf Hitler |
Führer/ President |
Paul von Hindenburg (1933–34) Adolf Hitler (1934–45) |
Preceded by | none (position established) |
Succeeded by | Werner Naumann |
Gauleiter of Berlin | |
In office 9 November 1926 – 1 May 1945 |
|
Führer | Adolf Hitler |
Preceded by | Ernst Schlange |
Succeeded by | none (position abolished) |
Personal details | |
Born |
Paul Joseph Goebbels 29 October 1897 Rheydt, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Died | 1 May 1945 Berlin, Nazi Germany |
(aged 47)
Political party |
Nazi Party (NSDAP) (1924–1945) |
Spouse(s) | Magda Goebbels (née Ritschel) (m. 1931) |
Children |
|
Alma mater | |
Occupation |
|
Cabinet | Hitler Cabinet |
Signature | |
^ Formally titled "Leading Minister" or "Chief Minister" (Leitenden Minister). |
Paul Joseph Goebbels (German: [ˈpaʊ̯l ˈjoːzəf ˈɡœbl̩s] ( listen); 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. He was one of Adolf Hitler's close associates and most devoted followers, and was known for his skills in public speaking and his deep, virulent antisemitism, which was evident in his publicly voiced views. He advocated progressively harsher discrimination, including the extermination of the Jews in the Holocaust.
Goebbels, who aspired to be an author, obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Heidelberg in 1921. He joined the Nazi Party in 1924, and worked with Gregor Strasser in their northern branch. He was appointed as Gauleiter (district leader) for Berlin in 1926, where he began to take an interest in the use of propaganda to promote the party and its programme. After the Nazi Seizure of Power in 1933, Goebbels' Propaganda Ministry quickly gained and exerted controlling supervision over the news media, arts, and information in Germany. He was particularly adept at using the relatively new media of radio and film for propaganda purposes. Topics for party propaganda included antisemitism, attacks on the Christian churches, and (after the start of the Second World War) attempting to shape morale.