Paul Joseph Goebbels ( Rheydt , 29 of October of 1897 - Berlin , 1 of maypole of 1945 ) was a politician German who served as Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda of the Third Reich between 1933 and 1945. One of the closest collaborators Of Adolf Hitler , 1 Goebbels was known for his mastery of oratory , 2 profound anti-Semitism 3 -which was evident in his public statements- and for his support for a more progressive and cruel racial discrimination - which, among other things, would end up giving Place to the extermination of the Jews during the call Holocausto -. 4
He obtained his doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Heidelberg in 1921, 5 6 but his dream was to be a writer, something he wrote many times in his personal diary . 7 He joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) in 1924 in August and worked for Gregor Strasser in northern chapter. 9 He was named Gauleiter (district chief) of Berlin in 1926, 10 where he began to take an interest in propaganda as a tool for promoting the party and its program. 11 In 1933, after the Nazis were consolidated in power , their Propaganda ministry quickly seized the supervision of the media, arts and information in the country. 12 He was attracted to the relatively new media, such as radio and film , for propaganda purposes. 13 The issues of dissemination included anti-Semitism, 14 clashes with Christian churches, 15 and -after the onset of World War II -conforming German morality. 16
In 1943, he pressed Hitler to introduce measures aimed at a ” total war “, such as the closure of “non-essential” business for the war effort, the recruitment of women into the labor force and men into previously exempt occupations. Wehrmacht . 17 On 23 July 1944, Hitler named him “Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War” ( Reichsbevollmächtigten für den totalen Kriegseinsatz ), by which Goebbels undertook measures, mostly unsuccessful, to increase the number of people available for the Wehrmacht and Production of armaments. He gave an eloquent speech on total warfare at the Berlin Sports Palace , just as the initial successes of the Third Reich during World War II gave way to successive defeats that led to the fall of the regime. 19
As the war came to an end and Germany faced defeat, he and his wife Magda and their children moved to Berlin. On April 22, 1945 they moved to the underground Vorbunker, part of the Führer’s air raid shelter . 20 Hitler committed suicide on April 30 and, according to his will, Goebbels succeeded him as chancellor of Germany . 21 The next day, before the imminent German defeat, he committed suicide with his wife 22 after poisoning his six children. 2. 3
His political opponents considered him a feared demagogue and agitator masses. 24 This reputation began after the refoundation of the NSDAP when Goebbels organized riots and street fighting against the communists in Berlin. 25 The use of vivid speeches and violent public demonstrations succeeded in increasing the number of party supporters, 24 26 but the researcher Helmut Heiber discredits Goebbels’ methods and occurrences and casts doubt on his leadership on the political and social scene. 27 His impact on cultural life was considerable, since with his ministry he built or destroyed the artistic careers of many Germans. 28 The people who had personal contact with him said that he had an unfriendly and irresolute character, although obstinate to receive the respect of his colleagues. 29 The historian Peter Longerich , author of Goebbels. Biographie (2010) questions his intimate friendship with Hitler and asserts that he is an overvalued figure - for his importance in the bosom of the Nazi regime was minor because they did not take it into account in some of the major decisions - and that he was not “Great propagandist who dominates the masses” who appeared. 1 According to Longerich, Goebbels suffered from “a narcissistic personality disorder ” which made him addictly seek praise and recognition, which would explain his “absolute devotion to Hitler, his obsession with his own image and the fact that he passed a considerable part of Time in long battles against its competitors in Hitler’s environment. ” 1 Goebbels was one of the main instigators of anti - Semitic acts 30 31 and one of the few Nazi leaders to publicly mention the Jewish genocide. 32