Joseph Goebbels

Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) was Adolf Hitler's Propaganda Minister (see Propagandaministerium) in Nazi Germany. Following Hitler's death he served as Chancellor for one day, approved the murder of his six children and committed suicide.

Early life

Goebbels was born to accountant Friedrich Goebbels and his wife Marian (née Oldenhausen) in Rheydt (now Mönchengladbach), a Catholic area in the Rhineland. A botched operation during his childhood resulted in a club foot which caused him to be rejected when he volunteered for military service at the beginning of World War I (he wore a metal brace on his leg for most of his life). After earning a Ph.D. from the University of Heidelberg in 1921 he worked as a journalist and tried for several years to become a published author (his work included a novel called Michael). Joining the Nazi Party in 1924 (although he later claimed to have joined in 1922), Goebbels initially opposed Hitler's leadership but later supported him. His diary shows many instances of great admiration for Hitler.

Related Topics:
Rheydt - Mönchengladbach - Rhineland - Club foot - World War I - Ph.D. - University of Heidelberg - 1921 - Journalist - Novel - Nazi Party - 1924 - 1922

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In December 1931, after a stormy courtship, he married divorcee Magda Quandt whose son Harald (from her previous marriage to an industrialist) accompanied them beneath the raised arms of an SS honour guard (Harald, who served as a non-com in the Luftwaffe, was the only one of Magda's seven children to survive World War II). By most accounts Magda had been strongly attracted to Hitler, who was the principal witness at the ceremony.

Related Topics:
1931 - Magda Quandt - Harald - SS - Luftwaffe - World War II

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