Joseph Goebbels
(Rheydt, Germany, 1897-Berlin, 1945) German politician.The son of a wealthy Catholic family, he received a careful education and was soon noted for his brilliant intelligence.A physical defect in the legs exempted him from joining the ranks in the First World War.In 1921 he graduated in Germanic philology from the University of Heidelberg and tried to live as a writer and journalist, but had little success.
Joseph Goebbels
At the same time, his views were drifting towards approaches increasingly closer to National Socialism, until he ended up joining the Nazi party in 1923.After a rapid rise to the top of power, in 1926 he was appointed Gauleiter (zone leader) of Berlin, a position in which he began to demonstrate his skill as a provocative orator and skilled propagandist in a series of local campaigns.
In 1930 he became the head of the Propaganda Division; Goebbels translated his regional strategy to a national level and established the principles of manipulation of the masses through propaganda.With the coming to power of Hitler, he was appointed Minister of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, a position from which he tried to win the will of the Germans in favor of the Nazi party.
With the outbreak of World War II, his propaganda activity increased considerably, in an effort to keep the morale of the German army and people high throughout the conflict, while justifying the atrocities committed.by the regime.In this sense, he became one of the most staunch defenders of the views of Nazism and the closest collaborator of Hitler.The fact that the course of the war was definitely against the Reich only accentuated their fanaticism.Finally, faced with the imminent fall of Berlin, he poisoned his six children before committing suicide with his wife in Hitler's bunker.
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