Who Was Goebbels?

Pre-1933:

Joseph Goebbels, born in 1897 Germany, was exempted from service in WWI due to club foot. He attended university for a PHD in philosophy and later couldn't establish himself as a journalist. He joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party, impressing Hitler with his writing abilities. Goebbels quickly ascended the ranks of the Nazi Party and was appointed by Hitler as the Berlin Nazi Chief. He built the party's presence in the city and understood methods of political agitation and propaganda through communication. By 1928, he was elected into German Parliament, der Reichstag. Hitler appointed him Reich leader of propaganda in 1929, and ultimately relied on Goebbels for his victory in the Reichstag presidential election.

| Goebbels and classmates, 1916 |

| Courtesy of Spartacus Educational Website |

| Goebbels giving speech at rally, 1939 |

| Courtesy of Getty Images |

| Goebbels, Hitler, and Nazi officials. |

| Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration |

1933 - 1939

By 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. Nazi leadership sought to dominate German politics and gain the 'hearts and minds' of the German public. Bending the people to Nazi will required a master propagandist. As a result, Goebbels became the world's first pioneer in using radio and television media for propaganda. Under Goebbels and Hitler, preservation of German values required that nearly every aspect of German public life and media fall under Nazi control. From there, Goebbels would go on to turn Germany into a racially bigoted and radical state through the usage of communication through propaganda.