1History 4 Project – Joseph Goebbels : the cause of the Nazis’ rising?

(by Lilly Estève and Siena Righetti)

Between 1933 and 1945, it was Joseph Goebbels who headed the Nazi propaganda. Close and
devoted to his Fuhrer, he was known for his public speaking skills in which he defended the Nazi
perspective. Without him, would Nazism have become so popular? Is Joseph Goebbels the actual
cause of the Nazis’ rising? And most importantly, how did Joseph Goebbels become so devoted to
Hitler’s cause? This modern documentary will highlight the important parts of his life which
could have potentially led him to become such a big influence on the spread of Nazism in
Germany.
This genius of disinformation was born the third of five children on the 29th of October 1897 to a
modest family in Rheydt, Germany. From birth, he had several health issues, including an
osteomyelitis which left him with a disabled right foot throughout his childhood to his death. This
disability caused him to be exempted from any type of sport and could explain his smaller than
usual height of 1m65. However, it did not prevent him from being a studious student who
succeeded in school.
It was during the First World War that his two brothers left home to fight. Unfortunately for
Joseph, a military doctor declared him unfit for military service in 1914 and, much to his
regret, he was dismissed. Subsequently, his academic career led him to obtain his Abitur (a
high school leaving exam) in 1917. Always unpopular with his classmates, he studied
classical philology at several German universities, including Bonn, Freiburg, Würzburg,
Munich and Heidelberg. During his studies at Heidelberg in 1921, he wrote a doctoral thesis
devoted to the romantic writer Wilhelm von Schütz.

His real dream in life was, in fact, to become a great writer, but after the refusal of all publishers,
humiliation fed his ill-being. Still living on his parents’ account, he became seriously depressed,
even contemplating suicide.

He eventually became a journalist in the National Socialist weekly "Völkische Freiheit” in

August 1924. At the same time, Joseph was in contact with the National Socialist Party of
German Workers (known as NSDAP or Nazi Party) led by Adolf Hitler. Thanks to his talents as
an orator, Goebbels made a good impression. He made his debut in a wing of the party
considered rival of that of Hitler and even wanted to exclude him from the party, but it is during
one of Hitler’s speeches in 1925, that Joseph is subjugated. Hitler imposing himself as the only
leader, Joseph changed his mind and joined him. From then on, he will be faithful to his savior,
bound to him by extreme dedication.

Sent by Hitler to Berlin in 1926, Goebbels was engaged in activities aimed at spreading Nazi
ideology, including organizing meetings, giving hate speech, and inciting violence. Although he
claimed to have conquered the capital in a book he wrote, the electoral success of the Nazi party
in Berlin remained inferior to that of other parts of Germany.

This event did not prevent him from becoming, on May 20th, 1928, during the elections of the
Reichstag, one of the first twelve deputies of the NSDAP. Despite his smaller height, his not very
muscular body, and his sickly thin rat-like countenance, Goebbels had no trouble in using his
own strengths (his mind, his charismatic oratory skills, and his caustic wit) as a way to dominate
over the other leaders. Because of this, his opponents as well as other people who didn’t really
like him started to give him the nickname ‘Poison Dwarf”.
 To strengthen the spread of Nazi ideology, Goebbels learned to saturate public spaces with
simple slogans and impactful visuals, prioritizing the effect over truth. In 1930, Hitler appointed
Goebbels as head of Nazi propaganda, recognizing his skills in manipulating public opinion.
Goebbels worked tirelessly to organize thousands of meetings leading up to the 1932 elections.
Following the Nazis' rise to power, Goebbels was appointed as Minister of Education and
Propaganda in March 1933. He expanded the propaganda machine, utilizing all forms of media—
including press, radio, film, and photography—to disseminate Nazi ideology. This allowed him to
create and promote the cult of Hitler, increasing the Führer’s popularity and clarifying his image.
A famously known example would be the realisation of the propaganda film/documentary
“Triumph of the Will”, which was highly supervised by Joseph himself, depicting the 1934
Nuremberg Rally, which he orchestrated himself, and aiming to highly glorify Hitler and present
his figure as that of a charismatic saviour of Germany. Moreover, he used posters and
photographs to illustrate the Führer as a strong, compassionate, and protective leader.

‘Triumph of the Will’ Movie Poster Nazi Propaganda Poster – "Yes! Leader, We Adolf Hitler on a Children Propaganda Poster
(1935) Follow You!" (Ja! Führer wir folgen Dir!) - 'Children, what do you know about our
(1934) leader?' (1934)

He adopted the basic principles enunciated by Hitler in the book «Mein Kampf», such as
exploiting emotions, repeating ideas, denigrating opponents, and creating a sense of unity against
a common enemy, the “Other”, in this case, the Jews. He was fascinated by violence and saw it as
a way to achieve political goals.

Goebbels encouraged citizens to report their neighbours, colleagues, and friends if they spoke or
acted contrary to Nazi ideology. This atmosphere of widespread suspicion contributed to keeping
the population in a climate of fear and constant surveillance, thus strengthening the regime’s
control over society.

He used propaganda to justify and legitimize the elimination of Hitler’s political opponents, when
occurred the night of the long knives, where hundreds of Nazi Party SA members were murdered
by the SS at the request of Adolf Hitler.
The media controlled by Goebbels presented the victims as traitors and enemies of the German
people, thus helping to strengthen popular support for the regime’s violent action. He was also a
big manipulator of historical events, whenever it could shine a bright light on his idol. For
example, Joseph used to describe The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch, as an
act of bravery and determination from Hitler, when it was actually a failed coup d'état by the Nazi
Party. This was a simple way for him to brainwash the people into thinking that the Leader was a
man of extreme rarity.

Through censorship and repression of dissenting voices, Goebbels ensured that the Nazi regime
retained full control over public opinion for twelve years. Any dissent was quickly punished,
allowing the cult of Hitler’s personality to flourish without challenge.

However, in April 1945, everything came to an end. As Allied forces approached Berlin,
Goebbels was one of the last few loyal men to stay by Hitler’s side and encouraged his Führer to
stay in Berlin to lead the resistance, even when the situation seemed desperate. When Hitler died
by suicide the 30th of April 1945, Joseph became Chancelor of the Reich, although it only lasted
a day.

Indeed, on the 1st of May 1945, a day after Hitler’s death, Goebbels and his wife, Magda, killed
themselves after poisoning their six children. This shows their extreme devotion to the Nazi
ideology as well as to their Leader, and their refusal to live in a world without him.