Goebbels : A Biography

****NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY __THE TELEGRAPH •__**From renowned German Holocaust historian Peter Longerich comes the definitive one-volume biography of Adolf Hitler’s malevolent minister of propaganda.** In life, and in the grisly manner of his death, Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler’s most loyal acolytes. By the end, no one in the Berlin bunker was closer to the Führer than his devoted Reich minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. But how did this clubfooted son of a factory worker rise from obscurity to become Hitler’s most trusted lieutenant and personally anointed successor? In this ground-breaking biography, Peter Longerich sifts through the historical record—and thirty thousand pages of Goebbels’s own diary entries—to provide the answer to that question. Longerich, the first historian to make use of the Goebbels diaries in a biographical work, engages and challenges the self-serving portrait the propaganda chief left behind. Spanning thirty years, the diaries paint a chilling picture of a man driven by a narcissistic desire for recognition who found the personal affirmation he craved within the virulently racist National Socialist movement. Delving into the mind of his subject, Longerich reveals how Goebbels’s lifelong search for a charismatic father figure inexorably led him to Hitler, to whom he ascribed almost godlike powers. This comprehensive biography documents Goebbels’s ascent through the ranks of the Nazi Party, where he became a member of the Führer’s inner circle and launched a brutal campaign of anti-Semitic propaganda. Though endowed with near-dictatorial control of the media—film, radio, press, and the fine arts—Longerich’s Goebbels is a man dogged by insecurities and beset by bureaucratic infighting. He feuds with his bitter rivals Hermann Göring and Alfred Rosenberg, unsuccessfully advocates for a more radical line of “total war,” and is thwarted in his attempt to pursue a separate peace with the Allies during the waning days of World War II. This book also reveals, as never before, Goebbels’s twisted personal life—his mawkish sentimentality, manipulative nature, and voracious sexual appetite. A harrowing look at the life of one of history’s greatest monsters, __Goebbels__ delivers fresh insight into how the Nazi message of hate was conceived, nurtured, and disseminated. This complete portrait of the man behind that message is sure to become a standard for historians and students of the Holocaust for decades to come.**Praise for __Goebbels__** “Peter Longerich . . . has delved into rarely accessed material from his subject’s diaries, which span thirty years, to paint a remarkable portrait of the man who became one of Hitler’s most trusted lieutenants.”**—__The Daily Telegraph__****Praise for __Heinrich Himmler__** “There have been several studies of this enigmatic man, but Peter Longerich’s massive biography, grounded in exhaustive study of the primary sources, is now the standard work and must stand alongside Ian Kershaw’s __Hitler,__ Ulrich Herbert’s __Best__ and Robert Gerwarth’s __Hitler’s Hangman: The Life of Heydrich__ as one of the landmark Nazi biographies. As the author of a celebrated study of the Holocaust, Longerich is better able than his predecessors to situate Himmler within the vast machinery of genocide. And he brings to his task a gift for capturing those mannerisms that are the intimate markers of personality.”**—__London Review of Books__** “[An] excellent and comprehensive biography.”**—__The New York Review of Books__** NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE TELEGRAPH • From renowned German Holocaust historian Peter Longerich comes the definitive one-volume biography of Adolf Hitler’s malevolent minister of propaganda. In life, and in the grisly manner of his death, Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler’s most loyal acolytes. By the end, no one in the Berlin bunker was closer to the Führer than his devoted Reich minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. But how did this clubfooted son of a factory worker rise from obscurity to become Hitler’s most trusted lieutenant and personally anointed successor? In this ground-breaking biography, Peter Longerich sifts through the historical record—and thirty thousand pages of Goebbels’s own diary entries—to provide the answer to that question. Longerich, the first historian to make use of the Goebbels diaries in a biographical work, engages and challenges the self-serving portrait the propaganda chief left behind. Spanning thirty years, the diaries paint a chilling picture of a man driven by a narcissistic desire for recognition who found the personal affirmation he craved within the virulently racist National Socialist movement. Delving into the mind of his subject, Longerich reveals how Goebbels’s lifelong search for a charismatic father figure inexorably led him to Hitler, to whom he ascribed almost godlike powers. This comprehensive biography documents Goebbels’s ascent through the ranks of the Nazi Party, where he became a member of the Führer’s inner circle and launched a brutal campaign of anti-Semitic propaganda. Though endowed with near-dictatorial control of the media—film, radio, press, and the fine arts—Longerich’s Goebbels is a man dogged by insecurities and beset by bureaucratic infighting. He feuds with his bitter rivals Hermann Göring and Alfred Rosenberg, unsuccessfully advocates for a more radical line of “total war,” and is thwarted in his attempt to pursue a separate peace with the Allies during the waning days of World War II. This book also reveals, as never before, Goebbels’s twisted personal life—his mawkish sentimentality, manipulative nature, and voracious sexual appetite. A harrowing look at the life of one of history’s greatest monsters, Goebbels delivers fresh insight into how the Nazi message of hate was conceived, nurtured, and disseminated. This complete portrait of the man behind that message is sure to become a standard for historians and students of the Holocaust for decades to come. Praise for Goebbels “Peter Longerich . . . has delved into rarely accessed material from his subject’s diaries, which span thirty years, to paint a remarkable portrait of the man who became one of Hitler’s most trusted lieutenants.”—The Daily Telegraph Praise for Heinrich Himmler “There have been several studies of this enigmatic man, but Peter Longerich’s massive biography, grounded in exhaustive study of the primary sources, is now the standard work and must stand alongside Ian Kershaw’s Hitler, Ulrich Herbert’s Best and Robert Gerwarth’s Hitler’s Hangman: The Life of Heydrich as one of the landmark Nazi biographies. As the author of a celebrated study of the Holocaust, Longerich is better able than his predecessors to situate Himmler within the vast machinery of genocide. And he brings to his task a gift for capturing those mannerisms that are the intimate markers of personality.”—London Review of Books “[An] excellent and comprehensive biography.”—The New York Review of Books From renowned German Holocaust historian Peter Longerich comes the definitive one-volume biography of Adolf Hitler's malevolent minister of propaganda. In life, and in the grisly manner of his death, Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler's most loyal acolytes. By the end, no one in the Berlin bunker was closer to the Fhrer than his devoted Reich minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. But how did this clubfooted son of a factory worker rise from obscurity to become Hitler's most trusted lieutenant and personally anointed successor? In this ground-breaking biography, Peter Longerich sifts through the historical record--and thirty thousand pages of Goebbels's own diary entries--to provide the answer to that question. Longerich, the first historian to make use of the Goebbels diaries in a biographical work, engages and challenges the self-serving portrait the propaganda chief left behind. Spanning thirty years, the diaries paint a chilling picture of a man driven by a narcissistic desire for recognition who found the personal affirmation he craved within the virulently racist National Socialist movement. Delving into the mind of his subject, Longerich reveals how Goebbels's lifelong search for a charismatic father figure inexorably led him to Hitler, to whom he ascribed almost godlike powers. This comprehensive biography documents Goebbels's ascent through the ranks of the Nazi Party, where he became a member of the Fhrer's inner circle and launched a brutal campaign of anti-Semitic propaganda. Though endowed with near-dictatorial control of the media--film, radio, press, and the fine arts--Longerich's Goebbels is a man dogged by insecurities and beset by bureaucratic infighting. He feuds with his bitter rivals Hermann Gring and Alfred Rosenberg, unsuccessfully advocates for a more radical line of "total war," and is thwarted in his attempt to pursue a separate peace with the Allies during the waning days of World War II. This book also reveals, as never before, Goebbels's twisted personal life--his mawkish sentimentality, manipulative nature, and voracious sexual appetite. A harrowing look at the life of one of history's greatest monsters, Goebbels delivers fresh insight into how the Nazi message of hate was conceived, nurtured, and disseminated. This complete portrait of the man behind that message is sure to become a standard for historians and students of the Holocaust for decades to come. Praise for Goebbels "Peter Longerich . . . has delved into rarely accessed material from his subject's diaries, which span thirty years, to paint a remarkable portrait of the man who became one of Hitler's most trusted lieutenants."--The Daily Telegraph Praise for Heinrich Himmler "There have been several studies of this enigmatic man, but Peter Longerich's massive biography, grounded in exhaustive study of the primary sources, is now the standard work and must stand alongside Ian Kershaw's Hitler, Ulrich Herbert's Best and Robert Gerwath's Hitler's Hangman: The Life of Heydrich as one of the landmark Nazi biographies. As the author of a celebrated study of the Holocaust, Longerich is better able than his predecessors to situate Himmler within the vast machinery of genocide. And he brings to his task a gift for capturing those mannerisms that are the intimate markers of personality."--London Review of Books "[An] excellent and comprehensive biography."--The New York Review of Books From the Hardcover edition NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE TELEGRAPH • From renowned German Holocaust historian Peter Longerich comes the definitive one-volume biography of Adolf Hitler’s malevolent minister of propaganda. In life, and in the grisly manner of his death, Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler’s most loyal acolytes. By the end, no one in the Berlin bunker was closer to the Führer than his devoted Reich minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. But how did this clubfooted son of a factory worker rise from obscurity to become Hitler’s most trusted lieutenant and personally anointed successor? In this ground-breaking biography, Peter Longerich sifts through the historical record—and thirty thousand pages of Goebbels’s own diary entries—to provide the answer to that question. Longerich, the first historian to make use of the Goebbels diaries in a biographical work, engages and challenges the self-serving portrait the propaganda chief left behind. Spanning thirty years, the diaries paint a chilling picture of a man driven by a narcissistic desire for recognition who found the personal affirmation he craved within the virulently racist National Socialist movement. Delving into the mind of his subject, Longerich reveals how Goebbels’s lifelong search for a charismatic father figure inexorably led him to Hitler, to whom he ascribed almost godlike powers. This comprehensive biography documents Goebbels’s ascent through the ranks of the Nazi Party, where he became a member of the Führer’s inner circle and launched a brutal campaign of anti-Semitic propaganda. Though endowed with near-dictatorial control of the media—film, radio, press, and the fine arts—Longerich’s Goebbels is a man dogged by insecurities and beset by bureaucratic infighting. He feuds with his bitter rivals Hermann Göring and Alfred Rosenberg, unsuccessfully advocates for a more radical line of “total war,” and is thwarted in his attempt to pursue a separate peace with the Allies during the waning days of World War II. This book also reveals, as never before, Goebbels’s twisted personal life—his mawkish sentimentality, manipulative nature, and voracious sexual appetite. A harrowing look at the life of one of history’s greatest monsters, Goebbels delivers fresh insight into how the Nazi message of hate was conceived, nurtured, and disseminated. This complete portrait of the man behind that message is sure to become a standard for historians and students of the Holocaust for decades to come. Praise for Goebbels “Peter Longerich . . . has delved into rarely accessed material from his subject’s diaries, which span thirty years, to paint a remarkable portrait of the man who became one of Hitler’s most trusted lieutenants.” — The Daily Telegraph Praise for Heinrich Himmler “There have been several studies of this enigmatic man, but Peter Longerich’s massive biography, grounded in exhaustive study of the primary sources, is now the standard work and must stand alongside Ian Kershaw’s Hitler, Ulrich Herbert’s Best and Robert Gerwarth’s Hitler’s Hangman: The Life of Heydrich as one of the landmark Nazi biographies. As the author of a celebrated study of the Holocaust, Longerich is better able than his predecessors to situate Himmler within the vast machinery of genocide. And he brings to his task a gift for capturing those mannerisms that are the intimate markers of personality.” — London... In This Comprehensive Volume, Peter Longerich Documents Goebbels' Descent Into Antisemitism And Ideology And Ascent Through The Ranks Of The Nazi Party, Where He Became An Integral Member Of Hitler's Inner Circle And Where He Shaped A Brutal Campaign Of Nazi Propaganda-- Prologue -- 1897-1933 : To Advance At Any Price. Ring A Song Eternally From Youth's Happy Hours : Joseph Goebbels On His Childhood And Youth ; Spare The Rod And Spoil The Child : Goebbels's Path To National Socialism ; Working With The Mind Is The Greatest Sacrifice : Positioning Himself In The Early Nsdap ; Faith Moves Mountains : Political Beginnings In Berlin ; Struggle Is The Father Of All Things : The Gauleiter And The Capital Of The Reich ; A Life Full Of Work And Struggle : Politics Between Berlin And Munich ; Dare To Live Dangerously! : Goebbels's Radicalism And Hitler's Policy Of Legality ; Now We Must Gain Power... One Way Or Another! : A Share Of Government? ; I Have A Blind Faith In Victory : On The Way To Power --^ 1933-1939 : Controlling The Public Sphere Under Dictatorship. We're Here To Stay! : Taking Power ; Only Those Who Deserve Victory Will Keep It! : Consolidating The Regime ; Whatever The Führer Does, He Does Completely : The Establishment Of The Führer State ; Taking Firm Control Of The Inner Discipline Of A People : Propaganda And Manipulation Of The Public Sphere ; Never Tire! : Foreign Policy Successes And Anti-jewish Policies ; The Tougher The Better! : The Olympic Year, 1936 ; The Most Important Factors In Our Modern Cultural Life : Consolidating Nazi Cultural Policies ; Don't Look Around, Keep Marching On! : The Firebrand As Peace-maker ; Maturity Is Only Achieved Through Suffering! : Preparations For War--from The Munich Agreement To The Attack On Poland --^ 1939-1945 : War--total War--total Defeat. War Is The Father Of All Things : The First Months Of The War ; There Is Only One Sin : Cowardice! : The Expansion Of The War ; Our Banners Lead Us On To Victory! : Between The War In The West And The War In The East ; A Great, A Wonderful Time, In Which A New Reich Will Be Born : The Attack On The Soviet Union ; Getting The Nation To Accept Tough Policies : The Winter Crisis Of 1941-42 ; We Can See In Our Mind's Eye A Happy People : Offensives And Setbacks ; Do You Want Total War? : The Second Winter Crisis ; The Masses Have Become Somewhat Skeptical Or ... One Could Even Say Are In The Grip Of A Permanent State Of Hopelessness : Crisis As A Permanent State ; I Have No Idea What The Führer's Going To Do In The End : The Search For A Way Out ; Virtually A Wartime Dictatorship On The Home Front : Between An Apocalyptic Mood And Total War ; But When Will There Be Some Action? : Downfall. Peter Longerich ; Translated By Alan Bance, Jeremy Noakes And Lesley Sharpe. Originally Published In Germany By Siedler Verlag In 2010. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 716-756) And Index. From renowned German Holocaust historian Peter Longerich comes the definitive one-volume biography of Adolf Hitler's malevolent minister of propaganda. In life, and in the grisly manner of his death, Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler's most loyal acolytes. By the end, no one in the Berlin bunker was closer to the FUhrer than his devoted Reich minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. But how did this clubfooted son of a factory worker rise from obscurity to become Hitler's most trusted lieutenant and personally anointed successor' In this ground-breaking biography, Peter Longerich sifts through the historical record'and thirty thousand pages of Goebbels's own diary entries'to provide the answer to that question. Longerich, the first historian to make use of the Goebbels diaries in a biographical work, engages and challenges the self-serving portrait the propaganda chief left behind. Spanning thirty years, the diaries paint a chilling picture of a man driven by a narcissistic desire for recognition who found the personal affirmation he craved within the virulently racist National Socialist movement. Delving into the mind of his subject, Longerich reveals how Goebbels's lifelong search for a charismatic father figure inexorably led him to Hitler, to whom he ascribed almost godlike powers. This comprehensive biography documents Goebbels's ascent through the ranks of the Nazi Party, where he became a member of the FUhrer's inner circle and launched a brutal campaign of antisemitic propaganda. Though endowed with near-dictatorial control of the media'film, radio, press, and the fine arts'Longerich's Goebbels is a man dogged by insecurities and beset by bureaucratic infighting. He feuds with his bitter rivals Hermann GOring and Alfred Rosenberg, unsuccessfully advocates for a more radical line of "total war," and is thwarted in his attempt to pursue a separate peace with the Allies during the waning days of World War II. This book also reveals, as never before, Goebbels's twisted personal life'his mawkish sentimentality, manipulative nature, and voracious sexual appetite. A harrowing look at the life of one of history's greatest monsters, Goebbels delivers fresh insight into how the Nazi message of hate was conceived, nurtured, and disseminated. This complete portrait of the man behind that message is sure to become a standard for historians and students of the Holocaust for decades to come. From the Hardcover edition 1897-1933 : to advance at any price "Rings a song eternally / From youth's happy hours" : Goebbels on his childhood and youth "Spare the rod and spoil the child" : Goebbels's path to National Socialism "Working with the mind is the greatest sacrifice" : maneuvering in the early NSDAP "Faith moves mountains" : political beginnings in Berlin "Struggle is the father of all things" : the Gauleiter and the capital of the Reich "A life full of work and struggle" : politics between Berlin and Munich "Dare to live dangerously!" : Goebbels's radicalism and Hitler's policy of "legality" "Now we must gain power... one way or another!" : a share of government "I have a blind faith in victory" : on the way to power. 1933-1939 : controlling the public sphere under dictatorship "We're here to stay!" : taking power "Only those who deserve victory will keep it!" : consolidating the regime "Whatever the Führer does, he does completely" : the establishment of the Führer State "Taking firm control of the inner discipline of a people" : propaganda and manipulation of the public sphere "Never tire!" : foreign policy successes and anti-Jewish policies "The tougher the better!" : the Olympic year, 1936 "The most important factors in our modern cultural life" : consolidating Nazi cultural policies "Don't look round, keep marching on!" : the firebrand as peacemaker "Maturity is only achieved through suffering!" : preparations for war-from the Munich Agreement to the attack on Poland. 1939-1945 : War-total war-total defeat "War is the father of all things" : the first months of the war "There is only one sin : cowardice!" : the expansion of the war "Our banners lead us on to victory!" : between the War in the West and the War in the East "A great, a wonderful time, in which a new Reich will be born" : the attack on the Soviet Union "Getting the nation to accept tough policies" : the Winter Crisis of 1941-42 "We can see in our mind's eye a happy people" : offensives and setbacks "Do you want total war?" : the Second Winter Crisis "The masses have become somewhat skeptical or ...are in the grip of a permanent state of hopelessness" : crisis as a permanent state "I have no idea what the Führer's going to do in the end" : the search for a way out "Virtually a wartime dictatorship on the home front" : between an apocalyptic mood and total war "But when will there be some action?" : Downfall. Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler's most loyal acolytes. But how did this club-footed son of a factory worker rise from obscurity to become Hitler's malevolent minister of propaganda, most trusted lieutenant and personally anointed successor? In this definitive one-volume biography, renowned German Holocaust historian Peter Longerich sifts through the historical record - and thirty thousand pages of Goebbels's own diary entries - to answer that question. Longerich paints a chilling picture of a man driven by a narcissistic desire for recognition who found the personal affirmation he craved within the virulently racist National Socialist movement - and whose lifelong search for a charismatic father figure inexorably led him to Hitler. This comprehensive biography documents Goebbels' ascent through the ranks of the Nazi Party, where he became a member of the F�hrer's inner circle and launched a brutal campaign of anti-Semitic propaganda. Goebbels delivers fresh and important insight into how the Nazi message of hate was conceived, nurtured, and disseminated, and shreds the myth of Goebbels' own genius for propaganda. It also reveals a man dogged by insecurities and - though endowed with near-dictatorial control of the media - beset by bureaucratic infighting. And, as never before, Longerich exposes Goebbels's twisted personal life - his mawkish sentimentality, manipulative nature, and voracious sexual appetite. This complete portrait of the man behind Hitler's message is sure to become a standard for historians and students of the Holocaust for decades to come. "As a young man, Joseph Goebbels was a budding narcissist with constant need of approval. Through political involvement, he found personal affirmation within the German National Socialist Party. In this comprehensive volume, Peter Longerich documents Goebbels' descent into antisemitism and ideology and ascent through the ranks of the Nazi party, where he became an integral member Hitler's inner circle and where he shaped a brutal campaign of Nazi propaganda. In life and in his grisly family suicide, Goebbels was one of Hitler's most loyal accolytes. Though powerful in the party and in wartime Germany, Longerich's Goebbels is a man dogged by insecurities and consumed by his fierce adherence to the Nazi cause. Longerich engages and challenges the careful self-portrait that Goebbels left behind in his diaries, and, as he delves deep into the mind of Hitler's master propagandist, Longerich discovers first-hand how the Nazi message was conceived. This complete portrait of the man behind the message is sure to become a standard for historians and students of the holocaust for years to come"-- Provided by publisher As a young man, Joseph Goebbels was a budding narcissist with a constant need for approval. He became increasingly politically involved, finding personal affirmation within the ranks of the German National Socialist Party. What followed was a rapid descent into anti-Semitism and ideology, and a corresponding ascent through the ranks of the Nazi Party, where he became an integral member of Hitler's inner circle and built a brutal campaign of Nazi propaganda. Goebbels became one of Hitler's most loyal acolytes and his named successor, following in the Fuhrer's footsteps to the very end in a grisly mass suicide of himself and his entire family. Although Goebbels wielded considerable power within the Nazi party and in wartime Germany, Longerich reveals him as a man dogged by his insecurities and consumed by his fierce adherence to the Nazi cause. Challenging the carefully constructed self-portrait that Goebbels left as his legacy in his diaries, Longerich delves deep into the mind of the Reich's master propagandist to provide a shocking first-hand account of how the Nazi message was conceived