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Goebbels Eine Biographie
The life of Joseph Goebbels, the Mephistophelian genius of Nazi propaganda.
Ralf Georg Reuth's biography is meticulously researched, comprehensive, definitive. With unusual objectivity Reuth reconstructs history from eyewitness accounts, Goebbels's own diaries, and archival material--some of which was held by the East Germans and Russians and only recently became available. It is the story of a small, spindly, highly intelligent man with a clubfoot and an inferiority complex who rose to power with Hitler and was, of all the Nazis, the greatest advocate of the extermination of the Jews.
Reuth describes Goebbels's childhood in a strict, Catholic, lower-middle-class family; his poverty; his many affairs with women above his station; his political activity and intrigues in Berlin for Hitler; his career in the Third Reich; his wife and children; his suicide.
Written in an accessible, lucid style, Goebbels is at once an important document and the fascinating study of a monstrous human being.
From the original hardback edition.
Ralf Georg Reuth's biography is meticulously researched, comprehensive, definitive. With unusual objectivity Reuth reconstructs history from eyewitness accounts, Goebbels's own diaries, and archival material--some of which was held by the East Germans and Russians and only recently became available. It is the story of a small, spindly, highly intelligent man with a clubfoot and an inferiority complex who rose to power with Hitler and was, of all the Nazis, the greatest advocate of the extermination of the Jews.
Reuth describes Goebbels's childhood in a strict, Catholic, lower-middle-class family; his poverty; his many affairs with women above his station; his political activity and intrigues in Berlin for Hitler; his career in the Third Reich; his wife and children; his suicide.
Written in an accessible, lucid style, Goebbels is at once an important document and the fascinating study of a monstrous human being.
From the original hardback edition.
752 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 10, 2018
An excellent biography of the Nazi propaganda minister (et alia) competently translated from the German. Having been originally published in Munich in 1990, the emphases are not quite what I've found in books originally intended for American readers. There is, for instance, less emphasis on the genocidal apparati of the Nazi administration. Goebbels' own prejudices against the Jews and how they developed, despite his early, positive associations with some Jewish individuals, are traced however. So, too, are his workerist tendencies.
'Workerist tendencies' demands some explication. As noted in other sources, but explicated more thoroughly here, the pre-war National Socialists described an axis between nationalism and socialism, an axis corresponding roughly to that obtaining between the Munich and Berlin organizations. Hitler, based in Munich, gravitated toward the emphasis on nationalism as he came to increasingly rely on the support of major capitalists. Goebbels emphasized the socialist aspects of the party, even going so far as to endorse some cooperative efforts with the Communists. However, in his efforts to carve a niche for himself in Berlin he came into conflict with the Strasser brothers, both of whom were closer to his views than Hitler was. His choice was for personal aggrandisement which meant alliance with Hitler and deemphasis of his own beliefs.
The biggest mystery about Goebbels for me was the slavish nature of his devotion to Hitler, particularly after the early successes. Ostensibly an atheist, Goebbels' devotion to his leader was well nigh religious. Author Reuth explores this theme as well as one might perhaps, but I don't quite get it.
'Workerist tendencies' demands some explication. As noted in other sources, but explicated more thoroughly here, the pre-war National Socialists described an axis between nationalism and socialism, an axis corresponding roughly to that obtaining between the Munich and Berlin organizations. Hitler, based in Munich, gravitated toward the emphasis on nationalism as he came to increasingly rely on the support of major capitalists. Goebbels emphasized the socialist aspects of the party, even going so far as to endorse some cooperative efforts with the Communists. However, in his efforts to carve a niche for himself in Berlin he came into conflict with the Strasser brothers, both of whom were closer to his views than Hitler was. His choice was for personal aggrandisement which meant alliance with Hitler and deemphasis of his own beliefs.
The biggest mystery about Goebbels for me was the slavish nature of his devotion to Hitler, particularly after the early successes. Ostensibly an atheist, Goebbels' devotion to his leader was well nigh religious. Author Reuth explores this theme as well as one might perhaps, but I don't quite get it.
October 11, 2016
-Los contenidos, ellos solitos, no levantan los problemas de narración.-
Género. Biografía.
Lo que nos cuenta. Narración sobre la vida de Joseph Goebbels, desde su niñez en el Imperio Alemán hasta su muerte en los últimos estertores de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en el escenario europeo, pasando por su juventud en la Republica de Weimar y su participación en el NSDAP y el Reich.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Biografía.
Lo que nos cuenta. Narración sobre la vida de Joseph Goebbels, desde su niñez en el Imperio Alemán hasta su muerte en los últimos estertores de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en el escenario europeo, pasando por su juventud en la Republica de Weimar y su participación en el NSDAP y el Reich.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
December 20, 2013
Useful for my purposes but not spectacular. The personal tidbits about Goebbels provide possible moments for scenes. I would have liked more on what Nazis, ordinary Germans and others thought about him. Maybe there's no record of those thoughts. The important historical events of which Goebbels was a part are better depicted elsewhere. ... LEW ... http://lewweinsteinauthorblog.com/
September 15, 2021
Disclaimer: This is just a book review, I am not a National Socialist, I do not align with any political movement, nor do I condone their actions
Here is a little pre-review commentary: I have to give this book a Five star rating, not because I sympathize with Nazism, or any vile ideology, but because it was well written and it was an informative read. After reading several books focused on Adolf Hitler, I wanted to read about some of his henchmen, and so I went to the library hoping to find books on Himmler, Goering, Bormann, and others, but I found this book and decided to read it.
It is so interesting learning about the lives of men like Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and their henchmen. Their backgrounds, why they did what they did, and the actions they took interest me, not because I believe their ideologies, but because they were evil geniuses. While I find their actions vile, I am in wonder at how they managed to convince the masses to follow them, and Joseph Goebbels was one of those men. I admit I didn't know much about Goebbels before I read this book, but now that I've read this, I feel I learned a lot from this book, and I plan to read the other biographies written on him. Since I am also a history buff, I plan on looking for a copy of his infamous diaries, as they are primary source documents.
Here is my review
The conclusion I got from this book was that Joseph Goebbels was a man who got mixed up in the wrong crowd like so many people in this world. For a long time, he let his clubfoot affect him and he developed a mentality of always trying to make up for his disability. Goebbels was very important to Adolf Hitler: He became Gau of Berlin, where his organizational and political talents allowed the Nazi's to gain traction. He started out under the Strasser brothers and had a more radically socialistic viewpoint compared to Hitler's socialism, but Hitler managed to move him towards Hitler's beliefs. His propaganda helped to make Hitler into a mythical, cult-like figure in Germany that people stood by until the end. His extreme loyalty to Hitler was projected into his propaganda, and led many to believe in this Austrian corporal who ruled in the stead of men like Bismarck and Frederick the Great and was made to seem like their equal. During the era of appeasement, Hitler was made to seem like a genius who was a savior for the German race, who wanted nothing but peace. While most Germans did not embody the Euphoria present in 1914 in 1939, when Hitler defeated Poland, Denmark, Norway, the low countries and France, he was viewed as an infallible military commander thanks to Goebbels propaganda. Goebbels propaganda hammered away with attacks against the Jews, the Communists, and the "plutocratic" western allies, adding to the myth that the Jews were in control of both movements, seeking to enslave the German people. He was in conflict with men like Alfred Rosenberg because he liked modernist artwork, instead of the Romantic and Idealist styles of the "Reactionary" (as he called them) party members. When the tide turned in the war, him and Albert Speer took an interest in trying to steer Hitler and the nation towards a total war mindset, which Hitler was very stubborn about doing. This man remained loyal to Hitler even in the end, when all was lost, and was blinded into believing that Hitler could make a miracle occur. This book mentions Goebbels shaky relationship with his wife Magda, and his affairs with lida baarova, which I thought was interesting as they would eventually work things out. In 1945 Magda and Joseph would stand together and end their lives in Hitler's bunker along with his children.
What stands out to me in this books discussion about Goebbels life before he become deeply involved in Nazism. He had a half-Jewish girlfriend in the early 1920s (I would like to know what happened to her, if she fled Germany or if she perished in the holocaust. This book makes no mention), and he had an admiration for Russian literature, and Lenin at one time, but Hitler steered him away from all of this.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested.
Here is a little pre-review commentary: I have to give this book a Five star rating, not because I sympathize with Nazism, or any vile ideology, but because it was well written and it was an informative read. After reading several books focused on Adolf Hitler, I wanted to read about some of his henchmen, and so I went to the library hoping to find books on Himmler, Goering, Bormann, and others, but I found this book and decided to read it.
It is so interesting learning about the lives of men like Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and their henchmen. Their backgrounds, why they did what they did, and the actions they took interest me, not because I believe their ideologies, but because they were evil geniuses. While I find their actions vile, I am in wonder at how they managed to convince the masses to follow them, and Joseph Goebbels was one of those men. I admit I didn't know much about Goebbels before I read this book, but now that I've read this, I feel I learned a lot from this book, and I plan to read the other biographies written on him. Since I am also a history buff, I plan on looking for a copy of his infamous diaries, as they are primary source documents.
Here is my review
The conclusion I got from this book was that Joseph Goebbels was a man who got mixed up in the wrong crowd like so many people in this world. For a long time, he let his clubfoot affect him and he developed a mentality of always trying to make up for his disability. Goebbels was very important to Adolf Hitler: He became Gau of Berlin, where his organizational and political talents allowed the Nazi's to gain traction. He started out under the Strasser brothers and had a more radically socialistic viewpoint compared to Hitler's socialism, but Hitler managed to move him towards Hitler's beliefs. His propaganda helped to make Hitler into a mythical, cult-like figure in Germany that people stood by until the end. His extreme loyalty to Hitler was projected into his propaganda, and led many to believe in this Austrian corporal who ruled in the stead of men like Bismarck and Frederick the Great and was made to seem like their equal. During the era of appeasement, Hitler was made to seem like a genius who was a savior for the German race, who wanted nothing but peace. While most Germans did not embody the Euphoria present in 1914 in 1939, when Hitler defeated Poland, Denmark, Norway, the low countries and France, he was viewed as an infallible military commander thanks to Goebbels propaganda. Goebbels propaganda hammered away with attacks against the Jews, the Communists, and the "plutocratic" western allies, adding to the myth that the Jews were in control of both movements, seeking to enslave the German people. He was in conflict with men like Alfred Rosenberg because he liked modernist artwork, instead of the Romantic and Idealist styles of the "Reactionary" (as he called them) party members. When the tide turned in the war, him and Albert Speer took an interest in trying to steer Hitler and the nation towards a total war mindset, which Hitler was very stubborn about doing. This man remained loyal to Hitler even in the end, when all was lost, and was blinded into believing that Hitler could make a miracle occur. This book mentions Goebbels shaky relationship with his wife Magda, and his affairs with lida baarova, which I thought was interesting as they would eventually work things out. In 1945 Magda and Joseph would stand together and end their lives in Hitler's bunker along with his children.
What stands out to me in this books discussion about Goebbels life before he become deeply involved in Nazism. He had a half-Jewish girlfriend in the early 1920s (I would like to know what happened to her, if she fled Germany or if she perished in the holocaust. This book makes no mention), and he had an admiration for Russian literature, and Lenin at one time, but Hitler steered him away from all of this.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested.
September 17, 2010
I never finished this cuz it had to go back to the library. It's packed with a lot of information, and having more than a cursory understanding of modern german history will certainly help. It's a little dry and not exactly a fun read, but i found it interesting.
Read
August 23, 2008A man completely devoid of his own personality, who hung on to every word and gesture of Hitler til the very end when he poisined his 6 children before killing himself.
August 4, 2019
Rather lacking in the sense of a central thesis that takes a specific approach to Goebbels' life, despite, at the time, Reuth getting access to heretofore restricted archival material from the DDR. Instead, Reuth gives us an unending timeline, where one even never seems to outweigh another in terms of historical importance or personal development of the subject. What insight the biography gives is through implication. For example, the hesitation, paranoia, and fear that comes through Goebbels' writing--even though it was composed with an eye to future generations reading it as a "great man's" thoughts--actually works to distance the propaganda minister from the responsibility (and guilt) traditionally ascribed to him. At least until 1943-44, when his role as an architect of the Holocaust becomes predominant. But for earlier years, Reuth's narrative makes it seem as if Goebbels is somewhat fearful of being out of the loop and thus always on the second or even third rung of Nazi decision making. Bormann, Goering, Himmler, Hess, and even Ribbentrop, Rosenberg, and Lammers are depicted often as more powerful and influential than Goebbels. But none of this is actually stated as such by Reuth. As I say, it is done more through the implication of what the reader is made to feel and understand through the narrative Reuth constructs out of Goebbels' journals and diaries.
Another thing implied is a picture of Goebbels as a complete non-entity without Hitler. The early part of his life is undistinguished and, in fact, boring. Only when he attaches himself to the NSDAP, first through Gregor Strasser and, later, Hitler, does he become a more animated being. I am willing to buy into this notion more firmly than the relatively power dependent figure discussed above. For without Hitler, it is clear that Goebbels was nothing. The "poison dwarf" only found purpose through anger and revenge at the bourgeois representatives of capital or the reactionary aristocratic class all of whom he felt conspired against people such as himself to keep them from their proper place in society. Only the arrival of Hitler into his life allowed Goebbels to focus his disappointments and anger in a way that gave value to the Nazis.
Lastly, there is an emphasis on Goebbels' commitment to socialism and a volkisch socialist revolution. He never let that notion go. It was the mechanism through which he wanted to overthrow the old aristocratic order when he was younger. And towards the end of the war it fed his fantasies about making a separate peace with the Soviets in order to fight the Allies on one front.
The tone of this biography, meanwhile, tends towards reflecting an objective attitude. On that score Reuth is much more akin to earlier biographers of the Nazis, such as Alan Bullock, although even Bullock was much more eager to assess and place blame on the likes of Goebbels for their actions than is Reuth.
Another thing implied is a picture of Goebbels as a complete non-entity without Hitler. The early part of his life is undistinguished and, in fact, boring. Only when he attaches himself to the NSDAP, first through Gregor Strasser and, later, Hitler, does he become a more animated being. I am willing to buy into this notion more firmly than the relatively power dependent figure discussed above. For without Hitler, it is clear that Goebbels was nothing. The "poison dwarf" only found purpose through anger and revenge at the bourgeois representatives of capital or the reactionary aristocratic class all of whom he felt conspired against people such as himself to keep them from their proper place in society. Only the arrival of Hitler into his life allowed Goebbels to focus his disappointments and anger in a way that gave value to the Nazis.
Lastly, there is an emphasis on Goebbels' commitment to socialism and a volkisch socialist revolution. He never let that notion go. It was the mechanism through which he wanted to overthrow the old aristocratic order when he was younger. And towards the end of the war it fed his fantasies about making a separate peace with the Soviets in order to fight the Allies on one front.
The tone of this biography, meanwhile, tends towards reflecting an objective attitude. On that score Reuth is much more akin to earlier biographers of the Nazis, such as Alan Bullock, although even Bullock was much more eager to assess and place blame on the likes of Goebbels for their actions than is Reuth.
June 4, 2008
Rather dry and tedious. I slogged through all but the last few chapters.
June 27, 2023
I was curious about Goebbels when I found this book. How could someone grow such a evil ideology and such hatred to a group of people. I think Goebbels was around the wrong people that helped fuel these evil thoughts and help grow this hatred for the Jews. Am I defending Goebbels and try to defend him? No, he was an evil man and obviously was around the worst type of people.
December 26, 2021
Interessante Biografie, die erkennen lässt, wie fanatisch Goebbels in seinem Glauben an "seinen Führer" war und in welche Realitätsverweigerungen er sich steigern konnte. Ausführliche Fußnoten mit weiterführender Lektüre sind ebenfalls vorhanden.
February 20, 2021
Very clinical, poorly written (translated?). Gives all the facts but none of the depth. Disappointing but I wanted to read a biography on the subject!
December 25, 2012
Ok here's the thing, the author of this title has gone to extraordinary lengths in order to put this together. I can only imagine the amount of research that went into this book.
'Mephistophelean', yes indeed, I am sure if the devil himself met this man he may well be shocked.
Rating?
Well I do take into account a few things that were missing for me.
Hilter seemed to be imprisoned one minute and a few pages later he was back in circulation. I realize this is a work about Goebbles, but these little things matter to me.
I want to give this three stars, but will go to four not least due to the dedication given to this book's content.
'Mephistophelean', yes indeed, I am sure if the devil himself met this man he may well be shocked.
Rating?
Well I do take into account a few things that were missing for me.
Hilter seemed to be imprisoned one minute and a few pages later he was back in circulation. I realize this is a work about Goebbles, but these little things matter to me.
I want to give this three stars, but will go to four not least due to the dedication given to this book's content.
June 21, 2013
Despite the subject matter, the notion of obeying taboos seeming to be one of mankind's more annoying constraints on discovery, the subject of the story was presented in as objective a light as possible. Seeing the marketed rise of the Nazi's and the creative mind behind it is at once fascinating and terrifying.
Of particular note was the novel Michael that he wrote for his Phd in Letters. Struggling to find a publisher and making a go of a literary career, he ended up using his words not to inform or enlighten but to harass and oppress. Something to think about the next time you get a rejection slip.
April 23, 2015
A very interesting biography of Goebbels containing a great deal of information on his life, his family and the rise & fall of the Third Reich. Although it was somewhat tedious in places, overall it was a vey interesting book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
July 12, 2019
Lacked insight into the mind of Goebbels in the sense of his overall hatred that lead him to participate in the events that he had a massive hand in and I'm unsure if it was on purpose. Found myself engrossed in the book nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews