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Joseph Goebbels: Life and Death
An insightful new biography of Joseph Goebbels, Propaganda Minister of the 'Third Reich' and one of the most important and troubling figures of the twentieth century. The first account to use all of Goebbels' surviving diaries, it sheds new light on his personality, private life and political convictions, as well as his relationship with Hitler.
407 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 3, 2012
This is the first biography I have read on Joseph Goebbels, and the first by this author, and I found Toby Thacker's biography of this vile and infamous man engrossing and very informative.
The book follows a chronological approach to Goebbels' life and uses as its foundation all 29 volumes the Reich Propaganda minister wrote from 1924-1945.
He then intertwines this with a considerable amount of other research and source material to produce a highly readable story of a man from a humble background who missed active service in World War One but went on to become a central part of the Nazi's rise to power.
The coverage of his subject's private life: his loves - including music which never left him - his disappointments, worries and wishes provided good background to Thacker's portrayal and coverage of his political life and deeds.
Goebbels' hero/god like worship of Hitler is laid bare, as is his despair, distrust and sheer distaste for other leading Nazis. The part he played in bring the Nazi party and its agenda to the Ruhr whilst Hitler was banned from speaking is intersting, as is Goebbels wider role and conduct in the run up to power. His sheer capacity for work - used as a channel to offset for personal disappointment too - shows the value he provided to the Nazi movement especially again as where Party sought political acceptance and power.
His time as Gauleiter of Berlin was no doubt a personal success, and again showed his skills as an administrator and communicator. He also showed courage visiting bombed out areas and meeting people; something Hitler rarely did at any stage of the war and never did as the end neared. We are told by Thacker that Goebbles was respected by the people for this.
Thacker also shows that Goebbels was no passenger in respect of his beliefs and actions in relation to the Jews and the Final Solution. He was an anti-semite before meeting Hitler and was hardline on proposals and examples whenever the two men discussed their plans. Not as others have suggested, so Thacker states, by merely using it for his own advancement or to curry favour with Hitler.
His death, alongside his wife Magda and children ends the penultimate chapter of the book in chilling terms as we read from various - and all known sources - of these events.
The final chapter deals with other books that cover Goebbels' life and Toby Thacker provides his views and opinions on the interpretations by these authors, including many who have repeated inaccurate stories, sources or cliches about Goebbels.
There is also discussion on his legacy. The one that Goebbels had hoped for as a beacon of loyalty to Hitler and a protector of society against Jews, against the one that actually is seen today of a man who although skilled at communication and propaganda used his beliefs, skills and power as a key proponent of genocide within one of histories most destructive and foul dictatorships.
A book certainly worth reading.
The book follows a chronological approach to Goebbels' life and uses as its foundation all 29 volumes the Reich Propaganda minister wrote from 1924-1945.
He then intertwines this with a considerable amount of other research and source material to produce a highly readable story of a man from a humble background who missed active service in World War One but went on to become a central part of the Nazi's rise to power.
The coverage of his subject's private life: his loves - including music which never left him - his disappointments, worries and wishes provided good background to Thacker's portrayal and coverage of his political life and deeds.
Goebbels' hero/god like worship of Hitler is laid bare, as is his despair, distrust and sheer distaste for other leading Nazis. The part he played in bring the Nazi party and its agenda to the Ruhr whilst Hitler was banned from speaking is intersting, as is Goebbels wider role and conduct in the run up to power. His sheer capacity for work - used as a channel to offset for personal disappointment too - shows the value he provided to the Nazi movement especially again as where Party sought political acceptance and power.
His time as Gauleiter of Berlin was no doubt a personal success, and again showed his skills as an administrator and communicator. He also showed courage visiting bombed out areas and meeting people; something Hitler rarely did at any stage of the war and never did as the end neared. We are told by Thacker that Goebbles was respected by the people for this.
Thacker also shows that Goebbels was no passenger in respect of his beliefs and actions in relation to the Jews and the Final Solution. He was an anti-semite before meeting Hitler and was hardline on proposals and examples whenever the two men discussed their plans. Not as others have suggested, so Thacker states, by merely using it for his own advancement or to curry favour with Hitler.
His death, alongside his wife Magda and children ends the penultimate chapter of the book in chilling terms as we read from various - and all known sources - of these events.
The final chapter deals with other books that cover Goebbels' life and Toby Thacker provides his views and opinions on the interpretations by these authors, including many who have repeated inaccurate stories, sources or cliches about Goebbels.
There is also discussion on his legacy. The one that Goebbels had hoped for as a beacon of loyalty to Hitler and a protector of society against Jews, against the one that actually is seen today of a man who although skilled at communication and propaganda used his beliefs, skills and power as a key proponent of genocide within one of histories most destructive and foul dictatorships.
A book certainly worth reading.
June 22, 2016
Labai nebloga didžiojo nacių propagandisto biografija. Remiamasi autentišku Goebelso dienoraščiu, kurį rado ir įslaptino sovietai. Gal tik per mažai vietos skirta pačiai propagandos strategijai ir technikoms. Gal per daug dėmesio meilės trikampiams ir ašaroms, bet čia jau skonio reikalas.
Beje, man buvo naujiena, kad Goebelsas 1941 m. lankėsi Vilniuje ir miestą pavadino "Dievo užmiršta skyle".
Beje, man buvo naujiena, kad Goebelsas 1941 m. lankėsi Vilniuje ir miestą pavadino "Dievo užmiršta skyle".
January 13, 2016
"Entramos no Reichstag (parlamento) para juntarmos armas que a própria democracia nos dá.Queremos eleger deputados para paralisar a democracia por dentro.(...)Se nestas eleições conseguirmos eleger 60 ou 70 agitadores do nosso partido no parlamento,o próprio estado financiará a nossa equipa de combate.(...)Não temos de acreditar no parlamentarismo para o utilizar como meio(...).Chegamos ao parlamento como seus inimigos.Chegamos como o lobo junto de cordeiros".
February 18, 2023
I have read books about some horrible people such as Hitler, Stalin and but none are more disgusting, vile and repugnant as Goebbels. This is a really good read. He was definitely more of a linchpin in the Nazi organization than many thought.
August 9, 2017
Fascinating look into the mind of arguably the greatest propagandist of the 20th century and his role within the Third Reich.
December 20, 2021
This book draws largely from Goebbels’ diaries written between 1923 and 1945. From the very early days mention is made in them of his obsession against Jews (even though they represented less than 1% of the German population in the 1930’s.) It describes his rise in the ranks of the Nazi party and resulting closeness to Hitler to whom he remained devoted until the end, despite frustration with his increasing absenteeism. We are living with the character as we learn about his marital problems, womanizing, enmities and doubts up to and after the apex of Nazi success in 1942 and the heavy bombing of Germany and Allied advances that followed. Whereas, as Allied pressures increased, most of his colleagues retreated into isolation, he remained publicly active, continuing to encourage mass hysteria and xenophobia and giving propaganda a dirty name, cunningly making sure that there was enough truth in it so as to continue to be listened to. He was an intelligent, hardworking, cultured and gifted man of the people, loved music, a first class orator, a man with very scary views. Like his associates, he exploited the fragility of democracy and opportunities for enacting evil, forcing the perception of an omnipresent enemy, the Jews, which had to be liquidated at all costs. All types of ‘asocials’ had to be exterminated, but although his own physical handicap invited comments, it did not hold back his career. Death or subservience was due to all who were considered different or of inferior race. He believed that the Jews were controlling the Allies, and even implicated them in the Soviet murder of the Poles in Katyn Forest in 1940 and the Dambusters raid in 1943. The biography is admirably crowned by a 27-page epilogue that discusses the many differing perceptions of Goebbels, identifies the misconceptions, and defines a very evil man indeed able to profit from the national psyche of the time. This is a harsh lesson for those inclined to believe in the innate goodness of human beings.
August 6, 2011
Magnífica biografia d'un dels personatges més fascinants de la primera meitat del segle XX i l'èxit del qual és impossible de separar del context històric en que va sorgir, en una Alemanya que buscava culpables del fracàs de la primera gran guerra. El llibre descobreix un home desequilibrat però visionari (pioner en l'ús i manipulació dels mitjans de comunicació i un gran orador) i conseqüent amb el seu ideari, en la línia, potser, d'altres personatges preeminents en les dictadures europees de fa cinquanta anys.
July 3, 2012
An accessible biography, if perhaps maddeningly thin in some areas. For all his vaunted access to the "complete" diaries of Goebbels, it doesn't seem like we get a great deal of quotations from them. I'm left with a vaguely unsatisfying feeling after having finished this -- I'm not even entirely certain what things the author DID focus on...and that's mere hours after closing the cover on it. The writing was solid, but not engaging.
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April 23, 2015Fantastic!!
February 24, 2013
Muy interesante y seriamente documentado.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews