Paul Joseph Goebbels was born in the small town of Rheydt in the Rhineland on 29 October 1897. Goebbels suffered polio as a child; this left him with a crippled left foot and weakened leg for the rest of his life. An extremely bright boy, Goebbels compensated for his physical weakness by indulging an almost insatiable appetite for reading. It was in Munich in 1922 that Joseph Goebbels heard Adolf Hitler speak for the first time. So impressed was Goebbels that he immediately joined the Nazi Party. This was the beginning of a journey that would see Goebbels become a dedicated follower of Hitler, almost without exception, for the remainder of his life.
Like Hitler, Goebbels was a very gifted speaker. The unexpected success of the Communists in Berlin through 1926 prompted Hitler to dispatch Goebbels to the capital in an effort to re-organize the Party there, and to win back the city from the Communists. At the same time the political infighting amongst the Party leadership in the capital was a cause of great concern to Hitler. On his arrival in Berlin Goebbels encountered abject apathy, generated for the most part by a conflict-ridden leadership and a lack of organization. Nonetheless within twelve months Goebbels had broken the supremacy of the Strasser brothers in northern Germany and had turned the Party’s fortunes around. As Gauleiter (District Leader), Goebbels’ gifts for inflammatory speechmaking and innovative campaigning methods proved a successful combination. Notwithstanding the winning of numerous street battles that regularly took place between the SA and the Communists.
In July 1927 Goebbels established Der Angriff (The Attack) in Berlin. This was the Nazi Party’s weekly newspaper, which he edited. The aim of Der Angriff was to attack and discredit all political opponents in the capital. Later, following the announcement of the Nürnberger Gesetze (Nuremberg Laws) at the 1935 Party Rally, Goebbels used Der Angriff to urge all Party members to take violent action against the Jews. This was done for two reasons; firstly, it was hoped that in stirring up further hatred of the Jews that this would turn the attention of a now grumbling public and faltering Party support towards a ‘common enemy.’ Secondly, it was intended to increase pressure on the Jews to consider leaving Germany.
Joseph Goebbels was undoubtedly a brilliant propagandist; as time passed he would be instrumental in creating the idea of the Hitler myth, presenting the Führer as Germany’s Messiah. As a reward for winning Berlin back for the Party, Hitler appointed Goebbels head of propaganda. The ‘little doctor’ set about introducing crowd-pleasing dramatic effects at Nazi rallies and meetings. Goebbels played an important role in the campaigns that eventually led to the Nazis achieving power in Germany in 1933. In recognition of his efforts, Hitler appointed Goebbels; Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Goebbels then poured his considerable energy into gaining control over the press and radio. His next move was to bring cinema, publishing, and the theatre under his control. Goebbels’ power over what was seen, heard, and thought, was considerable.