Goebels
Goebbels, commonly referred to as Joseph Goebbels, was a German politician who served as Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda from 1933 to 1945. Born in 1897 in Rheydt, he studied at German universities, served in World War I, and joined the Nazi Party in the early 1920s. He quickly rose as a leading propagandist and became a close associate of Adolf Hitler. As propaganda minister, he supervised the regime’s control of the press, radio, film, and culture, and established mechanisms to censor or coordinate media. He championed antisemitic and racist messaging and played a central role in creating and disseminating propaganda that helped legitimize persecution and mobilize the population for war. The ministry oversaw efforts such as the dissemination of antisemitic laws, state-imposed censorship, and the use of posters, speeches, films, radio, and mass rallies. The Volksempfänger radio and state-controlled film industry were used to spread the regime’s ideology.