World War 2 Question No. 11: After Hitler, Who was Most Fanatical of the Nazi Leaders?
Answer. Joseph Goebbels was a highly educated (Phd) individual and very intelligent (probably a genius). He was also a workaholic who stayed up late at night dictating his voluminous diary, The Goebbels Diary, which described in infinite detail the events of the war and what was happening on the home front. The Goebbels Diary is highly recommended reading for World War 2 buffs.
In addition to his great abilities, Goebbels was probably the second most fanatical Nazi (next to Hitler).
Goebbels was a smallish man born with a crippled foot which caused him to be turned down for military service. These stigmas were a constant source of embarrassment for Goebbels as he preached the philosophy of the Nazi master race. The stigmas may also be responsible for at least some of his fanaticism.
Goebbels first opposed Hitler and even tried to have him ejected from the Nazi Party. Then, he suddenly changed his mind and Hitler became his idol.
In May 1933, Goebbels became infamous around the world when he organized the book-burning event in which thousands of library books written by "undesirables" were publically burned. I recall that this event was later shown on American newsreels many times to show how fanatical the Nazis were.
Goebbels used all sorts of media in his propaganda campaigns but stressed radio (Is Rush Limbaugh an ancestor of Goebbels?)
Goebbels had an excellent idea that the war was not going well and that a greater effort from the German people was needed. He and Albert Speer formed an alliance to convince Hitler of this but the effort fell apart when Goering, who had joined them, fell into a lethargy (drug-induced?). They needed a leader of his stature to influence Hitler.
Goebbels was married to a beautiful women, Magda Goebbels, who bore him 6 children. Their marriage became a sham, however, because of the unfaithfulness of Joseph and, later, of Magda. Goebbels was a ladies man and carried on numerous affairs. He attempted to divorce Magda but the unmarried Hitler, who had sort of adopted the Goebbels family as his own, would not allow it.
Near the end of the war Joseph and Magda Goebbels retreated to the Bunker with Hitler. They had themselves shot after Magda had poisoned the 6 children. The Goebbels could not stand to live in a world that would be without Hitler!
Speer, who was a friend of Magda's, documented his conversations with Joseph and Magda in his book, Inside the Third Reich. An excellent reference!
Showing posts with label Goebbels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goebbels. Show all posts
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Was Albert Speer the "Good" Nazi?
World War 2 Question No. 9: Was Albert Speer the Good Nazi?
Answer. Albert Speer was Hitler's architect. Hitler had wanted to be an architect and so there was a natural affinity between the two men. Speer and Hitler built dream cities together. During the rise of the Nazis in Germany, Speer was given the job for making technical arrangements for the huge Nazi rallies. As with all his work, Speer showed great talent.
In 1941, Speer became Minister of Armaments and War Production after the death of Dr. Fritz Todt. Speer showed great talent in the job. Hitler and Goring had been lax in the armaments area after the successful Blitzkrieg campaigns in France and Poland and Speer finally got things moving again.
But Speer and the fanatical Joseph Goebbels, were still not satisfied with the German war effort. The two sought to recruit Goering to their side to counter the power of Martin Bormann and his associates. Bormann had a great deal of influence with Hitler. With the powerful Goering on their side, Speer and Goebbels thought they could overcome the influence of Bormann, et al, and move Hitler toward an all-out war effort.
At first, Goering agreed with them and then, for no apparent reason, dropped the matter and fell back into his state of lethargy (morphine?). Without Goering, the Speer - Goebbels alliance fell apart. If the group had been able to gain more power, the war would probably been extended because Speer and Goebbels knew very well Germany's war weaknesses and how to counter them. But they needed a leader of Goering's stature to advance their cause with Hitler.
Speer had close friendships with several wives of top German leaders. Speer seemed very sympathetic to their problems. The wives, iincluding Eva Braun and Magda Goebbels, confided in Speer whom they seemed to trust completely. These conversations make interesting reading in Speer's book, Inside the Third Reich, my favorite World War 2 book. The book provides a vivid description of the inner workings of the German establishment during the war.
Toward the end of the war, Speer turned against his friend, Hitler, and even considered assassinating him. He refused to carry out Hitler's orders to destroy the German infrastructure (Hitler believed the German people were unworthy of him).
Speer was tried at Nuremberg, where he confessed his part in the crimes of the Nazis. He was given 20 years in prison for his crimes.
Whether Speer was the good Nazi or not will be left for history to decide. He was certainly a cut above the average Nazi leader. But there are many who felt like Speer should have been given the death sentence.
We should all be thankful that the Speer - Goebbels - Goering alliance fell apart. Otherwise, we might still be fighting World War 2.
Answer. Albert Speer was Hitler's architect. Hitler had wanted to be an architect and so there was a natural affinity between the two men. Speer and Hitler built dream cities together. During the rise of the Nazis in Germany, Speer was given the job for making technical arrangements for the huge Nazi rallies. As with all his work, Speer showed great talent.
In 1941, Speer became Minister of Armaments and War Production after the death of Dr. Fritz Todt. Speer showed great talent in the job. Hitler and Goring had been lax in the armaments area after the successful Blitzkrieg campaigns in France and Poland and Speer finally got things moving again.
But Speer and the fanatical Joseph Goebbels, were still not satisfied with the German war effort. The two sought to recruit Goering to their side to counter the power of Martin Bormann and his associates. Bormann had a great deal of influence with Hitler. With the powerful Goering on their side, Speer and Goebbels thought they could overcome the influence of Bormann, et al, and move Hitler toward an all-out war effort.
At first, Goering agreed with them and then, for no apparent reason, dropped the matter and fell back into his state of lethargy (morphine?). Without Goering, the Speer - Goebbels alliance fell apart. If the group had been able to gain more power, the war would probably been extended because Speer and Goebbels knew very well Germany's war weaknesses and how to counter them. But they needed a leader of Goering's stature to advance their cause with Hitler.
Speer had close friendships with several wives of top German leaders. Speer seemed very sympathetic to their problems. The wives, iincluding Eva Braun and Magda Goebbels, confided in Speer whom they seemed to trust completely. These conversations make interesting reading in Speer's book, Inside the Third Reich, my favorite World War 2 book. The book provides a vivid description of the inner workings of the German establishment during the war.
Toward the end of the war, Speer turned against his friend, Hitler, and even considered assassinating him. He refused to carry out Hitler's orders to destroy the German infrastructure (Hitler believed the German people were unworthy of him).
Speer was tried at Nuremberg, where he confessed his part in the crimes of the Nazis. He was given 20 years in prison for his crimes.
Whether Speer was the good Nazi or not will be left for history to decide. He was certainly a cut above the average Nazi leader. But there are many who felt like Speer should have been given the death sentence.
We should all be thankful that the Speer - Goebbels - Goering alliance fell apart. Otherwise, we might still be fighting World War 2.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Why Did Magda Goebbels Kill Her 6 Children?
World War 2 Question No. 6. Why Did Magda Goebbels Kill Her 6 Children in the Bunker?
Answer: The Events Regarding Magda Goebbels as World War 2 came to an end is something that could have been in a Shakespeare tragedy. The only modern fiction equal to Magda's real-life story might be Sophie's Choice (book & movie) in which the unfortunate Sophie is forced by a sadistic Nazi concentration camp official to make the awful decision as to which one of her two beloved children will live.
Magda, the wife of Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels, was a beautiful, somewhat promiscuous woman that often served as a sort of "first lady" to bachelor Adolf Hitler. Hitler was very fond of the Goebbels family who produced six children for Hitler's third reich. In turn, Magda thought so much of Hitler that she began the names of each of the six children with an "H."
Although the Goebbels' marriage was a somewhat stormy one with both Magda and, especially Joseph, taking other lovers, they stayed together and when Hitler retreated to the bunker, Magda, Joseph, and the 6 children followed their hero. Joseph made a decision that they would all die with Hitler. The children were to die because Goebbels felt the children would be used as propaganda against him and the Nazi regime.
Magda was decimated by this decision but apparently did nothing to stop it. Both Hitler and Albert Speer (close friend of Magda as he was to many Nazi big-wig wives - they apparently enjoyed talking to the intelligent and sensitive Speer) tried to convince her to save the children. Speer even offered her refuge. She needed refuge from her husband who was becoming very abnormal as the end of the war approached.
But Magda appeared to have made up her mind that the children were to die.
On Speer's last trip to the bunker, he met with Magda who was in bed totally devastated by the coming death of her children. However, Joseph Goebbels did not leave the pair along and Speer was unable to talk freely with her. Speer bitterly complained about this in "Inside the Third Reich." However, it probably would not have mattered. Magda Goebbels' had made a decision that would leave her name in infamy.
The day after Hitler died, she allegedly fed the children cyanide poison-laced hot chocolate although one report is that they died via injection at Joseph Goebbels' orders. Then Joseph and Magda had themselves shot and their corpes burned by soldiers.
One of the many horror stories of World War 2. Almost certainly, Magda could have saved the children with the all-powerful Hitler and highly-placed Speer on her side - even in the insane environment that existed in the bunker. Magda was just not strong enough to stand up to the fanatical and very abnormal Joseph Goebbels.
However, when the lives of 6 children are at stake, a mother has to develop the strength!
How could she have done it?
Answer: The Events Regarding Magda Goebbels as World War 2 came to an end is something that could have been in a Shakespeare tragedy. The only modern fiction equal to Magda's real-life story might be Sophie's Choice (book & movie) in which the unfortunate Sophie is forced by a sadistic Nazi concentration camp official to make the awful decision as to which one of her two beloved children will live.
Magda, the wife of Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels, was a beautiful, somewhat promiscuous woman that often served as a sort of "first lady" to bachelor Adolf Hitler. Hitler was very fond of the Goebbels family who produced six children for Hitler's third reich. In turn, Magda thought so much of Hitler that she began the names of each of the six children with an "H."
Although the Goebbels' marriage was a somewhat stormy one with both Magda and, especially Joseph, taking other lovers, they stayed together and when Hitler retreated to the bunker, Magda, Joseph, and the 6 children followed their hero. Joseph made a decision that they would all die with Hitler. The children were to die because Goebbels felt the children would be used as propaganda against him and the Nazi regime.
Magda was decimated by this decision but apparently did nothing to stop it. Both Hitler and Albert Speer (close friend of Magda as he was to many Nazi big-wig wives - they apparently enjoyed talking to the intelligent and sensitive Speer) tried to convince her to save the children. Speer even offered her refuge. She needed refuge from her husband who was becoming very abnormal as the end of the war approached.
But Magda appeared to have made up her mind that the children were to die.
On Speer's last trip to the bunker, he met with Magda who was in bed totally devastated by the coming death of her children. However, Joseph Goebbels did not leave the pair along and Speer was unable to talk freely with her. Speer bitterly complained about this in "Inside the Third Reich." However, it probably would not have mattered. Magda Goebbels' had made a decision that would leave her name in infamy.
The day after Hitler died, she allegedly fed the children cyanide poison-laced hot chocolate although one report is that they died via injection at Joseph Goebbels' orders. Then Joseph and Magda had themselves shot and their corpes burned by soldiers.
One of the many horror stories of World War 2. Almost certainly, Magda could have saved the children with the all-powerful Hitler and highly-placed Speer on her side - even in the insane environment that existed in the bunker. Magda was just not strong enough to stand up to the fanatical and very abnormal Joseph Goebbels.
However, when the lives of 6 children are at stake, a mother has to develop the strength!
How could she have done it?
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