Goebbels: A Biography

As a historian of virtually universal, almost unparalleled acclaim on the Nazi regime and the Holocaust in particular, Longerich presents so much knowledge, offers so much context, and makes so many brilliant connections that it is frankly daunting for even the enthusiast or academic. This book, 900+ pages long, is not for the layman, and even the audio book I received for this review, read in a polite, calm, unchanging British voice, occasionally comes off as monotonous. This should not be taken as a criticism of Longerich’s work, however, as this subject matter is given the intellectual, somber treatment it deserves instead of allowing any emotion to get in the way.

Drawing heavily from the primary source of Goebbels’s own diaries show more (which incredibly resulted in his publisher being sued by Goebbels’s estate) Longerich cites, puts into perspective, analyzes, and offers informed speculation on the Reich Minister for Enlightenment and Propaganda in a way no one else ever has. Beginning in detail from roughly his college years, the book then spans his life elaborating on his failed aspirations as a novelist, his roots in the NASDAP, his rise to power under Adolf Hitler, his relationship with and marriage to Magda Ritschel and their resulting six children, his participation in the war effort, his affair with a beautiful actress that nearly resulted in divorce and public disgrace, and his last days in the Chancellery bunker in Berlin before he and his wife infamously poisoned their children before killing themselves.

More than a biography, however, the book’s thesis focuses on Goebbels’s psychology; Longerich diagnoses him as a prime example of narcissistic personality disorder, which resulted from a combination of factors including a physical disfigurement (club foot), unrealized potential, remarkable intelligence, and having been born into poverty. Goebbels initially became a writer in part to impress women, and failed in succession with several. In the 1920s, this failure in relationships led to an obsessive hero worship and love of Hitler, becoming one of his most fervent disciples.

This is not a book that can be listened to or read for pleasure by most, even those who devour books on the subject. Even in an academic setting, most of the value it offers will be obtained in pieces or small passages rather than all at once. Many in-depth studies have this disclaimer, but make no mistake – Goebbels: A Biography will certainly be regarded going forward as the definitive standard for the subject. show less

"And when we're victorious who will question our methods. We have done so many things that we must win because otherwise our whole nation, with us at the forefront with everything that is dear to us, would be eradicated."

Whoo, if you're looking for a bit of light reading then this is not for you. If you're looking for a comprehensive and interesting biography of Goebbels then this is the book for you. Not only does Peter Longerich manage to cover Goebbels' life and his role in The Third Reich but he also manages to cover the early days, rise, and activity during the war of the NSDAP.

Much has been written about Goebbels before this biography but Longerich really manages to get a more complete look at Goebbels' life, motivations, and role show more in the government based mostly upon Goebbels' diaries, which were first published in full in 2006. By using Goebbels' diaries as a source Longerich can show just how narcissistic, and dependent Goebbels was on Hitler. Others have tried to portray Goebbels in just one light when Longerich shows that Goebbels was a complex man. Even though not much is known about Goebbels before 1923 (besides what Goebbels has written himself) Longerich provides a great picture of that time using what sources are available to us.

What I really enjoyed about this biography was the fact that not only readers get to learn about Goebbels' life and his role as Propaganda chief, they also get to read about the early days of the NSDAP and its rise and rule until the end of WWII. You really get an insiders view into the NSDAP (through Goebbels' eyes) and get to see how certain decisions were made and get to see different people's roles in the NSDAP. Goebbels didn't have as big a role (or as successful a role) in his propaganda ministry as he would have lead people to believe. In fact, he was as big a confidant to Hitler as he would have wanted everyone to believe.

My only real complaint about this book was that it could be a bit dry at times but that definitely did not happen that much. I would highly recommend this book if you are looking to learn more about Goebbels and the NSDAP. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley. show less

In the New Testament book of Revelation, there is a curious individual known as “the false prophet.” He is sometimes considered to be the mouthpiece of the Antichrist. If Adolph Hitler was the antichrist, then Josef Goebbels was the false prophet. Peter Longerich’s new work on this mysterious individual is based upon new scholarship and recently released and translated editions of Goebbels’ personal and private diary. Goebbels brings this man to life for a generation now decades removed from the last World Conflict.

Longerich begins the story in the Berlin Bunker in April of 1945 when, after the suicide of Goebbels’ idol and Hitler’s new wife, and after all attempts at honorable surrender have been exhausted, Josef and Magda show more Goebbels methodically poison their children then take their own lives. Of all the loyalists who surrounded Hitler during the Third Reich, only the Goebbels choose to remain in the bunker and join der Fuhrer in suicide.

Goebbels is the story of a rather ordinary man who longed to be something out of the ordinary. Saddled with a disability that affected the way he walked, Josef overcompensated by trying to form himself into an intellectual and scholar. By all reports, he was mediocre at best. However, he did legitimately earn a PhD in Germany and set his sights for a career in academia.

Longerich shows Goebbels as a normal man who experienced broken heartedness, familial love, and the normal passions that any person would possess. There was little clue in his early life that indicated that he would one day become the man who could speak for the Third Reich.
Two important character traits began to emerge in young Josef. The first was his narcissism. He became so completely narcissistic that cruelty to others was considered a legitimate tool if it could be effectively used to support his ego. The second was his growing anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism was not unique to Goebbels or the Nazis for that matter. Many in Germany at this time embraced it or overlooked it. In Goebbels it grew to a passion. These two character flaws were to cataclysmically converge when Goebbels met Adolph Hitler.

Goebbels’ diary entries show a symbiotic relationship between the Fuhrer and his Propaganda Minister. Hitler relied on Goebbels narcissism and Goebbels fed into Hitler’s aggression and anti-Semitism. Sometimes during the account, it is difficult to know who was pulling whose strings. Hitler depended upon the Goebbels family as his surrogate family, and even appears to have been in love with Magda Goebbels. Josef relied upon Hitler to feed his constant need for approval. Though at times frustrated with his indecision, Goebbels looked upon Hitler as almost god-like.

Peter Longerich presents a compelling biography of one of the most notorious men of the 20th century. My version was an audiobook, which I requested from LibraryThing. At times, a hard copy would have been beneficial to recheck names, acronyms, German words, etc. Notwithstanding, this is a great book. show less

I was provided a copy of this CD book by the publisher for review purposes.

“Goebbels” by Peter Longerich is a fascinating book that delves into the life of Josef Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister. The book draws upon Goebbels’ own diaries to show him as the Nazi henchman in support of an ideal world that only he and Hitler seemed at times to truly envision. This must be lengthiest book on CD to which I have ever listened to, and I admit that the almost 29 hours were at times difficult because the pace of the reader was almost tedious.

The book is well worth the listen for history buffs and for anyone who wonders “why and how,” the Nazi’s could have gained a foothold in Germany after WWI and how it led to WWIII and the show more Holocaust.

From the psychological aspects of Goebbels personality to his cruelty and inferiority complex, to his narcissism and political life as a spinner of tales for the Nazi’s, Goebbels becomes a multidimensional figure rather than just a name in a history book. He undying worship of Hitler is frightening. show less

I am listening to this on CD, courtesy of the early reviewers program here at LibraryThing. As of this writing, I am only on the third disk.

Two initial thoughts:

1. The author persists in using "right wing" to refer to Nazis yet the author freely mentions and acknowledges the socialism that is part of the National Socialist German Workers Party. This is annoying and offensive and kind of dumb. It should be obvious to anyone that the true conflict of visions is between collectivism of any sort and individualism. If you can't tear yourself away from "right vs left" then it should be painfully obvious that the left is collectivist and the right is individualist. I realize the author isn't being original here and that he did not invent this show more trope but it's still tiresome when he keeps contradicting himself.

2. The "Voelkisch" movement is a huge part of Nazi "philosophy" yet I don't believe the author stopped to explain it at all. I don't have a perfect memory by any means for the spoken word, but if the author had explained this, I think I'd remember. Given Nazi racism (another facet of collectivism), a discussion of the importance of the "Volk" and this movement would have been a good idea.

Doubtless more to come. BTW, Goebbels is a whiny little pischer so far, so wrapped up in girls that he can't seem to make a decision over, except, I think, for the one with eeeeeeeeeeeevil Jewish blood. What a tool. show less

An excellent psychological depiction of Nazi Goebbels taken from Goebbels' own personal journals which he left behind in a Berlin vault before he killed his family and then himself before the Russian soldiers could capture he and Hitler. He killed himself once he saw that Hitler and Eva Braun had already committed suicide. Longerich in the opening and concluding chapters states flatly that the minister of Nazi German propaganda was a narcissist who saw in Adolf Hitler a god (fuhrer) who offered constant personal affirmation to the emotionally crippled Goebbels. Longerich makes the innuendo that Hitler was carrying on a long term affair with Goebbels' wife Helga. The author tends to downplay the British failures and lumps the British show more successes with the crucial Allied war turning points so this is obviously meant for an English audience. This is a long work (I actually listened to the CD audiobook a few times) but worth the time. I am not a Nazi history fanatic but I do like military history and WWII is an area I like to focus on. Goebbels was played for a dupe by Hitler for their whole relationship so the book shows Hitler not only as a murderous fanatic but a cult leader who cultivated others who could be manipulated and would be oblivious to their being taken for fools. This shows Hitler in action as creating chaos (within Germany's factions and then once the Nazi's took power among the Nazi party members themselves) then coming in to make a final decision which everyone had to see as divinely inspired for no reason at all. I am very lucky to have been able to read this well done book. show less

Goebbels: a biography, published in German in 2010 and recently translated into English, may soon stand with Joachim C. Fest’s biography of Hitler as one of the key sources of information for those interested in understanding the personalities and events that brought about the advent of the Third Reich and all the horrendous events that it spawned.

Longerich’s biography of Joseph Goebbels, based largely on the Nazi propaganda minister’s voluminous diaries, begins in the early 1920s with Goebbels, a young man with a less than impressive track record in school and employment , struggling to find himself. At one point drawn to the Catholic church and socialist ideology he ultimately rejects both and follows a totally different path. show more Longerich portrays Goebbels as an extremely narcissistic individual who at one point saw himself as the ultimate savior of Germany but who fell victim to the powerfully persuasive personality of Adolph Hitler, assumed for himself the mantle of self-proclaimed John the Baptist and dedicated himself to spreading his Führer’s message.

As with most comprehensive biographies, there are several places where the pace tends to lag but it still contains a lot of previously unpublished information that will intrigue readers. I was interested to learn that when Goebbels first became interested in anti-Semitism he read the series of booklets ‘The International Jew’ written by American Auto maker Henry Ford but decided that ‘he was not prepared to follow the author’s train of thought all the way.’

One ultimately is given the impression that Goebbels believed that he had a greater impact on events in Europe than he actually did. Perhaps his greatest propaganda coup was to leave most students of history believing that he alone controlled much of the output of the German media, educational and artistic institutions during the years the Nazis were in power. The truth is that he fought a constant, and usually unsuccessful battle to convince Hitler to grant him the power he craved. That he lacked that power is evident in how many of the key German actions that Goebbels was left out of until after they were begun. Even so, Goebbels many diaries still provide readers with much information regarding the secret meetings and inner workings of the Nazi party.

English narrator Simon Prebble does an admirable job of narrating the audio version of this book produced by Highbridge Audio. The narration is unabridged and runs for 28.75 hours.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review book was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
• 5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• 4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
• 3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered good or memorable.
• 2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
• 1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less