Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (29 October 1897 – ) is a German Nazbol politician and leader of the small but influential NMDAP party.
Early life
Paul Joseph Goebbels was born on 29 October 1897 in Rheydt, an industrial town south of Mönchengladbach near Düsseldorf. Both of his parents were Roman Catholics with modest family backgrounds. His father Fritz was a German factory clerk; his mother Katharina (née Odenhausen) was born to Dutch and German parents in the Netherlands. Goebbels has five siblings: Konrad (1893–), Hans (1895–), Maria (1896–1896), Elisabeth (1901–1915), and Maria (1910–).
During childhood, Goebbels suffered from ill health, which included a long bout of inflammation of the lungs. He had a deformed right foot that turned inwards, due to a congenital deformity. It was thicker and shorter than his left foot. He underwent a failed operation to correct it just prior to starting grammar school. Goebbels wore a metal brace and special shoe because of his shortened leg and walked with a limp. He was rejected for military service in Great War because of this deformity.
Goebbels was educated at a Gymnasium, where he completed his Abitur (university entrance examination) in 1917. He was the top student of his class and was given the traditional honour to speak at the awards ceremony. His parents initially hoped that he would become a Catholic priest, and Goebbels seriously considered it.
After Revolution
In 1918, a strike against Kaiser developed into a full-scale Revolution, and later Civil War. During that time Goebbels was only a student, but due to the Communists' victory in Civil War he distanced himself from the church. After he gained a PhD in 1921, Goebbels returned home and began his work as a small writer and reporter. Soon, he took interest in a small party called NMDAP and joined it. At that time, it was ruled by party's creator Heinrich Laufenberg.
During his days in a party, Goebbels practiced his rhetorical skills and soon became one of the best orators of this party. In August 1926, Goebbels became Gauleiter of the whole party and went to Berlin to become one of the NMDAP's delegates in Workers' Council. Although the party never gained majority, due to Goebbels the NMDAP's influence began to spread among radical communist forces. After Laufenberg resigned and died in 1932, Goebbels assumed control and became the leader of this party. As Chairman Paul Levi is going to leave his post in 1936, Goebbels is preparing for the elections...