Joseph Goebbels may not be the greatest leader of all time, and may not even be

considered a leader by conventional standards though he is undoubtedly a great

leader as he is unmatched in his ability relating to the propaganda industry.
Propaganda and leadership go hand in hand and in this way it is clear that Goebbels
is a great leader.

To what extent did Joseph Goebbels appointment as Minister of Propaganda and his
qualities as a leader enhance and preserve the influence at the time and the legacy
of the Nazis?
To what extent did Joseph Goebbels leadership as Minister of Propaganda enhance,
e?/influence and ?/support? theThe Nazis and their legacy?

When one thinks of the infamous Nazis of World War 2, Adolf Hitler is usually the
first thought, followed closely by Goring and Himmler, as these three controlled the
armies of Germany. When we think of leadership of mind is usually drawn towards
leading armies and delivering incredible speeches though Joseph Goebbels shows a
more subtle, yet still as effective style of leadership. . While Joseph Goebbels is
often thought little of, his leadership qualities can be seen from the rising of the
party to the end of the war and his suicide. While Goebbels Joseph was an
effectiveincredible leader, he also devoted time in the areas of film and literature to
preserve the legacy of the party. his work into preserving the legacy of the party
must also be mentioned as the many attempts he made to break into the world of
film and literature had one common goal. Der angriff was Josephs Goebbels first
major organised attempt at a different propaganda medium than to that used by
Hitler and the rest of the party were using. While he had success attempted this
medium this did not stop him from perfecting the art of speech giving. , and staying
level with the other members of the party. After his support for the party was
recognised he was named mMinister of Ppropaganda in Germany, this allowed him
to continue to dabble in methods other than the traditional demonstrations or public
party meetings. His construction of the Reich Film Chamber allowed him to monitor
and influence all films being made in Germany and to promote ones that aligned
with his views. Triumph of the Will shows the influence Goebbels had on the film
making industry and portrays embodies the ideal propaganda film that others would
attempt to compete with.strive to stay on par with. During the war Joseph Goebbels
turned his attention to the home front where he focused on keeping the spirit of the
party alive during the depression and the war.such harsh times. When the war
seemed to go sour for the Germans and many other commanders jumped ship
Goebbels stayed true loyal to the Nazi cause with and instigated one final total war
effort to turn the tidechange the outcome of the war. Overall Joseph Goebbels
proved himself to be a competent and devoted leader and devoted follower, more

than can be said for Goring and Himmlerr who deserves a legacy that will stand the
test of time. Joseph Goebbels worked to inspire the citizens of Germany but also
paid incredible attention to preserving the legacy of the Nazi party whether it be in
film or literature.

Der angriff was Josephs Goebbels first major active organised propaganda
attempt.1 After the failed coup of Munich colloquially known as the Bbeer Hhall
putsch and Goebbels tactic of using provocation to bring attention to the NSDAP,
the Berlin police banned the NSDAP from within the city limits.2 Joseph Goebbels
was also given a banned from speaking within the city limits. This prevented the
NSDAP from reaching their audience and continuing to gain support through
demonstrations and public party meetings, so Goebbels had to try a less direct
method to spread propaganda through Bberlin as they would lose the support they
previously had gained before during their ban of the Bberlin streets. Joseph
Goebbels decided that the way he would go about this was to release his own
newspaper, titled Der Angriff, which primarily attacked members of the Berlin
police force while also spreading anti-Semitic and anti-communist messages to the
public.3 Joseph Goebbels began by attacking the Jewish Ddeputy Cchief of police
Bernhard Wei4 which spread the anti-Semitic views Joseph Goebbels held while also
undermining the command of the organization that was responsible for their ban of
the city limits. This newspaper was designed to keep the views of the party alive
and the spirit of the party strong., unfortunately Tthe newspaper was, however,
rather unsuccessful as in the when the ban was lifted in 1928 the NSDAP had lost
upwards more thanof 100 000 votes.5 Der Angriff highlights the way Goebbels
would try to influence the public through various types of propaganda and also
illustrates Josephs Goebbels first attempt to break into the literary world of the
pressd. Josephs Goebbels leadership extended far pastbeyond merely creating
newspapers, as he was credited with delivering some of the most influential
speeches during the war. Like Hitler, Goebbels practiced his speeches in front of a
mirror to amplify the effect of his speech to perfection, as giving speethis method
was the primary and most effective method to generate support. 6 Goebbels
leadership is rarely shown independent from the party,n his own element, more
often than not it is him supporting a higher power, however when Goebbels
1 Longerich, Peter (2015). Goebbels: A Biography. New York: Random House. PG 89
2 Longerich, Peter (2015). Goebbels: A Biography. New York: Random House. PG 81
3Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2010) [1960]. Doctor Goebbels: His Life and Death. New
York: Skyhorse. Pg 82

4 Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2010) [1960]. Doctor Goebbels: His Life and Death.
New York: Skyhorse Pg 80-81

5 Evans, Richard J. (2003). The Coming of the Third Reich. Penguin Group. Pg 209

delivered a speech it illustrates his incredible leadership abilitycaptures his true

leadership qualities in the flesh. While the propaganda he would created would
influence the public opinion and enhance the German peoples view of Hitler and
the party, Goebbels stayed out of the public? He styled himself as more the creative
type and believed that a way to make a lasting impression and preserve the his
legacy of himself and that of the party was in the way ofthrough film and literature.
Joseph Goebbels was most effective in achieving this aim when started to preserve
their legacy in this way when he was appointed Mminister of pPropaganda.

Influencing the public opinion and preserving the legacy of the party was sure to be
unsuccessful if he continued to only reach his audience through public
demonstrations and newspapers, the face of propaganda in berlin would have to
take a drastic turn if it was to be successful in influencing the public and preserving
the partys legacy. This drastic turn came with Josephs appointment as minister of
propaganda.7 As the minister of propaganda he Goebbels promptly created the
Mministry, which he split into seven7 departments; aAdministration and legal, mass
rallies, public health, youth and race, radio, press, films and the department that
dealt with art, music and theatre.8 Joseph Goebbels took a special interest in the
production of films and promoted all films with a Nazi slantideology/bias, both
whether it was subtle andor overt it did not matter. Films that displayed antiSemitism were also promoted and endorsed in order to influence the public opinion
and promote the anti-Semitic views that Goebbels shared with Hitler. Josephs
Goebbels Mministry can be likened to the Mministry of Ttruth in George Orwells
novel 1984, monitoring and restricting the books released mimicsreflects? touches
base with the ideas of the ministry of truth though little altering of history was
made. In order to enforce and promote the anti-communist, anti-Semitic and Nazi
slanted biased films Joseph Goebbels established the Reich Film Cchamber that
each member of the Mministry had to join.910 The Film chamber was the first of
many chambers that were designedaimed to control every aspect of life as well as

6 Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2010) [1960]. Doctor Goebbels: His Life and Death.
New York: Skyhorse. Pg 75-79

7 Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2010) [1960]. Doctor Goebbels: His Life and
Death. New York: Skyhorse. Pg 121
8 Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2010) [1960]. Doctor Goebbels: His Life and
Death. New York: Skyhorse. Pg 140-141
9 Longerich, Peter (2015). Goebbels: A Biography. New York: Random House., pp.PG
224-225 and Evans, Richard J. (2003). The Coming of the Third Reich. Penguin
Group, p. 138
10 Evans, Richard J. (2003). The Coming of the Third Reich. Penguin Group. Pg 138

influence the all the media released to the public.11 The Reich Ffilm Cchamber was
instrumental in promoting anti-Semitism and producing films with a Nazi Slant bias
as it everyone involved with the production of films had to join the chamber. 12 To
ensure that the members would join they acted on the basis of fear, the fear that
the members would lose their jobs, social and political standings and possibly even
their lives. Fear was a primary instrument used by Goebbels to command respect
and commitment among the members of the Mministry. All in all, Joseph Goebbels
used his appointment as Mminister of Ppropaganda and the Ffilm Cchambers to
influence the public and to preserve represent the ideas of the party in film. This
JosephsGoebbels appointment as mMinister of pPropaganda showcases his subtle
leadership in the style of supporting the party and Adolf Hitler himself. The
effectiveness of the All the effect of the Reich Film Chamber and Josephs Goebbels
successful leadership position can be seen in the propaganda film Triumph of the
Will, a dramatic recreation of the events of the Nuremberg rally.

Joseph Goebbels believed in the power of aesthetics and pushed for the symbols of
the party to closely align with the symbols of the state and in Triumph of the Will
the symbols of the party were the symbols of the state 13. In this film signs,
symbols and song were used to display and define party significance. Repeated
use of the eagle [and] swastika enhanced the partys strength.14 While this film
was from the an actual Nuremberg rally, it is a romanticized account creating an
new emotional experience. The emotional experience that was delivered to the
audience relied heavily on the collective emotional frenzy of the crowd and the
low angle shots of the party members designed to illustrateimpose a a sense of
power on them. 15This film had such an effect that David Bowie described the
leaders shown in the film to be the first great rock stars. 16 While Triumph of the Will
showcases the ideal vision Joseph Goebbels had for his propaganda films he had to
adapt his vision in drastic ways in order to excite and inspire the citizens German
people on the home front.
11 Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2010) [1960]. Doctor Goebbels: His Life and
Death. New York: Skyhorse. Pg 212-213
12 Thacker, Toby (2010) [2009]. Joseph Goebbels: Life and Death. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan Pg 157

13 Barsam, Richard M. (1975). Film guide to: Triumph of the Will. Pg 33

14 Barsam, Richard M. (1975). Film guide to: Triumph of the Will. Pg 34
15 Hull, David Stewart (1969). Film in the Third Reich: A Study of the German Cinema,
19331945. Berkeley: University of California Press.
16 Spotts, Frederic (2003). Hitler and the power of aesthetics. Pimlico. Pg 56

While Goring and Hitler were heavily engaged in the offensive measures of the war,
Joseph Goebbels became engrossed with the home front. Believing that the war
would be won or lost on the home front he devoted much of his time and effort to
inspire and influence the German peoples at home. Joseph Goebbels believed that
the spirit of the citizens was paramount and so passed the act to produce 80% light
hearted films with little Nazi slants propaganda or anti-Semitic messages. This was
designed to raise the spirits of the German people which was crucial to all the
production of weapons and clothing that the army needed for the continued
campaign. Joseph Goebbels showed incredible devotion to the war effort and Hitler
throughout the war while other officers such as Hermann Goering were mainly
fixated on their personal gain Joseph Goebbels thought mostlyonly of bettering
Germany. Hitler recognized his devotion and reportedly named Joseph Goebbels as
his successor which proves Goebbels incredible leadership. Hitler is famed for being
an astute and intelligent incredible leader and being able to ignite crowds with his
speeches and convince a country to hunt destroy an entire race and start a world
war.17 Hitler naming Goebbels as his successor illustrates his trust in Goebbels.The
shoes of Hitler would be almost impossible to fill by any ordinary man but Joseph
Goebbels proved time and time again that he was worthy of this position and Hitler
believed that he could lead an entire country through such a time which is a
testament to Josephs leadership abilities. G Goebbels was as devoted to Germany
that during his time as Ppropaganda Mminister he always pushed for a total war
effort, which was only sanctioned as the war drew to a close and Hitler began to see
himself losing and so in one final push allowed Josephs Goebbels total war notion
to pass.

As the war was drawing to a close and Germany was in dire straits, Hitler allowed
Josephs Goebbels proposal for the total war effort that he had proposed.18 After the
successful D-Dday landings, many commanders believed that Germany had lost the
war and so most focused on their own gain while Goebbels focused purely on a final
attempt to win the war.19 The total war effort that Joseph Goebbels can be likened to
the last stand of the Spartans at thermopalyae, one final effort that could potentially
turn the fate of the war. Joseph Goebbels proposed that all businesses that were not
directly helping the war effort would be shut down and the employees would be
transferred to other places that supported the war effort directly. Josephs Goebbels
dedication to the war effort and Germany Hitler highlight his leadership qualities his
dedication to his country and cause that would rub off on his supporters.
Unfortunately the total war effort was timed too late and eventually Germany lost
the war to the overwhelming numbers of invaders. While the Total Wwar effort failed
17 Kershaw, Ian (2008). Hitler: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
18 Longerich, Peter (2015). Goebbels: A Biography. New York: Random House. Pg 643
19 Longerich, Peter (2015). Goebbels: A Biography. New York: Random House. PG 594

there is no way to know what the outcome of the war would be if GoebbelsJoseph
was allowed to enact his plan earlier.
Joseph Goebbels was undoubtedly one of the most influential leaders in pre-warNazi
Germany, which is shown in his involvement in many types of propaganda mediums
and his legacy today. Goebbels work as propaganda minister show he incredible
ability as a propagandist and it highlights his style of leadership. While some may
argue that the only true form of leadership is inspiring an army and leading them to
their deaths Goebbels portrays a more subtle, yet no less effective form of
leadership. While Josephs Goebbels work during the war showed his tremendous
strength as a leader his attention towards the preservation of his and others legacy
truly place him in another league. Due to his ability to influence, Joseph Goebbels is
one of the greatest leaders of all time and while the view of Goebbels may change
over time his legacy will be preserved over time.

Ben this comes across a pro-Nazi apologist essay. I think you

need to rethink your use of adjectives and when and where you
use the term unfortunately. I also think you have some way to
go in constructing an argument that suggests that Goebbels was
a great leader. A propagandist, definitely, but a great leader? Im
not so convinced.

Bibliography

Barsam, Richard M. (1975). Film guide to: Triumph of the Will.

Evans, Richard J. (2003). The Coming of the Third Reich. Penguin Group.
Hull, David Stewart (1969). Film in the Third Reich: A Study of the German Cinema,
19331945. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Kershaw, Ian (2008). Hitler: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Longerich, Peter (2015). Goebbels: A Biography. New York: Random House.
Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2010) [1960]. Doctor Goebbels: His Life and
Death. New York: Skyhorse
Kershaw, Ian (2008). Hitler: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Spotts, Frederic (2003). Hitler and the power of aesthetics. Pimlico. Pg 56
Thacker, Toby (2010) [2009]. Joseph Goebbels: Life and Death. New York: Palgrave
Macmillan