Library:The Goebbels Diaries, 1942–1943
| The Goebbels Diaries, 1942–1943 | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joseph Goebbels (edited by Louis P. Lochner) |
| First published | 1948 |
| ISBN | — |
| Role | Primary source |
| Domains | History Politics & Elections |
| Tactics | Propaganda Technique Fabrication |
The Goebbels Diaries, 1942–1943 is a 1948 book by Joseph Goebbels (edited by Louis P. Lochner).
Summary
This volume presents translated extracts from the diaries of Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany's Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, covering 1942 and 1943. The pages survived the fall of Berlin in 1945 and were edited and translated by Louis P. Lochner, a former Associated Press bureau chief in Berlin. It was published in 1948.
The propagandist at work
The entries show Goebbels planning newsreels, radio broadcasts and press directives, reacting to military defeats such as Stalingrad, and calculating how to present bad news. They reveal his belief that propaganda must be adapted constantly to public mood, and his contempt for the audiences he manipulated.
Reading with care
The diaries were written by a practiced liar with an eye on posterity, so they are evidence of his thinking and methods rather than a reliable account of events. Historians use them together with other records.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
A rare look inside the planning of a state propaganda machine, in the words of its chief. Useful as a primary source, never as a trustworthy narrator.