She believed that a real lady can be recognized by the fact that she conducts a conversation without blinking, even when a gas stove explodes in the kitchen. He was, in Hitler's opinion, "one of a kind in National Socialism." At first glance, they formed a perfect marriage. However, the truth about the private lives of Joseph Goebbels and his wife was quite different.
Joseph Goebbels was born on October 29, 1897 in the town of Rheydt in the Lower Rhine, inhabited by deeply religious Catholics. Ralf Georg Reuth, one of Goebbels' biographers, reported:
The daily attendance at church, confession and common home prayer, during which the mother would mark the crosses on the foreheads of kneeling children with holy water, were in the Goebbels house the same as the daily bread, hard-working by his father in Lennartz's wick factory.
At first glance, they formed a perfect marriage. However, the truth about the private lives of Joseph Goebbels and his wife was quite different.
Years later, Joseph wrote about his father, a civil servant, not very flatteringly, considering him to be an "old scandal", "petty, scruffy and overly meticulous bourgeoisie, caring only for his pathetic life of a bourgeoisie, a man without an ounce of imagination" .
"The master race must be numerous"
Although he criticized his father, Joseph developed - surprisingly - strongly traditional views on marriage and the roles assigned to women. In his journals he noted:
I have long believed that women were made to fulfill an ancient Germanic saying boiled down to "3 x K" which is:Kinder (children), Küche ( kitchen) and Kirche (church).
Hitler loved to appear with his minister's pretty daughters, and he seemed to treat all of his children as his own.
Elsewhere, he added:"It is known that bearing children is the basic duty of every German woman, because the breed of masters must be numerous ". When, at one meeting with farmers, he sat next to the father of 22 children, he said:“I was ashamed. I have a lot of catching up to do. ”
Goebbels, who became minister of propaganda, public enlightenment and information after Hitler took power in 1933, was extremely proud of his large family, an example to the German people and an awe-inspiring Führer. The leader loved to show up with his minister's pretty daughters, and he seemed to treat all of his children as his own.
The greatest treasure
Although it was believed that in his honor the Goebbels gave all children names beginning with the letter H this is not true. Auguste, Mrs. Goebbels' mother, gave a rather prosaic reason:
It is pure coincidence that after the birth of the first child, the name "Helga" was chosen, which began with the same letter as the name of Magda's son from her first marriage. Once this was noticed, the search for more names beginning with H became a family hobby.
The text was created, among others based on the book "Goebbels. Logs. Volume 1:1923-1939 ”, which has just been released by the Bellona publishing house. Buy now
A year after Helga, who was born on September 1, 1932, Hilde was born, two years later the long-awaited son Helmut, then a year after Hedwig and Holde, and finally Heide three years later. We do not know how much Joseph was involved in caring for the children and helping his wife, but it can be assumed that he was not at all, since he made fights over the crying of the little ones at night , making Magda cry.In his diaries, however, he wrote:"Children are my greatest treasure and I care for them very much." Apparently, he sometimes dreamed nightmares that they grow into life's failures.
Spanking must be
What was the daily schedule of the Goebbels children? They got up around seven, were served breakfast prepared by the cook, and then the older three were taken to school. After returning, they ate dinner and then sat down to do their homework. Meals together at the Goebbels home, this is what the teacher of their children remembered:
Magda and Goebbels sat opposite each other. Goebbels always called Magda "candy" . The parents were very nice to each other. After finishing the meal, Goebbels was eager to tease the children. He always tried to mobilize them a little to oppose him. This was especially true of his only son Helmut, who seemed too kind, trusting, dreamy to him.
One year after Helga, who was born on September 1, 1932, Hilde was born, two years later the long-awaited son Helmut, then one year after Hedwig and Holde, and finally Heide three years later.
Helmut was born on October 3, 1935. On that date his father wrote in his journals:
Indescribable! I dance for joy. […] At a pace of 140 km / h back. My hands are trembling with joy. At Magda's. He bursts out into a violent and spasmodic sob. Sweet, beloved! Sweet, sweet! Next to it lies a small one:Goebbels' face. I am extremely happy. For joy, I could break everything. Boy! Boyfriend!
However, the son did not live up to his father's expectations. The caregivers considered him a bit intellectually sluggish dreamer. On March 19, 1939, Joseph wrote that “Helmut, who was less than four at the time, needs to be brought up a little. Cries too much. ”
In other places, he stated that his son needed a spanking or that he needed to talk his stubbornness out of him. He seemed more pleased with his daughters - he wrote that they were reasonable and praised their progress in learning.
German mother
Johanna Maria Magdalena, known as "Magda", became Mrs. Goebbels in 1931. To what extent it was a decision of two lovers, and to what extent a political solution - is a questionable question. It seems, however, that at least initially they did have warm feelings for each other. "Magda is my wife. I am extremely happy, "wrote Goebbels.
It seemed that this short, thin, limping man had won the lottery by marrying an attractive, elegant woman who embodied the Aryan model of wife and mother. But these were only appearances. Apart from giving birth to six children Magda was far from the 3K ideal professed by Goebbels . She preferred social visits to nurturing the hearth. A large number of staff dealt with household chores and looking after the offspring.
Johanna Maria Magdalena, also known as "Magda", became Mrs. Goebbels in 1931.
As a housewife she was extremely frugal, not to say stingy - that suited her husband better. She was ruthless with her employees and devoid of empathy. Her house, like the propaganda machine of the Third Reich, was to function in an orderly manner and without surprises - Magda did not recognize any exceptions, even in the case of children.
Nevertheless, Joseph repeatedly praised his wife's maternal competence, emphasizing that was a model for other German women. It did, but rather in a biological sense than educational. In her biography we read:
It operated almost like a National Socialist manufacturing company; a child each year, securing her status as a mother and taking her seriously as a woman .
Family was her domain, source of strength and position. When a Hitler presented the Goebbels with his plans for the Lebensborn program, Magda was horrified that the Führer wanted to treat the children as state property. She criticized it bluntly with the words:"No country, even the best, can replace a child's parents!". They could be replaced by the babysitters, because Mrs. Goebbels rarely had time for them between social commitments.
Marriage on the couch at ... Hitler's
Magda Goebbels was extremely popular in the Third Reich. German women who fell into poverty, whose husbands neglected their families, did not care for the house and children, wrote to her. She was even asked to ease marital conflicts.
It must have been difficult for her with the latter, since she herself was repeatedly and regularly cheated on by her husband . When another romance came out, she would throw him into tavern brawls. The couple were on the verge of divorce after Joseph got involved with Czech actress Lida Baarova.
He stated that he wanted to resign from his post, leave Germany and marry his mistress, but then Hitler intervened, who ... firmly forbade him to do so. He needed his rebellious minister, and he saw no reason why it would be worth destroying the family for some actress. "You must never part when you have such wonderful children" Said the Führer reproachfully.
Magda was repeatedly and regularly cheated by her husband. When another romance came out, she would throw him in taverns.
Baarova was forced to leave the Reich immediately, and the spouses at issue - to reach a settlement under which Magda was to remain Mrs. Goebbels for another year, and after that time, if she still wanted to do so, she could obtain a divorce on her husband's guilt, keep the children with you and get a house and a high pension.
“It's best if you live a pretty ascetic life this year,” Hitler ordered. - "Lord, doctor, like a monk, and mistress, dear Mrs. Magda, like a nun." Then Magda with a straight face replied:"Mein Führer, I have been living like a nun a long time ago."
Too beautiful and too good for the world
On October 24, 1938, Goebbels describes this situation in a veiled manner, lamenting the fact that he is faced with "unpleasantness" and resorting to lofty phrases such as:"What are we, individual people, in the face of the great fate of the nation and the state? I yield and submit my personal welfare and happiness to the nation and the state. ”
He spoke less pompously about his wife:“There are always arguments at home. To puke! In the evening, a conversation with Magda. She is completely unreasonable. Sometimes I am so far away. " Meanwhile, she was constantly crying, she felt exhausted from the fight for marriage and her husband's respect:
For me, there are only two options left:if we win the war, Joseph will be held in high esteem and I, an aging woman, will be put aside. But if we lose the war, my life will be over anyway. I can still bear the hardships of this war with him. Then it will all be over…
Magda lived with Joseph despite his faults and the pain he caused her, convinced that she should stay with him to the end.
The Goebbels were certainly not the role they wanted to be. Magda lived with Joseph despite his faults and the pain he caused her, convinced that she should stay with him to the end. When asked about the children's future, she replied: "We will take them with us because they are too beautiful and too good for the world to come ”.
These words concealed a plan to murder the children, which Magda had carried out just before her and her husband's suicide on May 1, 1945. She saw her entire family as part of the dying Reich, so along with the Reich and all the ideals that fell with the defeat, they all had to leave. The youngest daughter of the Goebbels family was only 4 at the time.