Goebbels: Mastermind of the Third Reich (Hardcover)

by Walter Frentz (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This is a repellent book, and not only because of its subject. Irving (Goering) has been increasingly under fire for exploiting seemingly indefatigable research to distort history. In the book in hand, he uses enough pejoratives to sustain the illusion of objectivity regarding Hitler's propaganda chief, yet suggests that the admittedly bad man had a cause not entirely bad in itself. Nazi brutality is almost always retaliation for the plots of international Jewry and the criminality of domestic Jews. Even the books notoriously burned are "decadent and anti-German." The term Redakteur (editor) "to Goebbels' sensitive ear had a Jewish ring." Protesters in Saarbrucken are "a clamoring ragbag of communists, Jews, freemasons and disgruntled emigres." There is always, in Irving's own words, a "Jewish problem" that Goebbels struggles to solve. Much of the book, heavily indebted to the self-serving Goebbels diaries, is in such a vein. There seems always to be an agenda to Irving's documentation, and the language of camouflaged admiration suffuses his pages amidst his ritual scolding of the Nazis for their excesses. The real insidiousness of the biography is that its formidable documentation will gain it acceptance as history. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
This latest work by Irving (Goring: A Biography, LJ 3/1/89) depends heavily on Goebbels's diaries and related papers. Unfortunately, the diaries are boring. Goebbels devoted much of his journal to describing his emotions (banal), love life (promiscuous), and marriage (dysfunctional). At its best, this aspect of the book is keyhole history. Far more troubling is Irving's general approach to the history of the Third Reich. He takes pains to insist periodically upon his distaste for Goebbels's Nazi extremism, but to describe Hitler as "less radical on the Jewish question" in 1942 than was Goebbels is to deny reality. Paradigmatic as well is Irving's insistence that Goebbels's vicious attacks on Jews in the 1930s were in response to the "hysteria" generated by the foreign press, the Comintern, and such dangerous "Jewish" organizations as the World League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism. In contrast, Irving offers no new evidence establishing Goebbels as the Reich's "mastermind." He neglects such important subjects as the sources of Goebbels's anti-Semitism, his development of the theories and techniques of mass propaganda, and his role as wartime Gauleiter of Berlin. Ralf Reuth's Goebbels (Harcourt, 1993) offers readers a more balanced approach. [For a discussion of the controversy surrounding the publication of this book, see "To Buy or Not To Buy?" p. 70.]?Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Spring.
-?Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 722 pages
• Publisher: Focal Point Publications; 2 edition (December 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1872197132
• ISBN-13: 978-1872197135
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #935,809 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, as WWII biographies go., November 8, 1999

By A Customer

I was a military history major at an Ivy League school. Having said that, please understand that I have read enormous tracts of WWII history. David Irving's book on Goebbels is nothing short of perfect in terms of research, prose and refreshing analysis. Far from appearing like a right wing fanatic, Mr. Irving simply stands out as an exceptionally gifted historian trying to sift for the truth; something all true intellectuals strive to do. Any attitudes that he is a Nazi sympathizer can only stem from people who are afraid of the truth because I could discern no support either for Goebbels or the Nazis. Bravo, I wish more people in this world would try to reconstruct what happened rather than strain to protect distortions that serve either their own purposes or insecurities.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New insights into the Nazi hierarchy, July 15, 2001

By A Customer

In his biography of Joseph Goebbels David Irving has provided some masterful and provocative insights into the inner workings of the Nazi hierarchy. However, the book is sometimes confusingly organized and Irving's use of the present tense when describing past events can be irritating and seem a bit amaturish in so seasoned a writer.

With these caveats in mind, this is still an important book and necessary reading for any student of World War II. Mr. Irving is neither a Holocaust denier nor a proponent of the Nazis or their ideology; he simply has a different point of view. It's amazing how vociferous and censorious the academic history establishment can become when their 'established' truths are challenged; and in this book, Mr. Irving has done just that.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Finest WWII Book I have ever read, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

There are those who would like to limit the written history of individuals like Hitler and Goebbels as a conclusory "EVIL," and try to suppress anything that would portray them in shades of grey, with good points and bad points, which of course all human beings have. This mindset, I believe, was what led to the well-known efforts to suppress publication of this book. It's too bad, because this is a work for which the author should receive acclaim, not slander. In the end, isn't is wiser to let all the information and opinions flow- or how are we to really understand what circumstances could lead the "next Hitler" or "next Nazi Germany" to arise?

David Irving's brilliant research and writing style put the reader into Goebbels' shoes and allows a real understanding (and not necessarily a sympathetic one)of what motivated this man and how he became what he did (My conclusion- cold, corrupt, narcissistic, hypocritical, and casually murderous). For those who are truly interested in preventing another human tragedy of the magnitude of what went on in the 1940's, I suggest that you open your minds and read this book. It is a classic and you won't regret it.