Nazi Germany, 1933–1945: Goebbels's 'Total War' Speech at the Sportpalast

Vocabulary flashcards detailing key figures, terms, rhetoric, and proposals from Joseph Goebbels's 'Total War' speech delivered at the Berlin Sportpalast on February 18, 1943.

Joseph Goebbels

The Nazi Propaganda Minister who delivered his most famous speech on February 18, 1943, at the Berlin Sportpalast, calling on the German population to commit to total war following the defeat at Stalingrad.

Berlin Sportpalast

The venue in Berlin where Joseph Goebbels gathered an audience claimed to represent a cross section of the German people to deliver his 1943 speech on total war.

Defeat at Stalingrad

The massive military loss recently suffered by the German army on the Eastern front that prompted Goebbels to call for radical escalation and total war.

Propaganda Spectacle

The label given by the British press to the spontaneous approval shown during Goebbels's January 30 demands, which Goebbels sought to refute by questioning his audience directly.

Oak Leaf Cluster and Knight's Cross

Prestigious German military decorations worn by as many as 50 wounded and fighting delegates from the front line who were present in the Sportpalast audience.

Berlin's Armored Car Factory

The industrial facility whose armaments workers formed a dedicated block of the audience at Goebbels's Sportpalast address.

Phalanx of the Home Front

Goebbels's term for the civilian population standing resolutely behind the fighting armies to sustain the war effort until final victory is achieved.

Wartime Work Hours (Third Question)

The daily commitment of ten, twelve, or if necessary fourteen to sixteen hours of labor that Goebbels asked the German nation to perform if commanded by the Führer.

Total War (Fourth Question)

A state of complete and radical national mobilization demanded by Goebbels, defined as being even more radical than the population was capable of imagining at the time.

Bolshevism (Sixth Question)

The Soviet ideological adversary on the Eastern front against which Goebbels demanded the German populace direct all strength to deliver a mortal blow.

Mobilization of Women (Eighth Question)

The measure asking German women to dedicate all their energies to the war effort and take over civilian jobs to free men for military service at the front.

Draft-Dodgers and Blackmarketeers (Ninth Question)

A group accused of exploiting wartime suffering for selfish purposes and feigning peace, against whom Goebbels proposed the death penalty ('lose his head') for interfering with the war effort.

Equal Rights and Equal Duties (Tenth Question)

A principle from the Nazi party program invoked by Goebbels demanding that the heavy burdens of war be borne equitably across the home front, regardless of wealth or social standing.