For readers interested in these primary source documents, several editions are available from retailers like AbeBooks , Biblio , and Amazon . ~$18.00 - $127.00 depending on condition/edition Main Editor Hugh Trevor-Roper (English editions) Format Available in Hardcover and Paperback Common Title Final Entries 1945: The Diaries of Joseph Goebbels
The published 1945 segments primarily cover the final 39 days from February 27 to April 9, 1945. As Allied and Soviet armies closed in on Berlin, Goebbels dictated these daily entries to a stenographer, creating a raw, unpolished draft of the regime's final moments. The Goebbels Diaries: The Last Days (1945)
Goebbels used the diaries to vent his frustrations, particularly toward Luftwaffe chief Hermann Göring , whom he blamed for the Nazi military failure. For readers interested in these primary source documents,
The entries reveal how the "arch-apologist" of the regime viewed his own role, showing that he remained the last man to be "taken in" by his own propaganda. Goebbels used the diaries to vent his frustrations,
American journalist Louis Lochner and later British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper played key roles in confirming the diaries' authenticity as one of the most significant "inside views" of the Nazi hierarchy.
Even as defeat became inevitable, the diaries emphasize Goebbels's absolute loyalty to Adolf Hitler, whom he continued to describe as a "born motivator" with a "stupendous mind". Historical Significance
The diaries are defined by Goebbels's "unreality and wishful thinking". He interpreted minor Allied setbacks, such as labor disputes in the U.S. or the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as signs that the Allied coalition would imminently collapse.