Paul Joseph Goebbels was born on 29 October 1897 in Rheydt, an industrial town south of Mönchengladbach near Düsseldorf, Germany.
Both of his parents were Roman Catholics with modest family backgrounds.
His father Fritz was a German factory clerk; his mother Katharina Maria (née Odenhausen) was of Dutch ancestry and later became a German citizen.
Goebbels had five siblings: Konrad (1893–1947), Hans (1895–1949), Maria (1896–1896), Elisabeth (1901–1915), and Maria (1910–1949), who married the German filmmaker Max W. Kimmich in 1938.
In 1932, Goebbels published a pamphlet of his family tree to refute the rumours that his maternal grandmother was of Jewish ancestry.

During childhood, Goebbels suffered from ill health, which included a long bout of inflammation of the lungs.
He had a deformed right foot that turned inwards, due to a congenital deformity.
It was thicker and shorter than his left foot.
He underwent a failed operation to correct it just prior to starting grammar school.
Goebbels wore a metal brace and special shoe because of his shortened leg and walked with a limp.
He was rejected for military service in World War I because of this deformity.

Goebbels was educated at a Gymnasium, where he completed his Abitur (university entrance examination) in 1917.
He was the top student of his class and was given the traditional honour to speak at the awards ceremony.
His parents initially hoped that he would become a Catholic priest, and Goebbels seriously considered it.
He studied literature and history at the universities of Bonn, Würzburg, Freiburg, and Munich, aided by a scholarship from the Albertus Magnus Society.
By this time Goebbels had begun to distance himself from the church.

Historians, including Richard J. Evans and Roger Manvell, speculate that Goebbels' lifelong pursuit of women may have been in compensation for his physical disability.
At Freiburg, he met and fell in love with Anka Stalherm, who was three years his senior.
She went on to Würzburg to continue school, as did Goebbels.
In 1921, he wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, Michael, a three-part work of which only Parts I and III have survived.
Goebbels felt he was writing his "own story".
Antisemitic content and material about a charismatic leader may have been added by Goebbels shortly before the book was published in 1929 by Eher-Verlag, the publishing house of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers' Party; NSDAP).
By 1920, the relationship with Anka was over.
The break-up filled Goebbels with thoughts of suicide.

At the University of Heidelberg, Goebbels wrote his doctoral thesis on Wilhelm von Schütz, a minor 19th-century romantic dramatist.
He had hoped to write his thesis under the supervision of Friedrich Gundolf, a literary historian.
It did not seem to bother Goebbels that Gundolf was Jewish.
Gundolf was no longer teaching, so directed Goebbels to associate professor Max Freiherr von Waldberg.
Waldberg, also Jewish, recommended Goebbels write his thesis on Wilhelm von Schütz.
After submitting the thesis and passing his oral examination, Goebbels earned his PhD in 1921.
By 1940, he had written 14 books.

Goebbels returned home and worked as a private tutor.
He also found work as a journalist and was published in the local newspaper.
His writing during that time reflected his growing antisemitism and dislike for modern culture.
In the summer of 1922, he met and began a love affair with Else Janke, a schoolteacher.
After she revealed to him that she was half-Jewish, Goebbels stated the "enchantment [was] ruined."
Nevertheless, he continued to see her on and off until 1927.

He continued for several years to try to become a published author.
His diaries, which he began in 1923 and continued for the rest of his life, provided an outlet for his desire to write.
The lack of income from his literary works (he wrote two plays in 1923, neither of which sold) forced him to take employment as a caller on the stock exchange and as a bank clerk in Cologne, a job he detested.
He was dismissed from the bank in August 1923 and returned to Rheydt.
Paul Joseph Goebbels was born on 29 October 1897 in Rheydt, an industrial town south of Mönchengladbach near Düsseldorf, Germany. Both of his parents were Roman Catholics with modest family backgrounds. His father Fritz was a German factory clerk; his mother Katharina Maria (née Odenhausen) was of Dutch ancestry and later became a German citizen. Goebbels had five siblings: Konrad (1893–1947), Hans (1895–1949), Maria (1896–1896), Elisabeth (1901–1915), and Maria (1910–1949), who married the German filmmaker Max W. Kimmich in 1938. In 1932, Goebbels published a pamphlet of his family tree to refute the rumours that his maternal grandmother was of Jewish ancestry.
During childhood, Goebbels suffered from ill health, which included a long bout of inflammation of the lungs. He had a deformed right foot that turned inwards, due to a congenital deformity. It was thicker and shorter than his left foot. He underwent a failed operation to correct it just prior to starting grammar school. Goebbels wore a metal brace and special shoe because of his shortened leg and walked with a limp. He was rejected for military service in World War I because of this deformity.
Goebbels was educated at a Gymnasium, where he completed his Abitur (university entrance examination) in 1917. He was the top student of his class and was given the traditional honour to speak at the awards ceremony. His parents initially hoped that he would become a Catholic priest, and Goebbels seriously considered it. He studied literature and history at the universities of Bonn, Würzburg, Freiburg, and Munich, aided by a scholarship from the Albertus Magnus Society. By this time Goebbels had begun to distance himself from the church.
Historians, including Richard J. Evans and Roger Manvell, speculate that Goebbels' lifelong pursuit of women may have been in compensation for his physical disability. At Freiburg, he met and fell in love with Anka Stalherm, who was three years his senior. She went on to Würzburg to continue school, as did Goebbels. In 1921, he wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, Michael, a three-part work of which only Parts I and III have survived. Goebbels felt he was writing his "own story". Antisemitic content and material about a charismatic leader may have been added by Goebbels shortly before the book was published in 1929 by Eher-Verlag, the publishing house of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers' Party; NSDAP). By 1920, the relationship with Anka was over. The break-up filled Goebbels with thoughts of suicide.
At the University of Heidelberg, Goebbels wrote his doctoral thesis on Wilhelm von Schütz, a minor 19th-century romantic dramatist. He had hoped to write his thesis under the supervision of Friedrich Gundolf, a literary historian. It did not seem to bother Goebbels that Gundolf was Jewish. Gundolf was no longer teaching, so directed Goebbels to associate professor Max Freiherr von Waldberg. Waldberg, also Jewish, recommended Goebbels write his thesis on Wilhelm von Schütz. After submitting the thesis and passing his oral examination, Goebbels earned his PhD in 1921. By 1940, he had written 14 books.
Goebbels returned home and worked as a private tutor. He also found work as a journalist and was published in the local newspaper. His writing during that time reflected his growing antisemitism and dislike for modern culture. In the summer of 1922, he met and began a love affair with Else Janke, a schoolteacher. After she revealed to him that she was half-Jewish, Goebbels stated the "enchantment [was] ruined." Nevertheless, he continued to see her on and off until 1927.
He continued for several years to try to become a published author. His diaries, which he began in 1923 and continued for the rest of his life, provided an outlet for his desire to write. The lack of income from his literary works (he wrote two plays in 1923, neither of which sold) forced him to take employment as a caller on the stock exchange and as a bank clerk in Cologne, a job he detested. He was dismissed from the bank in August 1923 and returned to Rheydt. 
Joseph Goebbels