Magda Goebbels | |
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![]() Goebbels in 1933 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Johanna Maria Magdalena Ritschel 11 November 1901 Berlin, German Empire |
Died | 1 May 1945 Führerbunker, Berlin, Nazi Germany | (aged 43)
Cause of death | Suicide |
Political party | Nazi Party (NSDAP) |
Spouses | |
Children | Harald Quandt; Helga, Hildegard, Helmut, Holdine, Hedwig, and Heidrun Goebbels |
Alma mater | Ursuline Convent |
Awards | Golden Party Badge Cross of Honor of the German Mother |
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Johanna Maria Magdalena "Magda" Goebbels (née Ritschel; 11 November 1901 – 1 May 1945) was the wife of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. A prominent member of the Nazi Party, she was a close ally, companion, and political supporter of Adolf Hitler.[1] Some historians refer to her as the unofficial "first lady" of Nazi Germany, while others give that title to Emmy Göring.[2][3]
With defeat imminent during the Battle of Berlin at the end of World War II in Europe, she and her husband poisoned their six children with a cyanide compound before committing suicide in the Reich Chancellery gardens. Her eldest son, Harald Quandt, from a previous marriage, survived her.