Werner Naumann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Werner Naumann
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| Reichsminister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda | |
| In office 30 April 1945 – 23 May 1945 |
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| Chancellor | Joseph Goebbels |
| Preceded by | Joseph Goebbels |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 June 1909 Guhrau, Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 25 October 1982 (aged 73) Lüdenscheid, West Germany |
| Political party | Nazi Party (1928–1945) |
Werner Naumann (born June 16, 1909 – died October 25, 1982) was a German government official and politician. He worked as a State Secretary in the Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. This ministry was in charge of controlling information and public opinion in Nazi Germany.
Towards the end of World War II, Adolf Hitler chose Naumann to lead the Propaganda Ministry. This happened in Hitler's last will after Goebbels became Chancellor. Naumann was in the Führerbunker, Hitler's underground shelter, in April 1945.
Werner Naumann's Early Life and Career
Werner Naumann was born in Guhrau, which was then part of Silesia, Prussia, Germany. After finishing school, he studied political economics. This field looks at how governments and economies work together.
In 1928, Naumann joined the Nazi Party. He also became a member of the SA, a Nazi organization. By 1933, he had risen to a high rank in the SA. Later, Naumann joined the SS, another powerful Nazi group.
By 1937, he was in charge of the Propaganda Office in Breslau. A year later, he became a personal helper to Joseph Goebbels. In 1942, he became Goebbels' assistant secretary. His main job was "Undersecretary and Chief of the Minister's Office" in the Propaganda Ministry. In April 1944, Naumann was made State Secretary in the same ministry. He was also part of a special group connected to Heinrich Himmler, a high-ranking Nazi leader. Naumann also served in the Waffen-SS during World War II.
In the final days of Nazi Germany, Soviet forces were taking over Berlin. Hitler's will named Naumann as the Propaganda Minister in the new government led by Karl Dönitz. On May 1, 1945, Naumann led a group trying to escape from the Führerbunker in Berlin. This group included other important figures like Martin Bormann. They tried to cross the Weidendammer Bridge under heavy fire.
According to one witness, Erich Kempka, Naumann was seen walking ahead of Bormann when a Soviet rocket exploded nearby. Another person, Artur Axmann, said their group followed a tank that was destroyed. Axmann, Naumann, and a few others managed to get across the bridge. From that group, only Naumann and Axmann escaped from the Soviet army surrounding Berlin. They made it to western Germany.
Werner Naumann's Later Years
After Germany's defeat in the war, Naumann lived using a different name for five years. In 1950, a new law allowed him to return to public life. He then reconnected with people who held extreme views, similar to those of the Nazis. These groups tried to secretly influence German political parties.
On January 16, 1953, the British Army arrested Naumann. They believed he was leading a group that wanted to bring back Nazi-like ideas. Because of this, he was not allowed to run for election ever again. This rule was added to the constitution by the government of Konrad Adenauer. Naumann was released after seven months.
Later, he became a director at a metal company in Lüdenscheid. This company was owned by Joseph Goebbels' stepson, Harald Quandt. Naumann also wrote a book called Nau Nau gefährdet das Empire? in 1953.
Werner Naumann died in 1982 in Lüdenscheid, West Germany. He was 73 years old. He was buried in the Kommunal cemetery in Piepersloh.
See also
In Spanish: Werner Naumann para niños
