Why Did Hitler Burn Books?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 27, 2020

Hitler burned books to remove the Jewish influence from German culture during World War II. Over 25,000 books were burned in Germany on May 10, 1933. During this book burning, several irreplaceable books were destroyed, including many written by Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein and other scholars.

Joseph Goebbels was appointed by Adolf Hitler as a Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Through this position, he initiated book burnings and destroyed books created by Jewish authors and adversaries of Adolf Hitler. He also used his position to censor other forms of public communication, including magazines, newspapers and transcripts for radio broadcasts.