Preview

Essay On Albert Speer

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
612 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Albert Speer
When measuring the extent to which Albert Speer had a positive impact on his time, it is essential to identify all the contributions made by Speer that had both a positive and negative effect on Germany and the broader global world. The positive contributions made by Speer include his work as the “First Architect of the Reich” — consisting of the Germania project and the Reich Chancellery; and as Armaments Minister which significantly strengthened the Nazi war effort. However, all this was negated by his involvement in Anti-Semitic activities, the use of forced labour and his knowledge of the concentration camps. By identifying both the positive and negative contributions, one can thoroughly deduce the magnitude of Speer’s positive impact on his time.

The early twentieth century saw the …show more content…
On the back of this development that saw architects in Europe questioning this reliance on the past for artistic inspiration, was the resurgence of pan- German nationalism. (Individuals in Modern History : Leni Riefenstahl & Albert Speer, Frappell, 2002, pg. 61-62) It is through this renaissance movement that saw architecture becoming a significant part of Nazi propaganda, despite the initial Nazi concept of “blunt und boden” which characterised the debate over “the city versus the country”. Like the great states in antiquity, Hitler wanted the stone ruins of Nazism to be a reminder a thousand years into the future of the grandeur of National Socialism. (Albert Speer - Personality Study, Kelly, 2012, pg. 15) Speer helped fulfil Hitler’s desires in his early work in the Nazi Party by impressing Hitler with his May Day rally and Nuremberg Rally designs that saw the strong incorporation of monumental neo-Classical features. Speer noted that the iron and steel reinforcement used in modern buildings, ultimately made a building look unattractive when it deteriorated. Speer felt that
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Do Historians Praise Speer Really Good Nazi?
    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Do Historians Praise Speer Really Good Nazi?

    Many historians such as Alan Bullock praise Speer's performance at the Nuremburg Trials and were convinced that Speer had told the truth. They label Speer an 'apolitical technocrat', 'more concerned with the job he had to do than the power it brought him.'(1) American journalist William Shirer reported on his trial at Nuremburg and came to view him favourably (2), whilst British academic Hugh Trevor-Roper interviewed Speer, and in his book The Last Days of Hitler, describes Speer as the 'penitent Nazi'.(3)…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Albert Speer: Apolitical Technocrat Or Skilled Manipulator?
    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Albert Speer: Apolitical Technocrat Or Skilled Manipulator?

    Albert Speer was, arguably, the most complicated personality in the prominent Nazi officials. He began his career after joining the Nazi party as an architect; and his friendship with Hitler propelled his promotion to Reich Minister for Armaments and War Production. When Germany lost the war, Speer was one of the few Nazi officials to evade the death sentence. There are two historical viewpoints as to the role of Speer. The first is that Speer was merely a technocrat, with no political views- and this view is created by Speer in his post-war writings, as well as historian Joachim Fest. The second viewpoint, which is more widely believed than the first, is that Speer was a clever man who manipulated the Nazi party, the Nuremburg War Crimes prosecutors and also the world through his books after…

    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rise to Prominance - Alert Speer
    • 505 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rise to Prominance - Alert Speer

    Albert Speer rise to prominence was due to a number of different factors, which allowed him to become a key figure in the Nazi party….…

    • 505 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Important Was Albert Speer's Rise To Prominence?
    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Important Was Albert Speer's Rise To Prominence?

    Speer’s rise to prominence began when he formally joined the Nazi Party in 1931 as he was inspired by Hitler’s speech and was a “follower of Hitler.” Speer was an architect, who obtained an important connection with Karl Hanke, a high district leader, who rose ranks as the Nazi’s gained more power in 1933. Hanke and Speer developed a close relationship, as he was the chauffeur for the Nazi Party. This contributed to Hanke’s appointment of Goebbels Secretary, which led to greater architectural opportunities for Speer. The first architectural job offered to Speer was in 1933, where he renovated Goebbels propaganda ministry building in Berlin and stated in his book, Inside the Third Reich as “the luckiest turning point in my life.” He completed the job in two months and was put into designing and staging the Nazi rallies. The staging’s included the 1933 May Day Rally and the Nuremberg Rally, personally asked by Hitler.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Speer's Significance
    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Speer's Significance

    What is the significance of the role Speer played as Minister of Armaments and Production?…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Albert Speer Characteristics
    • 4463 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Albert Speer Characteristics

    Speer’s technical and administrative skills and enthusiasm were what made him Hitler’s ideal choice. Hitler had originally paid very little attention to the detains of organising production and had ordered a reduction in weapon production after the fall of France in 1940. Speer assumed responsibility for a vast enterprise and in solving three key issues that would effectively decide the war effort – how to eliminate the gross inefficiencies of war production, how to increase armaments and munitions production despite the increasing bombing of German factories and other production targets. Speer believed in total mobilisation of the workforce to avoid military…

    • 4463 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Albert Speer: Modern History Assessment
    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Albert Speer: Modern History Assessment

    The early life and career of Albert Speer was shaped by his familial upbringing, his connection to his mentor Professor Heinrich Tessenow and, in later years, his affiliation with the Nazi Party. Born into a wealthy family in March 1905, Albert Speer was the second of three sons. His father, Albert, was a prosperous architect who provided a privileged life for his three sons and wife. Albert's mother, Luise, was also successful in her own right. His parents provided all manner of material conveniences to their sons however with their high…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Was Albert Speer A Important Figure In World War 2
    • 1756 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Was Albert Speer A Important Figure In World War 2

    In my essay I will assess how significant Albert Speer was to the running of the Nazi war machine and the Nazi regime. I will look at how such an intelligent, well-intentioned, principled person like Speer could become such an integral part in the Nazi party, so captivated by Hitler’s charisma and influence that he could ignore all the atrocities, the concentration camps, the slaughter of the fuehrer’s wars and devote all the country’s resources to keeping the regime in power. Albert Speer was appointed as minister for Armaments and munitions in February 1942. Speer played an invaluable role in the Nazi War Machine during the next three years of the Second World War. His effectiveness as minister for armaments and munitions led to phenomenal increases in the production of armaments, and ultimately prolonging the war for another one to two years which greatly impacted on the functioning of the War Machine. Speer’s major accomplishments as minister for armaments and munitions were the standardization of weapons and specialization of factories. Implementing a Total War policy in Germany. The mobilization of the workforce in relation to the armament production.…

    • 1756 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Albert Speer Biography Essay
    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Albert Speer Biography Essay

    Albert Speer was a personal architect for Hitler also the Minister of Armaments and War Production for Nazi regime. He was the only Nazi to bear the responsibility on the crimes of his former master Hitler and the Nazi regime in the Nuremburg Trials. But he said he knew nothing about the fate of the Jews and claimed he was just focused on his ambition.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Working to the Fuhrer
    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Working to the Fuhrer

    Kershaw examines Hitler’s reign during the 1930s in his essay “Hitler.” The term “working towards the Fuhrer” is instrumental to Kershaw’s depiction of Hitler during the Third Reich. According to Kershaw, through “‘working towards the Fuhrer’, initiatives were taken, pressures created, legislation instigated- all in ways which fell into line with what were Hitler’s aim, and without the dictator necessarily having to dictate.”1 Kershaw argues that the radical action that leduo222222222222 to policy formation was often times provoked from below, and not by Hitler himself.…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    albert speer essay
    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages

    albert speer essay

    Albert Speer was born in 1905 in Manheim, Germany. He was born into an affluent, upper-middle class family, being the 2nd of 3 boys. As a result of a distant and emotionless father and a detached mother, Speer’s childhood saw him being emotionally neglected.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Speer - Changing Views
    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Speer - Changing Views

    There are a number of factors that can be held accountable for the changing views on Albert Speer and his involvement in the Nazi regime. It was the combination of shifting contexts, values and insights, linked to Speer’s own personal story, which ultimately generated shifting understandings of Speer’s contribution to the Nazi regime. However, it is important to acknowledge that there were in fact, always different perspectives, whereby historians and social researchers have debated over the extent to Speer’s ‘innocence’. Initially most historians analysed WW2 in a broad sense. It was only in the later years that micro analysis of the war took place. This ultimately contributed to Speer’s reputation as the ‘Good Nazi’, being unhinged over time. Furthermore, the enigmatic nature of Speer’s role in the Nazi regime has contributed greatly to the varying views of many eminent historians.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Albert Speer's 'History Highlights Both Virtues And Faults'
    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Albert Speer's 'History Highlights Both Virtues And Faults'

    It is questionable whether Speer was at the Posen Meeting in 1943 as the concentration camp was mentioned at the meeting. Speer claimed to have left by then although sources suggest that this was the turning point in his faults to convict him at the Nuremburg trials for knowledge of the concentration camps and the Jewish people. Speer had said in an interview that he had “tolerated” Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies suggesting he did not know about the persecution of the Jewish people. He may not have been supporting this view but his choice to ignore it is viewed as his greatest fault and this adds to why he is counted as an important figure to German history having survived the death penalty for all his convictions at the Nuremburg trials were he pleaded innocent to two counts of murder and persecution and knowledge of the concentration camps that the Jews were involved in. Speer instead received 20 years prison sentence at the Spandau prison. This shows historians as well as others that Albert Speer’s purpose was to get to the top of the pile in the Nazi regime, to get on top of Hitler, although his virtues came along with major faults to stumble his passage. As for his Nuremburg trial convictions historian Ullrich said that “If the judges at Nuremburg had known…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Albert Speer Research Paper
    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Albert Speer Research Paper

    After Hitler’s suicide the momentum of Nazism died; there was no force to push Speer forward. At the Nuremburg trials to avoid the death penalty, Speer adopted the persona of a victim, a mere technocrat, forced to act to conditions of the time. He was sentenced to only 20 years imprisonment in Spandau on the grounds of his denial of any knowledge of the ‘Final Solution’. The great controversy around Speer is, was he truly ignorant? As not only a Nazi, yet a close friend of Hitler’s, it is alluded that Speer did know, however, it has never been thoroughly…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Rise To Prominence Speer
    • 3495 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Rise To Prominence Speer

    Although Speer claims “I was allergic to any political commitments”1 the students of Tessenow (who never agreed with Nazism himself) apparently coaxed him into attending a Nazi Party rally in a Berlin beer-hall on 5th December 1930.…

    • 3495 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics