[PLEASE] Help with a past HSC question for homework (1 Viewer)

[Eduard_Khil]

Hello, our teacher gave us homework the other day, for preparation for the trials coming up soon on Albert Speer, this is the past HSC question.
'People are swept along by events. Some individuals use events to advantage.' How accurate is this statement in relation to the personality you have studied?
What type of things should I discuss? I'm just afraid I'll leave out something major by accident

 

[enoilgam]

I remember doing this question at some point. I looked at Speer's life in three chronological stages (early life/rise to power, time as arms minister, Nuremburg/later life). I said it was of mixed truth in relation to Speer:

Early life/rise to power - Speer was swept along by events, such as the rise of the Nazi party and Hitlers admiration for him
Time as arms minister - Speer was swept along by events, as like most Germans he blinded himself to the evils of Nazism
Nuremburg/later life - He used events to his advantage by giving the world what it wanted, a sympathetic and apologetic Nazi

Obviously, there is no right or wrong answer, but this is how I approached it.

 

[ThandraCityRail]

notes from the marking centre on that question:

Specific comments
Albert Speer
In the better responses, candidates described in a detailed, ordered manner, the life of Speer up to 1981. In weaker responses, candidates tended to provide a description but with less detail. Other weaker responses contained a more generalised description or contained fewer aspects of his life.
In better responses, candidates established a clear argument which was then sustained throughout the discussion. These arguments presented various perspectives but the common factor was an ability to articulate a view and then support it with a range of historical evidence. In weaker responses, candidates mentioned the statement but did not provide either a clear argument and/or evidence to support any claims. A number of candidates failed to address the question, debating the life of Speer as the ‘good Nazi’, or wrote a general narrative which made some attempt at argument.

i know it doesn't say what to answer the question with, but i haven't done speer so i wouldn't have the slightest clue. although for sun yat-sen i would prob discuss stuff like how he failed to take advantage in declining the presidency and giving it to yuan

edit: en ^ is a genius so listen to him