miss-teek
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We had to do an essay on Albert Speer and I totally failed it. I know I did. Can someone please tell me what I did wrong?
The first part was to assess the role of Albert Speer in the period till 1945 and then we had one on him as minister for munitions and armanents. Please help me! I'm so stressed -because the teacher said we'd have to do a question for our trial~
1 (a).
Albert Speer joined the Nazi Party in January 1931 after falling under a spell cast by the sound of Hitler’s strong, charismatic voice. From his early years as a member of the party, Speer dedicated his work and his credibility to his close relationship with the Führer. His relationship with Hitler is summed up in his famous line, “If Hitler ever had a friend, it would have been me.”
Speer was twenty – six years old and freshly out of school, where he qualified for an architect license when he joined the Nazis. His career as an architect was virtually non – existent – however, when Hitler, a man with his own childish dreams of becoming an architect, learned of Speer’s qualifications, Speer rapidly became well – known amongst the Nazis, and later to Germany – he became famous for ‘expanding’ on Hitler’s ideals. His first project was the organization of Hindenburg’s funeral ceremony. Speer than went on to design the 1933 and the 1934 Nuremburg Rallies. Speer became renowned for his use of “…130 anti – aircraft searchlights with their vertically pointing beams creating a ‘cathedral of light’…” In 1934 he also designed a permanent site for future Rallies, which would then be, from 1944, a permanent site for the Olympic Games.
During his years as a Nazi architect, Speer’s work became an excellent source of Nazi propaganda. Each of his projects was designed in such a way as to impress the rest of the world – serving as a reflection of Nazi power and strength. This is also one of the factors that may have contributed to the labeling of Nazi Germany as a totalitarian state.
It had long been Hitler’s wish to redesign Berlin as the largest city in the world, far more superior then Paris of Vienna. Hitler was away that this was a big job, thus he handed the responsibility over to the man he trusted the most, whom he knew would follow Hitler’s ideals – Speer. In 1937 when he was assigned to this project, Speer immediately set out and began all the preparations necessary before building could commence. This involved the evacuation of Jewish members of the community and the repossession of the Aryans. Speer was given superior authority in this project. He was given his own office, and a couple of thousand architects who were to answer to Speer. In his planning, Hitler had constructed a few diagrams of what he wished to build in the new city based on things he admired in Paris and Vienna. Speer expanded on these ideas, but remained true to the original plans. Speer was successful in completing a model of the city, and this was approved. The city was due for completion in 1950. What developments had been made on the city did not survive the war.
In January 1938, Hitler assigned Speer to the project of the construction of a new, enlarged Reich chancellery, which Hitler required be finished the next year. To meet the deadline, Speer had an astonishing 8000 builders, labourers and craftsmen working day and night. The Chancellery was designed to display the power and magnificence of the Reich, and Speer most definitely achieved this. For the completion of this magnificent building, Speer was awarded with the Golden Party Badge.
All of Speer’s projects were based upon the ‘plain and simple’ style portrayed by the buildings of Ancient Greece. There were two reasons behind this; the first being that the Nazis rejected modern the modern style which had established since the era of the Weimar Republic and the second being that Hitler was forever consumed by the thought of the withstanding of the monuments of his Reich lasting for a period of at least a thousand years.
From the explanations of the various projects undertaken by Speer, it can thus be seen that Albert Speer had a very significant role within in period of 1933 up to 1945. Speer was welcomed enthusiastically into Hitler’s ‘intimate circle’ once Hitler had recognized Speer’s ambitions and unsurpassed talents. One may even suggest that Hitler saw in Speer what he (Hitler) would have liked to have been, in regard to his childish dreams of becoming an architect.
Through all of his projects, Speer’s loyalty to Hitler never wavered. This was to happen in the period leading to the ending of the war. However, the question must be asked, did Speer develop these plans and models, and do everything Hitler ever asked him to (up until 1945) out of love for his Führer and his state, or out of love for himself? Was it just a game Speer played as a means of building up his reputation? These are questions that may never be answered.
(b).
In 1942, Speer was named by Hitler as the successor of Fritz Todt who was the Minister for Armaments after he was killed in a plane crash on 9th February. As Minister of Armaments, Speer ‘…is said to have prolonged the war for at least a year…’ because of the dramatic increase in weaponry. His early projects included the construction of three Junker 88 (German bomber planes) bomber factories and several air – raid shelters.
During his time as Minister of Armaments, the productivity from the weaponry industry dramatically increased, thanks to Speer and his great organization skills. This was the only thing Speer had going for him, as he had no knowledge of, or experience in, the industry. Aided by this, Speer established a Central Planning Board to control the allocation of raw materials.
Additionally, Seer set up Main Committees and Rings. Each Main Committee has assumed responsibility for a single form of weaponry while the Rings represented the primary industries (raw materials and parts). This system ensured the production of one weapon at a time and the continuation of productivity, being able to avoid any efficiency problems.
Industrialisation and militarism benefited extensively during Speer’s time in office. Speer, while increasing the production of original weaponry, encouraged development in new and improved armaments.
Speer was also largely responsible for many deaths in this period, due to his allocation of slave labourers within established concentration camps. These slaves were forced to contribute a great deal to the increased productivity of weaponry and armaments.
The initially close relationship between Hitler and Speer was disturbed a great deal after Speer’s appointment. Hitler stood as Commander – in – Chief of the army, and they did not maintain their relationship, due to the fact that they often came into conflict.
The death of the bond they had once shared came towards the end of the war when it dawned on Speer that the war was lost. Hitler, refusing to admit defeat, ordered a ‘scorched – earth’ policy in which everything of production value that could be of use to the Allies, should an invasion or an annexation take place, be destroyed.
However, Speer firmly held the belief that the Germans would require the use of factories and power stations in order to rebuild their lives after the war. Thus, Speer obeyed Hitler in the east but defied him in the west.
Speer’s appointment had awarded him with a great deal of authority, which also brought about a great deal of opposition. An example of an opponent was Hermann Göring. Speer assumed Hermann Göring’s responsibilities as the planner for the German War Economy in 1943, and was able to effectively lead the German War Economy into a better position. However, when Göring was in office, he had adhered to the 4 Year Plan, and during these years, industrial output fell. As Speer’s reputation strengthened, through the improved production of armaments, Göring’s reputation declined.
Another opponent of Albert Speer was the Gauleiters. The Gauleiters were responsible for the overseeing of factories in their territory and opposed Speer in that they refused to allow the transfer of their workers into Speer’s factories. But furthermore, Speer was unable to acquire supplies from these factories for his purposes. The Gauleiters appealed to Bormann for support and Speer was thus unsuccessful in his attempts.
Another appointment of Speer’s was party chief Martin Bormann. Bormann had once served as Hitler’s deputy and thus created his own relationship with Hitler. Bormann felt threatened by Speer’s effect on Hitler and thus was accused by Speer of attempting to destroy the Hitler – Speer relationship. It was Bormann who, instead of allowing Speer to pull workers from consumer production and into War production, forced Speer to use forced labourers, prisoners of war and Jews.
It seems evident that Speer was aware of the brutality of the Nazi regime but it was not until his visit to Dora that he was forced, after what he had seen, to face the facts, and the battle with his conscience, his ‘battle with the truth’, had begun, although it may be asked if he did indeed have a conscience, as he appeared to have lived, in his early years as a Nazi, as Hitler’s shadow.
Through all this information, one is able to come to the conclusion that Albert Speer made a very significant contribution to German industrialization and militarism. This had been achieved through his position as Minister of Armaments and his friendship with Hitler who admired Speer’s intelligence and artistic abilities. Speer’s friendship with Hitler rewarded him with a great deal of authority and excessive power thus enabling him to prolong the war for a further three years through his ability to repair factories, acquire materials and to increase production of weaponry.
If you want you can message me. But please, please help me!
The first part was to assess the role of Albert Speer in the period till 1945 and then we had one on him as minister for munitions and armanents. Please help me! I'm so stressed -because the teacher said we'd have to do a question for our trial~
1 (a).
Albert Speer joined the Nazi Party in January 1931 after falling under a spell cast by the sound of Hitler’s strong, charismatic voice. From his early years as a member of the party, Speer dedicated his work and his credibility to his close relationship with the Führer. His relationship with Hitler is summed up in his famous line, “If Hitler ever had a friend, it would have been me.”
Speer was twenty – six years old and freshly out of school, where he qualified for an architect license when he joined the Nazis. His career as an architect was virtually non – existent – however, when Hitler, a man with his own childish dreams of becoming an architect, learned of Speer’s qualifications, Speer rapidly became well – known amongst the Nazis, and later to Germany – he became famous for ‘expanding’ on Hitler’s ideals. His first project was the organization of Hindenburg’s funeral ceremony. Speer than went on to design the 1933 and the 1934 Nuremburg Rallies. Speer became renowned for his use of “…130 anti – aircraft searchlights with their vertically pointing beams creating a ‘cathedral of light’…” In 1934 he also designed a permanent site for future Rallies, which would then be, from 1944, a permanent site for the Olympic Games.
During his years as a Nazi architect, Speer’s work became an excellent source of Nazi propaganda. Each of his projects was designed in such a way as to impress the rest of the world – serving as a reflection of Nazi power and strength. This is also one of the factors that may have contributed to the labeling of Nazi Germany as a totalitarian state.
It had long been Hitler’s wish to redesign Berlin as the largest city in the world, far more superior then Paris of Vienna. Hitler was away that this was a big job, thus he handed the responsibility over to the man he trusted the most, whom he knew would follow Hitler’s ideals – Speer. In 1937 when he was assigned to this project, Speer immediately set out and began all the preparations necessary before building could commence. This involved the evacuation of Jewish members of the community and the repossession of the Aryans. Speer was given superior authority in this project. He was given his own office, and a couple of thousand architects who were to answer to Speer. In his planning, Hitler had constructed a few diagrams of what he wished to build in the new city based on things he admired in Paris and Vienna. Speer expanded on these ideas, but remained true to the original plans. Speer was successful in completing a model of the city, and this was approved. The city was due for completion in 1950. What developments had been made on the city did not survive the war.
In January 1938, Hitler assigned Speer to the project of the construction of a new, enlarged Reich chancellery, which Hitler required be finished the next year. To meet the deadline, Speer had an astonishing 8000 builders, labourers and craftsmen working day and night. The Chancellery was designed to display the power and magnificence of the Reich, and Speer most definitely achieved this. For the completion of this magnificent building, Speer was awarded with the Golden Party Badge.
All of Speer’s projects were based upon the ‘plain and simple’ style portrayed by the buildings of Ancient Greece. There were two reasons behind this; the first being that the Nazis rejected modern the modern style which had established since the era of the Weimar Republic and the second being that Hitler was forever consumed by the thought of the withstanding of the monuments of his Reich lasting for a period of at least a thousand years.
From the explanations of the various projects undertaken by Speer, it can thus be seen that Albert Speer had a very significant role within in period of 1933 up to 1945. Speer was welcomed enthusiastically into Hitler’s ‘intimate circle’ once Hitler had recognized Speer’s ambitions and unsurpassed talents. One may even suggest that Hitler saw in Speer what he (Hitler) would have liked to have been, in regard to his childish dreams of becoming an architect.
Through all of his projects, Speer’s loyalty to Hitler never wavered. This was to happen in the period leading to the ending of the war. However, the question must be asked, did Speer develop these plans and models, and do everything Hitler ever asked him to (up until 1945) out of love for his Führer and his state, or out of love for himself? Was it just a game Speer played as a means of building up his reputation? These are questions that may never be answered.
(b).
In 1942, Speer was named by Hitler as the successor of Fritz Todt who was the Minister for Armaments after he was killed in a plane crash on 9th February. As Minister of Armaments, Speer ‘…is said to have prolonged the war for at least a year…’ because of the dramatic increase in weaponry. His early projects included the construction of three Junker 88 (German bomber planes) bomber factories and several air – raid shelters.
During his time as Minister of Armaments, the productivity from the weaponry industry dramatically increased, thanks to Speer and his great organization skills. This was the only thing Speer had going for him, as he had no knowledge of, or experience in, the industry. Aided by this, Speer established a Central Planning Board to control the allocation of raw materials.
Additionally, Seer set up Main Committees and Rings. Each Main Committee has assumed responsibility for a single form of weaponry while the Rings represented the primary industries (raw materials and parts). This system ensured the production of one weapon at a time and the continuation of productivity, being able to avoid any efficiency problems.
Industrialisation and militarism benefited extensively during Speer’s time in office. Speer, while increasing the production of original weaponry, encouraged development in new and improved armaments.
Speer was also largely responsible for many deaths in this period, due to his allocation of slave labourers within established concentration camps. These slaves were forced to contribute a great deal to the increased productivity of weaponry and armaments.
The initially close relationship between Hitler and Speer was disturbed a great deal after Speer’s appointment. Hitler stood as Commander – in – Chief of the army, and they did not maintain their relationship, due to the fact that they often came into conflict.
The death of the bond they had once shared came towards the end of the war when it dawned on Speer that the war was lost. Hitler, refusing to admit defeat, ordered a ‘scorched – earth’ policy in which everything of production value that could be of use to the Allies, should an invasion or an annexation take place, be destroyed.
However, Speer firmly held the belief that the Germans would require the use of factories and power stations in order to rebuild their lives after the war. Thus, Speer obeyed Hitler in the east but defied him in the west.
Speer’s appointment had awarded him with a great deal of authority, which also brought about a great deal of opposition. An example of an opponent was Hermann Göring. Speer assumed Hermann Göring’s responsibilities as the planner for the German War Economy in 1943, and was able to effectively lead the German War Economy into a better position. However, when Göring was in office, he had adhered to the 4 Year Plan, and during these years, industrial output fell. As Speer’s reputation strengthened, through the improved production of armaments, Göring’s reputation declined.
Another opponent of Albert Speer was the Gauleiters. The Gauleiters were responsible for the overseeing of factories in their territory and opposed Speer in that they refused to allow the transfer of their workers into Speer’s factories. But furthermore, Speer was unable to acquire supplies from these factories for his purposes. The Gauleiters appealed to Bormann for support and Speer was thus unsuccessful in his attempts.
Another appointment of Speer’s was party chief Martin Bormann. Bormann had once served as Hitler’s deputy and thus created his own relationship with Hitler. Bormann felt threatened by Speer’s effect on Hitler and thus was accused by Speer of attempting to destroy the Hitler – Speer relationship. It was Bormann who, instead of allowing Speer to pull workers from consumer production and into War production, forced Speer to use forced labourers, prisoners of war and Jews.
It seems evident that Speer was aware of the brutality of the Nazi regime but it was not until his visit to Dora that he was forced, after what he had seen, to face the facts, and the battle with his conscience, his ‘battle with the truth’, had begun, although it may be asked if he did indeed have a conscience, as he appeared to have lived, in his early years as a Nazi, as Hitler’s shadow.
Through all this information, one is able to come to the conclusion that Albert Speer made a very significant contribution to German industrialization and militarism. This had been achieved through his position as Minister of Armaments and his friendship with Hitler who admired Speer’s intelligence and artistic abilities. Speer’s friendship with Hitler rewarded him with a great deal of authority and excessive power thus enabling him to prolong the war for a further three years through his ability to repair factories, acquire materials and to increase production of weaponry.
If you want you can message me. But please, please help me!
