Will The Real Albert Speer Please Stand Up? The Many Faces of Hitler's Architect

By Geetanjali Mukherjee

Reader review:  "A well documented study of Albert Speer, the "good Nazi" who escaped the gallows at the Nuremberg trials...Geetanjali Mukherjee makes a compelling argument... Well written and a great read."

 

He presented many faces to the world, but which one was genuine?

 

Over the years Albert Speer has been given several titles – 'the good Nazi', 'Hitler's architect', 'future Reichchancellor', and even 'the only penitent defendant at Nuremberg'. There is no doubt that there are many faces to Albert Speer: he was a man who had far greater power during the war than any other aside from Hitler, and was widely believed to succeed Hitler; his tremendous powers of organization raised German production to its peak at a time when resources were at an all-time low; and it was expected by all, including himself, that he would receive the death sentence like the other Nazi leaders, instead escaping the noose with only twenty years.

 

In light of his extended involvement in the Nazi party, both as Hitler's architect and the Minister for Armaments, and his contributions to the illegal war waged by the regime, the question naturally arises: did Speer receive adequate punishment?  Did the verdict reflect the perception that Speer was somehow 'less culpable' than the other defendants, or did he mastermind his defence in a way that reduced his sentence? The events leading up to the Nuremberg trial, and the trial itself, provides clues to answering these questions: what can we learn about the personality of Speer from the evidence available, and why does it matter?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamcatcher Books
• Release date: Apr 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781533781703

Geetanjali Mukherjee

Geetanjali Mukherjee is the author of 7 books. Her recent book "Anyone Can Get An A+: How To Beat Procrastination, Reduce Stress and Improve Your Grades" was written to help students of all ages improve their study habits and get better grades with techniques based on the latest scientific research. She has a law degree from the University of Warwick UK and a Masters' in Public Policy from Cornell University. Geetanjali currently lives in Singapore.

Book preview

Will The Real Albert Speer Please Stand Up?

Will The Real Albert Speer Please Stand Up?

The Many Faces of Hitler's Architect

Geetanjali Mukherjee

Dreamcatcher Books

Contents

Also by the Author

Introduction

THE MANY ROLES OF SPEER: ARCHITECT, MINISTER, ADMINISTRATOR

ON TRIAL AT NUREMBERG

SPEER’S DEFENCE

ANALYSING SPEER: EVIL OR SIMPLY MISUNDERSTOOD?

Conclusion

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Will The Real Albert Speer Please Stand Up? The Many Faces of Hitler's Architect

By Geetanjali Mukherjee

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Copyright © 2014 Geetanjali Mukherjee

All rights reserved.

Cover and Book Design: Geetanjali Mukherjee

Cover Image: Original Image under Creative Commons license (CC-BY-SA 2.5), from Arno Breker Museum /MARCO-VG, Bonn Toestemming, available here. Image modified under same license.

Also by the Author

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From Auden to Yeats: Critical Analysis of 30 Selected Poems

Illusions: A Collection of Poems

Creating Consensus: The Journey Towards Banning Cluster Munitions

Goldilocks Lives in Leamington: and other tales of university life

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The Smarter Student Series

Anyone Can Get An A+: How To Beat Procrastination, Reduce Stress and Improve Your Grades

Anyone Can Get An A+ Companion Workbook: How To Beat Procrastination, Reduce Stress and Improve Your Grades

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To all those who have suffered from the actions of those who seek to emphasize the differences between human beings.

Introduction

For the commission to do a great building, I would have sold my soul like Faust. Now I had found my Mephistopheles. He seemed no less engaging than Goethe's.

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Over the years Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer, commonly known as Albert Speer, has been given several titles – both official and unofficial. He has been called ‘the good Nazi’, ‘Hitler’s architect’, potential successor to Hitler and future Reichchancellor, and perhaps even the only penitent defendant at the first Nuremberg trial. There is no doubt that there are many faces to Albert Speer: he was a man who had far greater power during the war than any other aside from Hitler, and was widely believed to succeed Hitler; his tremendous powers of organization raised German production to its peak at a time when resources were at an all-time low; and it was expected by all, including himself, that he would receive the death sentence like the other Nazi leaders, instead escaping the noose with only twenty years.

In light of his extended involvement in the Nazi party, both as Hitler’s architect and the Minister for Armaments, and his contributions to the illegal war waged by the regime, the question naturally arises: did Speer receive adequate punishment? Did the atypical verdict reflect the perception that Speer was somehow ‘less culpable’ than the other defendants, or did he mastermind his defence in a way that reduced his sentence? The events leading up to the Nuremberg trial, and the trial itself, provides clues to answering these questions: what can we learn about the personality of Speer from the evidence available, and why does it matter?

In the years since the trial, biographers have been fascinated with the life of Speer, and have attempted to understand the man behind the enigma. The reason for the fascination is as much for his proximity to Hitler and the regime as it is for his actions at