Albert Speer Albert Speer was born in March 19, 1905 and was first known as an Architect although later becoming Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich during World War II. Speer is now commonly known as ‘the Nazi who said sorry’. Speer grew up in the German town of Heidelberg. Speer started his architectural studies at the University of Karlsruhe in 1923 this university was not the most reputable for architecture so Speer transferred to the more renowned Technical University of Munich in 1924 and then later in 1925 moved on to the Technical University of Berlin were he finished his degree in 1927.
Speer first heard Adolf Hitler talk in December 1930 when Speer made his first appearance at a Berlin Nazi rally. Speer was very impressed Hitler’s political plans but also Hitler himself. Speer’s first role in the Nazi party was in 1931 were he was head of the party’s motorist association for the suburb of Wannsee in Berlin. Joseph Goebbels hired Speer to renovate the Berlin Headquarters; his Ministry’s building on Wilhelmplatz and the 1933 May Day commemoration in Berlin.
Speer was first considered part of Hitler’s inner circle when Speer was asked to renovate the Chancellery in 1933. Albert Speer became chief architect of the Nazi Party on the 21st of January, 1934. Between 1934 and 1937 Speer designed the Zeppelinfeld Stadium, the Olympic Stadium for the 1936 Summer Olympics and the German pavilion for the 1937 international exposition in Paris. 1937 was also the year that Speer was promoted to General Building Inspector for the Reich Capital this made Speer answerable to Hitler himself and made him a member of the Reichstag.
Speer was then assigned by Hitler with the task of re-designing Berlin. On the 8th of February, 1942 Speer became the Minister for Armaments. Speer decided to stand by Hitler at the fall of the Reich. At this time due to the circumstances of possible ally defeat Hitler ordered the Nero Decree. Hitler ordered Speer to handle this responsibility. Shocked by Hitler’s rash decision Speer purposely failed to go through with the Nero decree.
Speer used his power that Hitler had entrusted him with to persuade the generals to reject the order. After the German Military surrender was signed on May 7, 1945. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrested Albert Speer on the 23rd of May. On the 1st of October, 1946 Speer was charged with war crimes and was later found guilty for war crimes and crimes against humanity and was made to serve 20 years imprisonment. Speer was flown from Nuremburg to Berlin on the on July 18, 1947 were he began his sentence at Spandau Prison.
Speer served his full sentence and was released from Spandau Prison on the 1st of October 1966. When released Speer devoted his time to publishing his two autobiographical books Inside the Third Reich and Spandau: The Secret Diaries and later publishing Himmler and the SS. Albert Speer died due to a stroke on the 1st of September 1981 aged 76. Bibliography http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Albert_Speer http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/GERspeer. htm http://albertspeer. tripod. com/ Notes from history book.
