Albert Speer

Albert Speer

1. Born in March 19th 1905, and the middle child of three sons, you could say Albert Speer had a life of a movie star. Having a father who was a successful architect in Mannheim, and a mother who came from a wealthy family you would say that the Speer family was more than well off. The Speer family had their own cook, kitchen maid, chamber maid, butler, chauffer, nanny and governess; Albert Speer was the upper class instead of the upper-middle which he classified himself into.

But too all-good things there are bad. Not liking his brothers, he would get picked on by them. Albert's relationship with his parents was poor and had conjured in his mind that they didn't have anytime for him at all or even loved him, but that his governess had shown him more affection towards him. Albert was never allowed to interact with any other children that weren't in the upper class. He was never allowed to play in parks or even on the streets. At the age of 17 Albert met Margaret Webber to whom he fell in love with and had gotten married to after he left his studies. Wanting to become a mathematician Albert was forced to follow his father's footsteps and become and architect. Not being able to become a mathematician and becoming an architect Albert had never really gotten to follow his dreams but it did give him the opportunity to work with one of the greatest dictators. Hitler.

2. Having wanted to establish his own architectural practice, in Albert's early days of leaving his studies it had been unsuccessful for him. Due to the depression that had hit Germany in the 1920's the demand on construction had a down turn, which made it possible to find any jobs for Speer. Not finding work and resigning from his assistant lecture's position, Speer had decided to move back to Mannheim to try and create his practice there, but once again the demands for designing work was low. Realizing that there was no chance in building his practice in Mannheim he moved to Berlin in which he gained his first work of redecorating Karl Hanke district organization head quarters.

3. Not being able to find work or establish his practice, Speer's main concern at the time in which he had entered into the Nazi party was purely for his career and not for the politics. Speer's only contribution to the party was to drive party members in his can of official business. But Speer had seen the party as a building in which he could achieve his ambitions and to become a successful architect.

Speer's decision on joining the Nazi party had an improvement of impact to his work as an architect. Even though that didn't give him many opportunities to create buildings it still gave home work in the field that he loved doing. Having been given the chance to redecorate headquarters, Speer still had shown that he was a willing and capable person to achieving anything and by doing so it had created more jobs and had pushed him closer and closer into becoming a well know architect. Having seen the plans for the Nuremberg

rallies Speer, being a person to welcome on challenges had stated that he could do better with the designs for the rally. Speer had wanted to create a setting designed to impress the audience that would make them walk into the stadium at night that then they were confronted with a raised platform to which was draped with two huge black, white and red banners, each taller than a 10 story building with a third swastika banner between them. Illuminated by 130 searchlights this headed towards the heaven this Ð''cathedral of lights' had been the main design and basis for the rally. Splendid in design and marvelous in sight, this was one of Speer's memorable works, which had given him his statue as a magnificent architect.

4. Speer's status as a nobody at the early stages of his years had banished. Having shown his work not only to Hitler but also to the world had given Speer the respect and recognition of a superb architect. By gaining this respect and recognition Hitler had invited Speer to have dinner with him. This dinner had been the beginning of Speer's career within the Nazi party and Speer was determined to achieve his ambitions. Speer wasn't given much major works to complete by Hitler. But once Hitler's main architect Paul Troost died, Hitler knew whom he would appoint to take his place. Speer. This gave Speer more responsibilities. Speer was appointed to build a permanent sire to the Nuremberg

rallies. Speer was now the right hand of Hitler and was the person to help Hitler create his perfect Germania for the Aryan people.

Having been appointed Hitler's new architect, you can say that Hitler's and Speer's relationship would be getting closer, and that it was going to get even closer. Speer said that "At one stage I was so mesmerized and hypnotized by Hitler that I hadn't noticed what was happening around me".

Hitler and Speer would have dinner in the mountains and would talk about architectural designs all day. They would go to coffee and discuss more architectural designs and how to create the perfect Germania. Speer wouldn't see his family for months for that he was always besides Hitler wherever he went. Their friendship had gotten so close that Hitler had given Speer a house in the same area of the mountain that hitters house was situated. But there friendship was based purely on the love of architectural designs and the creation of the new Germania. As the years went on their friendship had decreased and they had ended up in different situations.

Not having much knowledge nor experience of armaments, Speer having been elected minister of armaments had great responsibility but Speer was willing to show that he was capable. Such duties that Speer was required to do was to monitor and develop the creations of armaments, issue orders to the arms factories, he was also given the responsibility to 26,000 workers which were needed to construct large buildings to build for the army and air force and to build air raid shelters in Berlin. He organized the repair of the Russian railway system so that they could deliver goods to the front. Speer's role in the economic survival of the Nazi regime was enormous portion. Speer's ideology of the war was that "For a nation to start a fight and to win the major world war requires, the efficient use of its economic potential and a set out a plan in which needs to be followed and set's out hat weapons and materials are needed".

Speer didn't allow the Nazi leaders and their military tactics; overcome the