Essay On Albert Speer

When measuring the extent to which Albert Speer had a positive impact on his time, it is essential to identify all the contributions made by Speer that had both a positive and negative effect on Germany and the broader global world. The positive contributions made by Speer include his work as the “First Architect of the Reich” — consisting of the Germania project and the Reich Chancellery; and as Armaments Minister which significantly strengthened the Nazi war effort. However, all this was negated by his involvement in Anti-Semitic activities, the use of forced labour and his knowledge of the concentration camps. By identifying both the positive and negative contributions, one can thoroughly deduce the magnitude of Speer’s positive impact on his time.

The early twentieth century saw the
On the back of this development that saw architects in Europe questioning this reliance on the past for artistic inspiration, was the resurgence of pan- German nationalism. (Individuals in Modern History : Leni Riefenstahl & Albert Speer, Frappell, 2002, pg. 61-62) It is through this renaissance movement that saw architecture becoming a significant part of Nazi propaganda, despite the initial Nazi concept of “blunt und boden” which characterised the debate over “the city versus the country”. Like the great states in antiquity, Hitler wanted the stone ruins of Nazism to be a reminder a thousand years into the future of the grandeur of National Socialism. (Albert Speer - Personality Study, Kelly, 2012, pg. 15) Speer helped fulfil Hitler’s desires in his early work in the Nazi Party by impressing Hitler with his May Day rally and Nuremberg Rally designs that saw the strong incorporation of monumental neo-Classical features. Speer noted that the iron and steel reinforcement used in modern buildings, ultimately made a building look unattractive when it deteriorated. Speer felt that