Albert+Speer

=Part III: Personalities in the Twentieth Century=

Option 21: Albert Speer 1905–1981
Principal focus: Through the study of Albert Speer, students gain an understanding of the role of this personality in a period of national or international history.

Students learn about:


 * 1 Historical context**


 * rise of the Nazi party and the personal charisma of Adolf Hitler
 * development of the Nazi state after 1933
 * Nazi war effort to 1945
 * Nuremberg War Crimes Trials


 * 2 Background**


 * family background and education
 * introduction to Nazism and his reasons for joining the Nazi party


 * 3 Rise to prominence**


 * early work for the Nazi party
 * appointment as ‘First Architect of the Reich’
 * the ‘Germania’ project and the new Reich Chancellery
 * work as Armaments Minister


 * 4 Significance and evaluation**


 * relationship with Hitler
 * involvement with anti-Semitic activities in connection with the Germania project – the question of the ‘Jew-flats’
 * use and abuse of forced labour
 * knowledge of and links with the concentration camp system
 * reaction to Hitler’s ‘scorched earth’ policy in 1945
 * the significance of Speer’s work as Minister for Armaments and War Production to the overall German war effort
 * evaluation: for example, the ‘Good Nazi’?