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Albert Speer's Dichotomy

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In studying Albert Speer, one must account for the changing nature of history through introduction of new information and evidence with each new generation of historians and scholars. In Albert Speer’s case, his interpretation originated from his penitence at the Nuremberg Trials and later developed through contradictions made by historians as evidence and information was exposed in regards to the man “who was too deep for his own good”. At the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal, Speer presented a remorseful face to the world, pleading ignorance. This efficiency was rarely questioned, with many believing he increased production by 300% between 1941 and 1944. Early Speer historians endorsed this view. Historians such as Namshar and Joachim Fest authored sympathetic biographies, utilizing Speer as a source of information. Indeed, Speer had made himself readily available for interviews following his release from Spandau in 1966, and even enlisted the help of Fest in the revision and editing of his own memoirs. However, as time passed, cracks began to appear in Speer’s story, and a historical dichotomy developed. It surfaced that the source of statistics revealing Speers …show more content…

Sereny claims Speer “looked away” yet how is this approach possible when it is known that Speer was in charge of rail from 1942 onwards, and would hence know of the transportation of the Jewish people to concentration camps? Further incongruities between Sereny’s approach and reality are apparent in the photographic evidence available of Speer with emaciated POWS at both Mauthausen and DORA, apparently, conditions at Mauthausen were too comfortable for Speers liking, yet the conditions at DORA affected the productivity of his workers. This surely cannot be considered “looking

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On November 14, 1945, the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials began in Germany. They were to be the definitive judgement of the crimes against humanity by the Nazis. In the midst of the trial, it was determined that the SS, along with its associated organizations such as the Sicherheitsdienst (SD--the security and intelligence organization within the SS) and Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo—State Secret Police), was a criminal organization.1 The verdict placed on the SS was as follows:

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It is because of Speer that evicted a mass amount of Berlin Jews from their homes, hence, sentencing them to concentration camps. This has led to many historians to determine Speer as someone who had not only worked closely with Hitler however, had also known about the worst within the Nazi regime including the treatment of individuals and the Holocaust. Historian Matthais Schmidt argues that Speer lacks to tell definite details about his

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Albert Speer: Albert Speer was born in Mannheim, Germany, on March 19, 1905. He applied to be in the Nazi party on March 31, 1931; the first time contacted Hitler was in 1933. Albert Speer was an architect and Minister of Armaments and War Production for Germany in World War II. In 1942 he was made minister for armaments and mutations which he was able to triple between the years 1942 and 1943. He took responsibility for his crimes of the Nazi Regime in the Nuremberg

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Albert Speer, first architect of the ‘The Third Reich’, and the Minister of Armament and Munitions played a significant role in Germany’s war effort directly and indirectly. As Hitler’s architect and Nazi party member he restored the German people’s confidence in Nazi regime through his grand propaganda rally sites and as Minister of Armaments and Munitions he improved the Germany’s war effort by increasing the production of weapons. Although, he was also criticized by many historians for his role in forced labor camps and killing of Jews but in the end he was able to convince some of the critics by opposing Hitler’s Schored earth policy and preventing the destruction of Germany’s infrastructure. In his position as Germany’s architect from

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Whilst individuals can affect the course of history, they are more likely to become a product of events. Such a statement is true regarding Albert Speer as his work in designing rallies and the Reich Chancellery in Nazi Germany had the ability to shape history, however, his impact was significantly a result of the events he was made a part of rather than his own ambition. Therefore, Speer’s contributions combined with the projects which were given to him significantly support the notion that he was shaped by events. Through opportunities to design influential rallies and the Reich chancellery, Speer was able to grow into a political figure, and furthermore prove he significantly shaped events. Such success was due to Speers actions as he

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The Good Nazi Analysis Under a tyrant’s command, who seemed to have no human morality, one man felt remorse for the things he did, or so he made us think. Dan van der Vat uses tone to show skepticism towards Albert Speer’s true intentions during his run with the Nazi regime. In his novel, The Good Nazi: The Life and Lies of Albert Speer Dan van der Vat goes over all of Albert speer’s, a top-ranking Nazi officer and Hitler’s closest friend, life and decisions. The author uses tone to show Speer’s feelings towards the party, the feelings of those around Speer, and to show suspicions of Speer 's claims and intentions. In Dan van der Vat 's novel, The Good Nazi, the author displays Albert Speer 's human element with an inspective tone.

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The plan was justified as a way of preventing the invading allied forces creating bases in Germany. Speer refused to follow hitler’s orders. He viewed the destruction as wasteful action. He was also aware of Hitler’s failing health and increasingly wild decision making. Speer spent the last months of the war trying to save Germanys manufacturing base and resisting Hiler’s Scorched Earth Policy.

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Elie Wiesel and his family were deported from the town Sighet to camp Auschwitz. Elie and his town were gathered into train carts vigorously. The German SS officers shouting ”if anyone goes missing, you will all be shot, like dogs” (24). While on the train carts there were an average of eighty Jews in one cart, Elie saying “there was little air, thirst became intolerable, as did the heat” (23). Although the Jews of Sighet were warned they did not listen.

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Experts claim that the title of the most inhumane event in human history goes to the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night describes the horrors of the Holocaust from the very eyes of a young man who, in the present, has lost everything he once had to this unfathomable tragedy. Wiesel demonstrates how powerful evil can become if it remains undiscovered, by sharing his experiences in the hands of the wretched Nazi Germany. Wiesel’s account conveys this message clearly from the original threat, deportation, and through the eventual deaths of millions of inmates. This hidden threat originated with fanfare and without resistance when the Germans marched into town.

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Let this essay be a reminder to the world that totalitarian ideologies will bring forth catastrophe just as National Socialism did in Nazi Germany. The memoirs of Rudolf Hoss, Death Dealer, is one of the most detailed accounts of a man who was the Commandant of Auschwitz, and is known as one of the greatest mass murderers in history. In the forward Primo Levi wrote to Death Dealer, he stated that even though this autobiography is filled with evil and has no literary quality, it’s one of the most instructive books ever published because it describes a human life exemplary in its way (Hoss, 3). In this essay, I will argue that Primo Levi thought Death Dealer is one of the most instructive books because it seeks to explain how ordinary men

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Perils of Indifference delivers his message effectively, but not to the same degree of his memoir, for it isn’t able to explore these the horrors of the Holocaust, and use the same extent of literary terms because of its length

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In the book Maus by Art Spiegelman, the theme of the book is when people are in a life or death situation, people depend on luck to survive. The protagonist in this book, Vladek Spiegelman, is a Jewish man who lives in the town of Sosnowiec, Poland, this is important to the theme because if they are caught by the Nazis they were sent to Auschwitz. For example the Nazis would round people up and send them to Auschwitz, this happens on page 80 when Vladek was walking by, “I had to pass near- and they were grabbing Jews, papers or no!”(80). This quote shows that even if you had all the papers/documentation you needed to stay and work for the Nazis if you were unlucky and in the wrong place at the wrong they would take you to Auschwitz.

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If he did, in fact, act in this manner to prevent the Nazis from producing an atomic bomb, then he seems less of an incompetent villain than if he simply did not create the bomb because he was unable to do so. Speer’s addition to part of the play could enlighten the audience on the meeting and provide a contrasting point to Heisenberg’s interpretation of the meeting. Most of the play centers around the notion that Heisenberg can never truly know his own intentions for his journey to Copenhagen and thus leads to the discussion of multiple motives. However, when it comes to this meeting with Speer, the only insight the audience has to the encounter is Heisenberg’s own understanding of it, an interpretation that has seemingly been proven inaccurate through the rest of the play. In fact, Heisenberg’s memory seems faulty in more ways than simply his ideas of his motives.

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