In 1905, Albert Speer was born to wealthy parents in Mannheim, Germany. His father was an architect, and Speer continued in the family tradition. In December 1930, he attended a Nazi rally and heard Adolf Hitler speak. Soon thereafter, he heard Joseph Goebbels speak. Both times, the young Speer was impressed by what he had heard and seen and joined the Nazi Party the following year.
Albert Speer – Hitler’s Chief Architect
From the beginning, Albert Speer showed considerable talent as an architect and quickly rose to prominence in the Nazi Party. One of his early tasks of notoriety was to redecorate Joseph Goebbels’ home. Afterwards, Goebbels, the newly minted Propaganda Minister, asked Speer to remodel his new headquarters. The favorable outcome of these tasks brought Speer to the attention of Adolph Hitler who considered himself rather talented in architecture as well and saw in Speer a kindred spirit. In particular, Hitler was impressed by the young architect’s use of immense Nazi flags on buildings. In 1933, Hitler commissioned Speer to design the Nuremberg parade ground, in which the latter used 130 high-powered searchlights to create the celebrated “cathedral of light” effect (Lichtdom). The following year, Speer became Hitler’s Chief Architect. His projects included the revamping of the Berlin Stadium for the 1936 Olympics, the design for Germania, a total redevelopment of central Berlin) in 1937, and the construction of the new Chancellery in Berlin in 1939.
Albert Speer (1905-1981) Adolf Hitler’s Chief architect. Photo courtesy of Spartacus Educational. www.walled-in-berlin.com
Albert Speer – Minister of Armament and War Production
In February 1942, the Minister of Armaments, Fritz Todt, was killed in an airplane crash. On the same day, Hitler appointed Speer as Todt’s successor. In this new position, it was Speer’s job to keep the Nazi war machine going. He did so largely by using slave labor, which prolonged the war, even after he himself had concluded that it was a lost cause.
Albert Speer and the Nero Decree
As the war in Europe came to an end, on Speer’s 40thbirthday, Hitler ordered the Nero Decree, the destruction of everything that might have been of value to the enemy. Speer persuaded Hitler to give him full authority to carry out the order, but intentionally failed to follow through. This decision helped Hitler’s Chief Architect to avoid the death penalty during the Nuernberg War Crimes Trials.
Hitler’s Chief Architect – Principled or Pragmatic?
Albert Speer is often described as intelligent, gifted, ambitious, apolitical and arrogant, and some believe that he was sincerely sorry for the torture he had helped inflict upon mankind. Others believe Hitler’s Chief Architect was a pragmatist who admitted to the war crimes tribunal that his actions had been wrong only to save himself from being executed.
Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing events that engulfed the city during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and John F. Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my own, equally insurmountable, parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. unity, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
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Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
Tags: Adolph Hitler, Albert Speer, cathedral of light effect, Fritz Todt, Germania, Lichtdom, Nero Decree, Nuernberg War Crimes Trials, Nuernberger Prozesse
