Gitta sereny interviewed speer at length after his release from spandau about his role during the war. Bbc this documentary is useful for understanding speers approach to architecture, his style, but also his achievements and challenges that he faced as being the most powerful architect in the world. Speer was active in sports, taking up skiing and mountaineering. Full text of inside the third reich internet archive. Personality profile of albert speer a german architect who was adolf hitlers chief architect, the minister of armaments and war production for nazi germany, and the only nazi who said sorry and accepted moral responsibility at the nuremberg trials, born on sunday march 19th 1905. Speer was one of the few defendants at the nuremberg trials to take responsibility for nazi war crimes.
Throughout the 12year history of the third reich, speer remained one of hitlers most trusted confidants and one of the most powerful political leaders of. An architect and an intellectual, he was seen to be a humane man, but, as minister for armaments, how could he not have known about the concentration camps. Bearing witness and ethical responsibility in harold pinters ashes. Sereny decided to complete the book alone and proved herself a skillful sleuth. Gitta sereny, through twelve years of research and through many conversations with speer, his friends and colleagues, reveals how speer came to terms with his own acts and failures to act, his progress from moral extinction to moral selfeducation and the question of his real.
Many historians such as biographers gitta sereny and joachim fest. A personal assessment by gitta sereny of hitlers armaments minister, who died in london this week at the end of 1977, quite out of the blue, i received a letter from albert speer. Sereny concludes that speer must have known about the final solution at least by the time of the posen conference, whether or not he was actually present at himmlers speech. Over the last years of his life she came to know him through hundreds of hours of conversations as no other biographer has known a nazi leader. This is the account joan of arc would have given if she had been charged with interrogating faust john banville, observer a remarkable new biography arguably the most important and certainly the most fascinating book about the nazi era published in the last. Firstly, he was one of several nazis to show remorse during his trial before the imt in nuremberg. He skillfully cultivated this image until his death in. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A few weeks earlier the sunday times had published an analysis by lewis chester and myself of david. Out of our new ideology and our polit ical will to power we will create stone documents. Albert speer was not only hitlers architect and armaments minister, but the fuhrers closest friendhis unhappy love. Like early in 1943, when the germans had ordered that the 25,000 jews of sofia be deported to poland, one man monsignor angelo roncalli, apostolic delegate to turkey, later pope john xxiii acted without thought of political expediency or of what the nazis might do.
A biography of albert speer, an important figure of the nazi high command. Albert speer was not only hitlers architect and armaments minister, but the fuhrers closest friendhis. Gitta sereny, cbe march 1921 14 june 2012 was an austrianbritish biographer. Berthold konrad hermann albert speer, 19 martie 1905 d. But now to set history straight, we have gitta serenys account.
By the time of his death, two schools of thought had emerged about the part played by albert speer from 1939 to 1945. From 1942 speer was the second most powerful man in the reich and hitlers righthand man. Speers ambiguous postwar legacy, and in that sense its a shame that gitta sereny didnt give it more. Albert speer, gitta sereny shop online for books in. Four years into their relationship, in september 1981, speer died. Albert speer hitlers architect speers model of germania, centre the very long avenue which is the main entrance into the city. Albert speer final script introduction chapter heading a young german architect albert speer attended a meeting in berlin addressed by adolf hitler, and was captivated by the magic of his oratory. Journalist was known for her unflinching studies of nazis and child criminals, including albert speer and mary bell barry neild mon 18 jun 2012.
Gitta sereny was one of europes foremost journalists with a special interest and expertise in the third reich. Speer probably escaped the death penalty because, unlike most of the other nazi leaders, he didnt try to escape responsibility for his actions by saying that he was merely following orders. Meeting albert speer roger george clark official website. Speer was one of the few defendants at the nuremberg trials to take responsibility for nazi war crimes, even as he denied knowledge of the holocaust.
Gitta sereny first saw albert speer on trial at nuremberg. Albert speer was called a good nazi for two reasons. Speer reckoned he prologued the conflict by about a year. Architecture 19321942 by leon krier in chm, doc, fb2 download ebook. Sereny gained respect for his sincerity in his personal battle with truth. This is written for the 16 grandchildren of newton clark speer and clara alice aiken speer. The source selected was albert speer, on joining the nazi movement in. Hitlers sketch of the arch of triumph, a stone monument higher than the eiffel tower. Gitta sereny, who has written prolifically about the third reich and spent 12 years working with albert speer and a large number of people who knew him, tells. It is published on the ninetieth birthday of your grandmother speer, august, 1979, and it is dedicated to her. Speer, irving, dine together at frankfurt book fair october 1980 the albert speer i knew.
Writer best known for her books on mary bell and albert speer 12 obitsereny. He joined the nazi party 3 months later, in early 1931. She interviewed every friend and associate of speers who agreed to see her. Hundreds of thousands of nazis converged on the city to worship their leader. Secondly, he was able to convince the tribunal that his crimes were relatively minor compared to other nazis. Why was albert speer only given 20 years imprisonment at.
The great hall crowned with the largest dome in the world, over 200 meters in diameter. Speers brilliance and opportunism led to a rapid advancement in his career, which saw him. Albert speer personality profile celebrities galore. Albert speer, hitlers architect and the minister of armaments and war production after his predecessors death in 1942, is the only highranking nazi official who accepted, really, any blame for the third reichs systematic slaughter of the jews, poles, romanis, russians, political dissidents, etc. The book was also later adapted by david edgar as the play albert speer and directed by trevor. Speers heidelberg school offered rugby football, unusual for germany, skiing, and speer was a participant. The manner in which gitta sereny and david irving respectively dealt with the controversial career of hitlers munitions minister albert speer in their biographies is one of the issues before the high court.
Gitta serenys biography meticulously recreates for the reader the professional, emotional, and psychological life of albert speer, hitlers architect and later his minister of armaments. Speer, albert berthold konrad hermann ww2 gravestone. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Whether you want to learn french, do some reading on biomedical technology and devices, or read a couple of selfimprovement books, then this category is for you. Albert speer has long occupied a singular niche in history.
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