Albert Speer

The case of whether Speer was truly repentant over his involvement in the Nazi regime or an egoistic self-oriented character has been widely debated, with conjured evidence supporting both viewpoints.

In the early stages, Hitler and Speer bonded over a common interest for architecture. Upon noticing his work, Hitler developed a personal liking towards Speer; this is evident in the way Hitler treated Speer as a respected equal as opposed to the dominating attitude employed at his political associates. Speer likely seized the advantage of this opportunity to achieve prestige once having gained a place in Hitler’s inner most circle. The two remained firm friends until 1942 once Speer climbed the ranks, assuming the position of Minister of Armaments. From then forth, his relations to Hitler became impersonal and began to deteriorate. Hitler no longer relied on Speer as a trusted confider and sought other sources i.e. Karl Saur for updates and armament information. Speer’s hospitalisation resulted in temporary removal from Hitler’s inner circle. Despite Speer’s desperate attempts to maintain a close relationship to uphold a high profile, Hitler remained cold. Although Speer managed to renter Hitler’s inner circle, the relationship had suffered a crack and Speer’s devotion towards Hitler started to diminish. This is evident in Speer’s counter reaction to Hitler’s scorched earth policy. However, historians argue that the relationship did involve a deep emotional connection. Despite Speer’s disobedience to his orders, Hitler was surprisingly lenient and willing to give multiple chances. Furthermore, as the truth of the Nazi regime was publicly divulged, Speer still made an effort to visit Hitler during his dying days. However, it is unden...

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... factories to avoid the possible destruction was successful in ensuring that factories continued to churn out armaments despite Allied bombing raids. Speer’s ability to achieve this was due to his ruthless willingness to implement any measure to reach production goals. Historians alleged that Speer efforts prolonged the war for an additional two years.

At Nuremberg trials, Speer escaped the death penalty and only receives 20 years imprisonment. During the trials, Speer differentiated himself from other High Nazis by expressing remorse for his involvement in the regime and claiming ignorance of the Holocaust. This seemingly highly influenced the judge’s final verdict on Speer’s fate. After his release , Speer erected the image of a ‘Good Nazi’ by portraying himself as a mere apolitical technocrat swept along the Nazi regime in which he had minimal influence.