Educated at the University of Karlsruhe where he studied architecture, Speer then studied at the Technical University of Munich. In 1925, he transferred t the Technical University of Berlin, where he graduated in 1927. He then stayed on at the University and did some teaching. In 1930, he attended a Nazi rally in Berlin and joined the party the following year. He was recommended to Goebbels to renovate the Party's headquarters in Berlin. In 1933, he submitted designs for the Nuremberg rally which brought him in contact with Hitler, who was so impressed that he appointed him 'Commissioner for the Artistic and Technical Presentation of Party Rallies and Demonstrations'. Speer became close friends with Hitler who decided to use Speer as the architect for the future of Germany. He was subsequently appointed as the head of the Chief Office for Construction. Over the next years, before the beginning of the war, Speer was responsible for countless structures and plans. Initially, Speer worshipped Hitler and it wasn't until the final days of the war and Hitler's orders for the destruction of Germany, that he finally changed his mind. After Minister of Armaments Fritz Todt died in a lane crash, Speer was appointed to replace him,stating he was commanded to do so by Hitler. Speer was an excellent organizer and his ministry was very efficient, although his many projects did employ slave labor, At the end of the war, Speer was included on the list of Nazis to be tried at Nuremberg, where he took responsibility for the regime's actions. Together with Hess, Doenitz and others, Speer was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years, to be served at Spandau prison in Berlin. Speer released in 1966, spent the remainder of his life in writing his memoirs, and in an advisory capacity. His major work was Inside the Third Reich (1969), but his other works include Spandau:The Secret Diaries (1976) and Infiltration (1981). |
