Inside the Third Reich (1982) - scene Reich Chancellery
Inside the Third Reich Erinnerungen is a memoir written by Albert Speer Nazi Minister of Armaments 1942-1945, serving as chief architect of Adolf Hitler before this period, it is considered one of the most detailed descriptions the internal operation and leadership of Nazi Germany, but is controversial because of the lack of Speer discussions about Nazi atrocities and questions about his mental awareness or participation with them first published in 1969, it became in English translation in 1970.
At Nuremberg Speer was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his use of slave labor, while the Minister of Munitions From 1946 to 1966, while serving the sentence at Spandau prison, he wrote more than 2000 manuscript pages of personal memoirs because he was not allowed to write these memoirs in prison, he smuggled these notes and returned after his release, he was helped by Joachim Fest the manuscript has led to the first two Recollections books Erinnerungen Propyläen Ullstein, 1969, which was translated into English and published by Macmillan in 1970 as inside the Third Reich; then as Tagebücher Spandau Spandau Diaries Propyläen Ullstein, 1975, which was translated into English and published by Macmillan in 1976 as Spandau The Secret Diaries.
Inside the Third Reich is written in an autobiographical style While Speer begins with his childhood, he spent most of memoirs describing his work in the Nazi hierarchy.
Speer, by his account, entered the Nazi hierarchy by an unusual chain of events, he said he first joined after attending a rally where Hitler spoke and he joined in the request of some of his students from the start, Speer was used primarily as a driver because of his being the only one with a car in the Wannsee area as an architect commissioned by the party, he had an excellent time execution of a construction project, which has attracted the attention of senior management.
Because Hitler saw himself as both an architect and artist, he warmed to Speer and gradually brought him into his inner circle.
Its close relative with Speer Hitler finds himself in an enviable position, but precarious, he later remarked, I would have been Hitler's best friend if Hitler had been able to have friends.
His duties until 1942 was occupied exclusively by architectural works, mostly large works that Hitler planned but never built then, after the Minister of Munitions, Fritz Todt died in a plane crash, Hitler unexpectedly operated Speer for the position.
Under Speer, German arms production has improved greatly Before his appointment, the economy was headed by Hermann Göring, however, Göring was disgraced after a power struggle, Speer managed to bring most of the economy under control some aspects of it had fallen under the control of the Gestapo Heinrich Himmler and remained so until the collapse of the Nazi government.
Speer introduced economic reforms that the US and Britain have implemented well before the full mobilization of plants for purposes of war and the use of workers, however, that more weapons were produced, Speer completed by the time the war was already lost.
Many people among the allied powers believed that the dictatorship in Germany resulted in creating great efficiencies throughout the economy over the cacophony of forces that shaped the production-possibility frontier in democracies Speer took pains in his memoirs to advance the economy in times of war scary advantages of this country that this theory is not supported by the facts in fact, he felt that somehow democracies finished with a better production efficiency that Germany did, he found that the pathological secrecy and corruption in a dictatorial system more than offset the theoretical benefits of greater centralization.
In 1945, Speer was disappointed by the war, the Nazi party and Hitler himself Despite being one of the few people to stay close to Hitler until the end, he sabotaged the scorched earth Hitler to prevent complete destruction of Germany the main body of the book effectively ends when Speer, by this point having joined the government of Karl Dönitz sat in Schleswig-Holstein received news of Hitler's death is followed by an epilogue facing the end of the war in Europe and the resulting Nuremberg trials in which Speer was sentenced to imprisonment for 20 years for his actions during the war.
The memories end as Speer began his imprisonment in Spandau Prison His memoirs The Spandau hEDGE Secret Diaries duration after incarceration.
Speer was one of the senior Nazi officials to survive both the war and the Nuremberg trials, he was also, even during World War described by both parties as one of the smartest people in Nazi hierarchy Thus, within the Third Reich become the definitive work on the inner workings of Nazi Germany.
His position Speer able to describe the personality of many Nazi officials, including Joseph Goebbels Goering, Himmler, Rudolf Hess and Martin Bormann, of course, Hitler himself citation needed.
Memories Speer has revolutionized the study of Nazi Germany at the time, the popular view of Nazi Germany was that of a country as a monolithic state, totalitarian which will run smoothly and proficiently first before falling gradually under the strains of war.
Speer revealed that the country was in fact strongly divided from the beginning by overlapping responsibilities, the court's policy and incompetent leaders most surprising, he portrayed Hitler as a lazy bohemian, artistic tempered who worked in spurts.
He also described Hitler as an incompetent, unprofessional, self-taught secular without any sense of the complexity of any large task, he boldly assumed a function after another one.
Speer had many personal ideas in the Nazi leaders themselves, many have chosen as neutral confidant Speer described how the woman Goebbels, Magda complained of her husband's infidelity and how it in turn, had an affair with one of old friends Speer, Karl Hanke personally meet Göring in his field, Speer wrote how the Deputy Marshal of the Luftwaffe overweight and spent his days hunting, eating, and literally playing with stolen jewelry as if they were toys.
According to Speer, even in the middle of the 1930s, after reaching a dictatorial power, Hitler had very unstable work habits that included staying very late usually up to 5 00 or June 00 in the morning and then sleep until about noon, spend hours and hours with meals and snacks, and waste his time and that of their colleagues with movies and long boring monologues He was unable to work normal office.
In the memoirs, Speer openly wondered when exactly Hitler never found the time to make important about his personal life, Speer noted that in mid-1943, had told him, Eva Braun Hitler was too busy, too immersed and too tired to have sex with her.
Listening to the Führer, Speer concluded that Hitler was unable to grow, either because emotional or intellectual Hitler could charm people, including Speer himself, Speer also believed Hitler was a sociopath and megalomaniac Even in 1945, when the German armed forces were almost completely destroyed, Speer could not convince Hitler to admit defeat or even to go on the defensive.
According to Speer, the position of Germany in the war went into decline during the siege of Stalingrad and the Second Battle of El Alamein when Hitler, facing defeat in the two battles, tried to hide from the reality in the reluctance of Hitler, Speer said that Hitler's private secretary, Martin Bormann took advantage of the vacuum and controlled all information up to Hitler in order to seize power for himself.
Similarly, Speer painted an unflattering portrait of the Nazi government extremely Due to the indecision of Hitler and his belief that the struggle led force, the government has never been well coordinated various departments were often assigned to same task and Hitler refused to specify the courts.
Therefore, for all that is done, the ministers often had to make justice policy Speer himself was to ally with Goebbels and other ministers to counter Göring incompetent economic leadership more, commentators on the memoirs pronounced it probably Speer himself came close to being killed by Heinrich Himmler after he began unwittingly in the care of an SS doctor.
In the book, the Nuremberg trials, Speer denied any knowledge of the Holocaust While he admits his knowledge of the slave labor used in his ministry, Speer said he has tried to improve the workers conditions and slaves he preferred not to use such labor.
Even editorial assistance, Joachim Fest noted in subsequent editions of Inside the Third Reich writes that much of what Speer disagreed with his testimony in Nuremberg Specifically, originally Speer made excuses for why it is remained with Hitler until the end, but in his memoirs, he admitted that he made personal loyalty.
In the book, Speer said he planned the assassination of Hitler in early 1945 to end the war, but apart from an affidavit of one of his friends, Dieter Stahl, there is no evidence supporting.
Moreover, Speer has granted numerous interviews after his release from prison, and some of the things said in these conversations, such as those with Gitta Sereny contradicted both his testimony to the court and memories.
Supporters of Speer, as Fest, say Speer felt personal guilt about the Holocaust and he spent his last years trying to justify both for himself and the audience why he was left deceived before her death, Speer has compared his work on behalf of the Nazis to that of a man who made a pact with the devil.
Critics argue that Speer omissions and denials based on its efforts to prevent the execution in Nuremberg Numerous testimonies trial Speer represent as cunning and intelligent defendant, who shot a rope in his defense that he could also d other Nuremberg defendants in similar positions Speer s were hanged, including Fritz Sauckel who actually worked under Speer Speer's request to have tried to kill Hitler is usually cited as one of the main reasons why he was spared the noose.
Although arguments about the guilt of Speer are underway within the Third Reich is used by historians from all sides as the primary source about the inner workings of Speer Nazi regime supporters, sardonic, noted that even historians who claim Speer is untrustworthy memoirs nevertheless incorporate in their work.
Inside the Third Reich, third reich, English Macmillan published, Nuremberg Trials Speer.