Reader review: "A well documented study of Albert Speer, the 'good Nazi' who escaped the gallows at the Nuremberg trials...Well written and a great read."
He was Hitler's architect, his minister of armaments, and ? by many accounts ? his chosen successor. He was the man who defied expectations and escaped the noose at Nuremberg. He was, some said, the only Nazi who expressed genuine remorse.
But which version of Albert Speer was real?
Few figures from the Third Reich are as compelling ? or as contested ? as Speer. A man of extraordinary organisational genius, he drove German wartime production to its peak even as resources dwindled, wielding more power than any Nazi leader save Hitler himself. Yet at Nuremberg, where his co-defendants were sentenced to death, Speer received just twenty years. Was this justice ? or a masterclass in self-reinvention?
This book interrogates the many faces of Albert Speer. Drawing on the evidence from the events leading up to Nuremberg and the trial itself, it examines whether Speer was genuinely less culpable than the other defendants, or whether he was simply more calculating ? a man who had spent years perfecting the art of telling people exactly what they wanted to hear. In doing so, it raises a question that cuts to the heart of how we judge those complicit in atrocity: Did Speer receive adequate punishment for his role in one of history's greatest crimes?
What his trial reveals about his personality ? and why it still matters today ? is more unsettling than any verdict.
Klappentext
Reader review: "A well documented study of Albert Speer, the "good Nazi" who escaped the gallows at the Nuremberg trials...Geetanjali Mukherjee makes a compelling argument... Well written and a great read."
He presented many faces to the world, but which one was genuine?
Over the years Albert Speer has been given several titles - 'the good Nazi', 'Hitler's architect', 'future Reichchancellor', and even 'the only penitent defendant at Nuremberg'. There is no doubt that there are many faces to Albert Speer: he was a man who had far greater power during the war than any other aside from Hitler, and was widely believed to succeed Hitler; his tremendous powers of organization raised German production to its peak at a time when resources were at an all-time low; and it was expected by all, including himself, that he would receive the death sentence like the other Nazi leaders, instead escaping the noose with only twenty years.
In light of his extended involvement in the Nazi party, both as Hitler's architect and the Minister for Armaments, and his contributions to the illegal war waged by the regime, the question naturally arises: did Speer receive adequate punishment? Did the verdict reflect the perception that Speer was somehow 'less culpable' than the other defendants, or did he mastermind his defence in a way that reduced his sentence? The events leading up to the Nuremberg trial, and the trial itself, provides clues to answering these questions: what can we learn about the personality of Speer from the evidence available, and why does it matter?