It’s been decades since I read Albert’s Speer’s memoir, Inside the Third Reich (1970), and felt the need to read it again after researching the German war effort for more than a decade. When I first read this book, the emphasis was upon gaining insight into Hitler’s inner circle since there were still many aspects of the Third Reich that were not well known. That was then. Now, decades later, we have a much better understanding of the inner workings of the Third Reich and Speer’s memoirs are but one piece. Furthermore, Speer’s prison-inspired mea culpa back in the 1970s seemed like the unvarnished truth – which is how he represented it – but this is not so evident upon further reflection. It’s now clear that Speer was intent upon ‘spinning’ his story a certain way, to make himself appear to be a more sympathetic and credible witness to history. After re-reading his memoirs, I’m not so sure that his effort to depict himself as a ‘prodigal son’ who believes in a common humanity was any more than a clever effort at historical white-washing. In any case, Inside the Third Reich remains an interesting read from someone who was a key decision-maker in leading Germany’s war effort.
Speer’s memoirs begin by taking us on his journey from young architect to his initial contact with Hitler in 1933. Hitler’s plans for aggression. Of course, Speer was trying to distance himself from any connection to Hitler’s war-mongering, although it is implausible that he was unaware of it before September 1939. I also find it odd how Speer barely mentions his wife or children or other relatives throughout 500 pages of text; they are only mentioned in passing, but many minor Nazi party functionaries get paragraph after paragraph. Speer’s mother joined the Nazi party, but it gets but brief mention. I also thought that Speer was an established architect when he first met Hitler but in fact, he really was a novice straight out of school with virtually no paid work to his credit. Speer does point out that Hitler was genuinely popular with much of the German populace because he delivered on his early promises about the economy. The author readily admits that he fell under Hitler’s spell and became a willing follower; Hitler reciprocated by praising Speer’s rather pedestrian style and giving him various ad hoc tasks to fulfil. Speer’s only complaint in the 1930s was that the Nazis didn’t always pay him for his work but when he saw the wreckage inflicted by Kristallnacht, all he could say was that “the smashed panes of shops offended my middle class sense of order.” Speer wasn’t blind to Nazi excesses; he was a moral idiot, like so many of Hitler’s followers.
Moving into the war years, Speer makes interesting observations about Hitler’s unwillingness to put off the reconstruction of Berlin even after the war in Russia had begun. Instead, scarce resources and labor were diverted away from war production for these prestige projects, which highlights that dictatorships are not necessarily more efficient at war-making. This wastage continued until December 1941, when the defeat at Moscow finally forced some scaling-back of civilian construction programs. By this point, Speer began making a name for himself as a hard-working improviser by helping to restore the railroads in occupied Soviet territory. Indeed, he positioned himself so well that Hitler made him Minister of Armaments in 1942. Speer, in fact, was very astute about working his way upward in the Nazi hierarchy in order to gain more power and prestige for himself – just like the other Nazis were doing.
Speer does have some useful things to say about the German war effort. He says that air defense took significant resources away from production devoted to ground weaponry, but faults the Allies for not repeating attacks on damaged industrial facilities. He also notes the total mismanagement of labor resources and he points the finger at Nazi party officials for refusing to cooperate with releasing people to work in war industries. He also apportions a large share of blame to Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring, who had his fingers in everybody’s pie; Speer describes Goering as very intelligent but lazy and he managed to screw up every project that he touched. The role of the SS and Gestapo is also addressed, and it is amazing to hear that the rocket scientist Werner von Braun was arrested by the SS in 1944 for making remarks about civilian use of space. Speer’s conclusion is that the German war effort was mis-managed from the start due to personal agendas and empire-building within the Nazi hierarchy. Of course, Speer omits how any of his personal agendas and empire-building may have contributed to this mess, as well.
Speer’s rationale is weird at times, particularly when he refers to Hitler’s “magnetic power” over him and another times he claimed that Hitler “paralyzed him psychically” which of course is intended to absolve Speer of personal responsibility – he had no choice. Yet other Germans could see Hitler’s evil and were not paralyzed – why was Speer different? He lamely refers to a half-baked attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1945, but says it failed due to altered security measures. It’s clear that this non-effort, which nobody else could corroborate, was inserted to belatedly cast Speer into the ranks of those who opposed Hitler. This of course is nonsense, since Speer loyally hung in with Hitler to the end, as if he had some kind of man-crush on him; in reality, he was always looking for crumbs from Hitler’s table – praise or new authorities. Ultimately, Speer was a talented conniver who put his own ambition first and Hitler was his venue for achieving his dreams. Speer lamely concludes that, “for twelve years, I had lived thoughtlessly among murderers,” as if he was merely a house-guest.
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The inner workings of Speer (1905-81)
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2018
This is the life and loves of Albert Speer. It does give us an insight as to what it was to live in HIS time and place. This shows that with the right attitude and a willingness to learn that you can go far. He was able to find unique solutions to common problems he used searchlights for dramatic effects and cement engines to keep trains going. No telling what we could have gained from his insight, if he had been able to contribute more than his memoirs.The fact that he produced this book is a miracle in its self. Look at what he could do with a simple thing like searchlights. He would have been great with lasers. If you want to know more about other people and not just the mysterious Adolf, then your next book should be "The Arms of Krupp 1587-1968" by William ManchesterSpandau The Secret DiariesThe Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2018
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