I have this question on Albert Speer which i'm struggling on. I have answered it and the essay is below, I just feel it is not the best and would gladly appreciate some help in making it a really good essay. thanks in advance btw
question - "Significant people are always surrounded by controversy" Evaluate this statement in relation to Alert Speer and make reference to at least THREE areas of debate or controversy regarding this personality.
essay
It is fair to say that Speer really was surrounded by controversy; his direct involvement within the Nazi regime contributes directly to this, the most infamous regime in the world. Speer being the highly significant person he was was surrounded by deeper controversy within the reign, especially when dealing with the costs of his successes as a creative architect and skilled armaments manager and his knowledge of the notorious holocaust. His involvement and knowledge have been the forerunners in debates about Speers life, but one cannot protest that he was surrounded by controversy, the evidence is monumental.
Ignoring his involvement in the Nazi regime, Speer has been praised for his successes, especially his architectural pursuits to which he had no limit. But these successes were costly, this especially shown through the debate on the Berlin Jews. With the advent of megalomaniac Germania, much of Berlin had to be demolished. There was also a Tenancy agreement allowing landlords to evict Jewish people, something Speer took direct advantage of. The debate arises from Speers knowledge about a 1941 meeting in which Goebbel’s held to discuss what was to be done about the remaining 60,000 to 70,000 Jews remaining in Berlin. They were eventually shipped off to the ghettos in Eastern Europe, then onto the death camps such as Auschwitz. Whether or not Speer did have actual knowledge, something highly believed, is not the point. What can be said was that he was rightly involved in the eventual massacre of 70,000 Berlin Jews; this in itself was a controversy, one of the many mass evictions that had happened in Nazi Germany. His involvement was expanded in 1969, when a researcher found evidence that Speer had indeed been briefed by his representative, Dietrich Clahes on the important meeting and would have clearly known the outcome of the Jews. Speer’s lying and deception was uncovered, further enhancing the argument that he really was surrounded by controversy, something continuing all throughout his life.
Significant people have to be surrounded by controversy, Speer was no exception. One of his many successes has been his role as minister for armaments, where he’s supposedly exceptional management and organisational skills greatly increased production levels evidently elongating World War II. But was Speer really ignorant about the slave labour, he employed in the factories. The image of his exceptional skills clearly contradicts his statement. The best leaders and administrators know everything in their organisation, and how could Speer be different. Historians Dan van der Vat and Gitta Sereny point out that Speer visited Mauthausen Camp in March 1943, taking a tour. Sereny even points out in an interview “that his objection to maltreatment was because it could not increase efficiency”, to some being a direct acceptance of what was going on. But what is evident was that Speer continued to be surrounded by controversy. This climaxes when Speer visited the Dora missile factory, seeing the conditions to which historians admit were extreme. This visit to a site that in itself is controversy has become clear evidence in the argument that Speer really was surrounded by controversy.
The holocaust in itself has become one the major controversies in history of humans, probably remaining as the most famous genocide, an infamous achievement. At the Nuremburg War trials Speer’s charm, something Gitta Sereny highlights he was very good at, allowed him to escape the death penalty, showing that he had no direct knowledge of the holocaust, an extremely far fetched judgement. Supposedly Speer had left the conference in the afternoon, missing Himmler’s speech on the holocaust. The debate surrounding Speer and his knowledge of the Holocaust took a turn in October 1971, when Erich Goldhagen published an article on the secret meeting. After extensive research he had found that Himmler actually talked to Speer in his address, “of course that has absolutely nothing to do with party comrade Speer; you can do nothing about it”. “You can do nothing about it” is significant as it would have only been said if Speer was sitting nearby and Himmler had chosen to look at him and acknowledge his help. Speer further embroiled himself in controversy denying that he was at the meeting when the article came out in 1971. Sereny commented saying ‘there is simply no way Speer can have failed to know about Himmler’s speech a view held my most historians.
Are significant people surrounded by controversy, was Speer? Of course he was. He is one of the most talked about Nazis, with debates surrounding him on every aspect of his career from whether he was a good Nazi, to his involvement and knowledge of the Holocaust. Speer’s controversy is evident in the many debates about his life. His successes were great, but so was the damage he caused, can we really morally state he was a great administrator and architect without acknowledging the damage he caused. Can we really accept his excuse that he didn’t know about the Holocaust. Theses debates will continue to plague historians, but what is certain, is that Speer was and will continue to be surrounded by controversy old and new. He truly was “steeped in controversy and tainted by his legacy”. (Gitta Sereny)
question - "Significant people are always surrounded by controversy" Evaluate this statement in relation to Alert Speer and make reference to at least THREE areas of debate or controversy regarding this personality.
essay
It is fair to say that Speer really was surrounded by controversy; his direct involvement within the Nazi regime contributes directly to this, the most infamous regime in the world. Speer being the highly significant person he was was surrounded by deeper controversy within the reign, especially when dealing with the costs of his successes as a creative architect and skilled armaments manager and his knowledge of the notorious holocaust. His involvement and knowledge have been the forerunners in debates about Speers life, but one cannot protest that he was surrounded by controversy, the evidence is monumental.
Ignoring his involvement in the Nazi regime, Speer has been praised for his successes, especially his architectural pursuits to which he had no limit. But these successes were costly, this especially shown through the debate on the Berlin Jews. With the advent of megalomaniac Germania, much of Berlin had to be demolished. There was also a Tenancy agreement allowing landlords to evict Jewish people, something Speer took direct advantage of. The debate arises from Speers knowledge about a 1941 meeting in which Goebbel’s held to discuss what was to be done about the remaining 60,000 to 70,000 Jews remaining in Berlin. They were eventually shipped off to the ghettos in Eastern Europe, then onto the death camps such as Auschwitz. Whether or not Speer did have actual knowledge, something highly believed, is not the point. What can be said was that he was rightly involved in the eventual massacre of 70,000 Berlin Jews; this in itself was a controversy, one of the many mass evictions that had happened in Nazi Germany. His involvement was expanded in 1969, when a researcher found evidence that Speer had indeed been briefed by his representative, Dietrich Clahes on the important meeting and would have clearly known the outcome of the Jews. Speer’s lying and deception was uncovered, further enhancing the argument that he really was surrounded by controversy, something continuing all throughout his life.
Significant people have to be surrounded by controversy, Speer was no exception. One of his many successes has been his role as minister for armaments, where he’s supposedly exceptional management and organisational skills greatly increased production levels evidently elongating World War II. But was Speer really ignorant about the slave labour, he employed in the factories. The image of his exceptional skills clearly contradicts his statement. The best leaders and administrators know everything in their organisation, and how could Speer be different. Historians Dan van der Vat and Gitta Sereny point out that Speer visited Mauthausen Camp in March 1943, taking a tour. Sereny even points out in an interview “that his objection to maltreatment was because it could not increase efficiency”, to some being a direct acceptance of what was going on. But what is evident was that Speer continued to be surrounded by controversy. This climaxes when Speer visited the Dora missile factory, seeing the conditions to which historians admit were extreme. This visit to a site that in itself is controversy has become clear evidence in the argument that Speer really was surrounded by controversy.
The holocaust in itself has become one the major controversies in history of humans, probably remaining as the most famous genocide, an infamous achievement. At the Nuremburg War trials Speer’s charm, something Gitta Sereny highlights he was very good at, allowed him to escape the death penalty, showing that he had no direct knowledge of the holocaust, an extremely far fetched judgement. Supposedly Speer had left the conference in the afternoon, missing Himmler’s speech on the holocaust. The debate surrounding Speer and his knowledge of the Holocaust took a turn in October 1971, when Erich Goldhagen published an article on the secret meeting. After extensive research he had found that Himmler actually talked to Speer in his address, “of course that has absolutely nothing to do with party comrade Speer; you can do nothing about it”. “You can do nothing about it” is significant as it would have only been said if Speer was sitting nearby and Himmler had chosen to look at him and acknowledge his help. Speer further embroiled himself in controversy denying that he was at the meeting when the article came out in 1971. Sereny commented saying ‘there is simply no way Speer can have failed to know about Himmler’s speech a view held my most historians.
Are significant people surrounded by controversy, was Speer? Of course he was. He is one of the most talked about Nazis, with debates surrounding him on every aspect of his career from whether he was a good Nazi, to his involvement and knowledge of the Holocaust. Speer’s controversy is evident in the many debates about his life. His successes were great, but so was the damage he caused, can we really morally state he was a great administrator and architect without acknowledging the damage he caused. Can we really accept his excuse that he didn’t know about the Holocaust. Theses debates will continue to plague historians, but what is certain, is that Speer was and will continue to be surrounded by controversy old and new. He truly was “steeped in controversy and tainted by his legacy”. (Gitta Sereny)
