Albert Speer - ein guter Nationalsozialist?
Author
Winther, Anders Harritsø
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-01-05
Pages
80
Abstract
Albert Speer var på én gang Hitlers nærmeste arkitekt, rustningsminister, krigsforbryder, fængslet i Spandau og senere bestsellerforfatter. Som det sidste tidsvidne fra Hitlers inderkreds vakte han global interesse for sin opfattelse af Det Tredje Rige og sit ansvar for krigsforbrydelserne. Hans bøger Erinnerungen (1969) og Spandauer Tagebücher (1975) blev først modtaget med begejstring, men senere viste det sig, at Speer ikke holdt sig helt til sandheden, hvilket udløste kraftig kritik fra forfattere og historikere. Speer fremstiller sig selv som en ung, flittig og upolitisk arkitekt, der greb chancen for at arbejde for NSDAP (det nazistiske parti) og siden for Hitler, som fascinerede ham med store visioner. Efter rustningsministerens død udnævnte Hitler Speer til efterfølger, og Speer formåede, trods manglende kvalifikationer, at øge produktionen af våben og ammunition. Disse resultater skete dog på bekostning af et stort antal tvangsarbejdere og af jøderne i Berlin. Det udelod han at nævne både under Nürnbergprocessen (retssagen mod nazistiske ledere efter 2. verdenskrig) og i sine bøger, samtidig med at han gav indtryk af at påtage sig et medansvar for nazisternes forbrydelser. Mange historikere anklager derfor Speer for svindel og historieforfalskning. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan Speer beskriver sig selv i Erinnerungen og i Spandauer Tagebücher (skrevet på baggrund af notater fra de tyve år, han var fængslet i Spandau), og hvilke retoriske virkemidler han bruger. Dernæst sammenlignes hans selvfremstilling med kritikernes vurderinger og med arkivfund, der afslører Speers mørkere sider. Analysen inddrager også Heinrich Breloers dokudrama Speer und Er (2005), hvor historikere, tidligere tvangsarbejdere, Speers børn og andre giver deres syn på Speer og hans forbrydelser. Ved at se på samspillet mellem autentiske kilder og dramatiserede fremstillinger undersøger specialet, hvordan Speer skildres i nyere tid.
Albert Speer held many roles: Hitler’s closest architect, Minister of Armaments, war criminal, Spandau prisoner, and later a bestselling author. As the last eyewitness from Hitler’s inner circle, he attracted worldwide attention for his view of the Third Reich and for his sense of responsibility for war crimes. His books, Erinnerungen (1969) and Spandauer Tagebücher (1975), were initially celebrated but were later shown to contain untruths, provoking strong criticism from writers and historians. Speer portrays himself as a young, diligent, apolitical architect who seized the chance to work for the NSDAP (the Nazi Party) and eventually for Hitler, whose grand visions captivated him. After the armaments minister died, Hitler appointed Speer as successor. Despite lacking qualifications, Speer increased the production of weapons and ammunition. These achievements, however, came at the expense of large numbers of forced laborers and of the Jews in Berlin. He chose not to mention this at the Nuremberg Trials (the post–World War II trials of Nazi leaders) or in his books, even as he presented himself as accepting shared responsibility for Nazi crimes. Many historians therefore accuse Speer of deception and historical falsification. This thesis examines how Speer depicts himself in Erinnerungen and in Spandauer Tagebücher (based on notes from the twenty years he was imprisoned in Spandau), and the rhetorical strategies he uses. It then compares his self-portrait with critics’ assessments and with archival findings that expose Speer’s darker secrets. The analysis also considers Heinrich Breloer’s docudrama Speer und Er (2005), in which historians, former forced laborers, Speer’s children, and others present their views on Speer and his crimes. By studying the interplay between authentic sources and dramatized representations, the thesis explores how Speer has been portrayed in more recent times.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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