Rating: 
Summary: A fascinating insight into Nazi Germany
Review: This book is a fascinating insight into Nazi Germany and its key personalities, written by one of them. It contains the first explanation I have ever read of why intelligent and conciable individuals became caught up in Nazism, and is valuable for that reason alone.The bulk of the book describes key people and events at first hand, and frequently surprises with a very different view to the common one. For example Hitler is portrayed as a bumbling amateur, but with an amazing personal ability to inspire and lead. The Allies' victory was assured mainly by a catalogue of mistakes by the German leadership, some almost incredible. At the same time, Speer identifies several Allied mistakes which lengthened the war - for example failing to follow through and capitalize on the Dambuster raid, or those targeted at ball bearing production. Although a long book, it's well-written and easy to read, and I found it difficult to put down. Amazingly, given the writer and subject matter, there are even some humorous overtones. Related stories and incidents are grouped together rather than in a strict chronology - this takes a little getting used to. More disappointing is the absence of any diagrams or maps. Architecture was Speer's key skill and Hitler's abiding interest, and it is frustrating to read a lengthy description of their projects to be told "these plans survive", but not to be shown them. A reader is likely to end up with some sympathy or even admiration for Speer. His successes as armaments minister early in the War were matched by humanitarian achievements as he led opposition to Hitler's "scorched earth" policies during the War's closing stages. However, the reader must also consider some questions: History is written not necessarily by the victors, but certainly by the survivors. Is the fact that only the relatively decent Nazis survived to write their memoirs cause, effect, or the writers' own self-advancement?
Similarly, there is little or no mention in the pre-war and mid-war sections of Nazi philosophy and Hitler's own established hatreds - is this Speer trying to prove how little he knew about the war crimes and genocide? This is an important book, revealing the other side of the Second World War. History may judge Albert Speer to be one of the few "decent" Nazis. His own book cannot do that alone, but it definitely deserves to be read...
Rating: 
Summary: so-so
Review: Yes, this book is unique. Yes, because of the privileged position of the author it affords you a rare glimpse into important historical events. My rating, however, evaluates the book itself, how well it is written and how much thought went into it. I do not, by the way, object to the author's self-justification. Everyone indulges himself in this sort of thing continuously and it would be very naive to expect an autobiography not to. I DO object to the book's lack of insight into the psychological motivation of its principal subject (Albert Speer), to its superficiality, and to its banality. And despite my two-star rating I DO recommend that you read it. If nothing else, certain parallels between Hitler's Germany, as Speer describes it, and George W. Bush's America (especially his political exploitation of the events of September 11) are interesting and striking (as well as, of course, alarming).
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing suspense for a story whose ending is known
Review: Speer's book is magnificent. Even though it's a 700 page book where the ending is already known, I could hardly put it down. The suspense builds steadily as Speer's character unfolds and blossoms. All elements of the story line develop in sync - His relationship with Hitler, the war, his political acumen. The story almost makes you root for the main characters before you realize they are Nazi criminals. The book peels back layers of Speer's character in such a way that you will find yourself straining to inspect your own at the same time. Speer's strength came from honesty and vision, all forged to steel amid wartime Germany. Speer discovers himself as the dreams and veils slip away, as he analyzes himself and others. I'd compare it to Equus with Speer as the pyschologist. It's great reading.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite work on the history of Nazi Germany.....
Review: He was there in the whirlwind that was Nazi Germany. He had Hitler's ear and his attention. This book shows the lure of the Nazi's and the how the time was right for them. Along with Shirer and The Order of the Death's Head this book gives a nice picture of what Nazi Germany was. The key to me in these three books is sticking to the aquistion and loss of power by these people. Of the three books this is the human one. This man was in this movement. He tells us what it really was like. What more could one ask for? This is a must buy for anyone intrested in Nazi Germany. I think after reading this book one understands that the climate of Europe helped make this happen. This shows a reality that must be in order for an ideology to happen. I hope with many the climate never becomes ripe again for such a thing.
Rating:
Summary: Memoirs as cautionary tale
Review: Albert Speer had circumstances in which no author would ever imagine himself: a 20 year sentence in a former concentration camp to write his recollections of his career in Hitler's Germany. This book serves as a cautionary tale of what can (and did) happen when people succumb to dazzling propaganda and forceful leaders. It also describes one man's disastrous personal deal with the devil. Speer's interest in architecture is evident throughout this dense book, and those who don't share his fascination may find these passages tedious. But overall, the book gives a unique look at the inner workings of the Nazi regime and its notorious leaders, as well as insight into Speer's compromise with principles. Speer details the obsession Hitler had with remaking Berlin (and subsequently, Germany and beyond) into an ostentatious showplace of power and grandeur. Hitler delighted in the models of government buildings, boulevards and a colossal dome that was to hold hundreds of thousands of spectators and strike the viewer with awe. Indeed, much of what Speer ended up creating for Hitler utterly lacked soul and a place for the common man. All the grand plans and sumptuous buildings negated Man's significance: only the Party meant anything. Speer discovers, years into his career, that the Nazis had contrived to install talented functionaries in service of the Reich, each doing his job but unaware of the others and their responsibilities. It was to be a society of compartmentalized citizens where the oft-mocked phrase "I was only following orders" becomes the sickening watchword for mass murder and destruction. Speer was drawn to Hitler's schemes through personal attraction: here was the man to hitch his professional star to. Speer acknowledges that he made a deal with evil and never listened to the nagging doubts during the hectic, heady years of Reich-building. He writes that after signing up with the Nazis, he assumed the more unsavory parts of their agenda (anti-Semitism, brute force and political intimidation) were merely growing pains and would be jettisoned once they gained national power. What ensued were years of complicity and compromise that Speer admits was part of the worst crimes against humanity. I kept wondering as I read: what would have happened to Speer had he not sought such mentors and benefactors as the Nazis? Would his talent as an architect flourish despite the evils of his time? Did he bristle at the ever larger building schemes and grandiose plans that Hitler devised, making a mockery of true professional discipline? Here is a man who essentially threw his life away - first with the biggest bunch of criminals in history, then in isolated imprisonment in Spandau. This is more than a book about where one's decisions lead in life; it is about how good can be tainted by evil if the price is right. Speer cautions future generations against following demagogues and against the hollow promises of technology. Apparently, the world has yet to fully learn from his example.
Rating:
Summary: Very rare autobiography from a Hitler insider
Review: Although doubts about the honesty of some of this material are possible, it shold be noted that Speer was one of very few Hitler insiders and confidantes to survive the Nuremberg Trials and then write openly about his experiences. The opening pages describe his growth to adulthood, and his initial exposure to the man he would call Fuhrer. Speer initially caught Hitler's attention as an architect, which would appeal to Hitler, whose earlier years had also been about creation and design as an aspiring artist. Hitler brought on Speer to help him transform Germany and especially Berlin into what Hitler thought would be a home for a 1000-year Reich. Speer's designs were grand, imperial and bombastic, and this appealed to Hitler's sense of Germany' greatness. Hitler turned over greater responsibility to Speer as his need for syncopants grew, and especially as those who lied to him failed to live up to their promises delivered in fear of his wrath. During World War II, his role as armaments minister did prove to be successful, as the quantities of produced war goods rose. Overall, though, he represents well the growing paranioa that Hitler developed, and how it did in the Nazi system. The subsequent loss of the war, and the trials held after that, were important to Speer's story asd he was one of very few senior administrators to escape have sentences or death in Nuremberg. This is an intersting book, and is well worth the time taken to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Speer's Faustian Deal
Review: Albert Speer was at one point considered second only to Hitler in the Nazi hierarchy, and it was rumored during the War that Speer would become Hitler's successor, should the dictator die. At the same time Speer was not much of the hierarchy at all, because he was not a military man, and everyone who was anyone in the Nazi elite was somehow connected to the military. This strange situation resulted from Hitler's conscious efforts to keep the hierarchy fluid, and while his own position was secure, nothing below him was secure and power and responsibilities were liable to change. Speer takes us on a journey from his youthful days as an artistic, young middle class man who married early and needed to support a family during troubled economic times. He admits that he fell under the spell of Hitler's rhetoric and chose to ignore its negative aspects--the rantings against the Jews, democracy, communism, and international conspiracy against the Aryan race. Speer was Hitler's architect and was appointed the Minister of Armaments during the war, after his predecessor died in a plane crush under mysterious circumstances. Speer had a unique perspective, being an insider, and he probably knew Hitler better than anyone who was still alive after the allies executed top-ranked Nazis following war crime trials. Speer was spared, because, among principle defenders, he alone admitted both responsibility and guilt for the actions of the regime. Also, he was not directly involved in atrocities. Thus he got only 20 years in prison, amid objections form the Soviets, who wanted him executed. Speer shows how, thinking only of their immediate circumstances, people close their eyes to evil. They get seduced by demagogues who promise them heaven and give them a job, and then, of course, send them to the front and cause their cities to come under bombardment from several countries at the same time. Also at the same time, millions of people perish in concentration camps for being "biologically" different from some supposed ideal, while millions more are taken into slavery. It is for the use of slave labor during the War that Speer was convicted and sentenced. He had six children and was very concerned that the victors would use them the way the Germans used conquered peoples. Hence his concern about the blame "falling on the leaders" to avoid punishing the whole nation. Thus, even in admitting responsibility and showing remorse, Speer remained self-serving. And this may be the grim lesson for us all: people almost always think of themselves first and look for ways to shore up their economic situation, social status, or the well-being of their children. We simply do not love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Speer is one of the archetypal man of the twentieth century: a man who makes a Faustian deal to get a cushy position in troubled times. He is also the man who gave us the best insider's look into the demonic workings of the Third Reich and the character of its obsessed leader.
Rating:
Summary: Leaves you Wondering
Review: Looking at the leadership of the Nazi Party, one sees that there are many who do not fit into the Nazi definition of a perfect Germanic specimen. None of them seem to be a perfect Aryan who is tall, blonde, with blue eyes, except Heydrich. Hitler and Heydrich was suspected of having Jewish blood, Himmler was physically weak, Goering belonged to an upper class in society and Goebbels had a club foot. Speer is also an anomaly. When one thinks of pure evil, one forgets about him, as he seems so ordinary, just another one of those workers, and his memoirs seem to bring out an intellectual with fine feelings and sympathies. He did not directly contribute to the Holocaust, but he did make the Nazi Party strong and indirectly helped to make the destruction of the Jews a "success". Speer is a highly curious personality. In reading his memoir, you see him not as a Nazi, but as an architect. In fact his whole book seems to be talking about his architectural ambitions and one gets the sense that the Nazi Party and its leaders are side shows in his story. Hitler and Speer offer an interesting juxtaposition -- the former tries to deal with his failed architectural ambitions by wielding power in another way, and in the process wreaking vengeance. Speer, however, manages to attain his ambitions as far as his work is concerned, but he pays a high price with his morality. After reading his memoir, Speer still strikes one as a complex person and the only knowledge we have of him remains superficial. It gives readers alot to think about as it is no longer possible to assume that all Nazi leaders are "evil" in every sense of the word. Instead, they are ordinary people who are willing to do anything to attain their ambitions. And perhaps that is more chilling than evil itself.
Rating:
Summary: Ever Met a Hitler
Review: Fascinating, yet mundane. It is worth reading so as to better understand human nature. The portrait of Hitler is one of a bore, a bombast, frightfully insecure, redundant, moody, brilliant and often downright stupid... Does that sound like people you might have met before? Much of Hitler's personality can be found throughout society. If there is no humility counterbalance, people with these traits can be very dangerous. May we all be spared from a Weimar economy which creates the opportunity for catapulting these types to the fore. And there are many insecure people who follow psychopathic leaders. Weak leaders surround themselves with insecure underlings who often talk in private of their leader's weaknesses, but they stay and "worship" nonetheless. They are the most boring of apologetics and Speer is one of them. I appreciate the book as a learning tool, but I have no regard for the author. He knew much more than he admits. It is impossible to believe otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: Very Compelling Reading from the "Other" Side
Review: This book was written by Speer during his imprisonment after being convicted at Nuremburg. It covers his life from birth to the conclusion of the Nuremburg trials. I found this to be very fast reading and an interesting narrative of what life was like inside the Nazi hierarchy during WWII. Several points that stood out when I read the book- The most moving narrative was when a friend of his (Gauleiter Hanke) came to him telling him that he had just come from a concentration camp and was visibly shaken. Hanke insisted that Speer must never accept an invitation to visit such a place (the camp he described was located in Upper Silesia) - which of course was Auschwitz (Auschwitz being the biggest death factory of the Nazi regime). Speer said he would not visit such a place - and this decision haunted him to the day he died. By not going there he committed a "sin of ommision". He stated that if he had gone there maybe he could of done something; what I dont know! On a milder note I found it compelling as well that Hitler appeared to be quite a dullard. He would have his tea-times and "invite" all of the Nazi leaders and proceed to bore them with the same old stories. Speer relates that Hitler would always tell the same stories and all the attendees would have to feign interest until Hitler had put himself to sleep with his own boredom. Then the others would engage in quiet conversations with one another. But for a few chance choices, Speer would have been caught up in the web of the July 20 assasination plot against Hitler. The ringleader of that plot, von Stauffenberg, had insisted that Speer come to a luncheon to discuss important business just prior to July 20. Speer had other matters to attend to and declined despite von Stauffenberg's insistence. Speer's name was also found on a list of new cabinet members should the plot succeed. Next to his name was a question mark. The decision to decline the luncheon and the question mark by his name saved Speer's life. The political games played between/by Goebbels, Goering, Boorman and Himmler made for interesting reading as well. Speer appeared in this book to be one of the few sane and rational people that had any power in Nazi Germany. Very good book, I heartily recommend it!
| 
