4. Relationship with Hitler Flashcards
what did Speer’s close relationship with Hitler guarantee?
guaranteed his prominent rank throughout Germany and his later dominant international role throughout WW2
foundation of their rel/ship built on?
the coinciding love of art and architecture.
Why does Speer claim that Hitler was also attracted to his youth and inexperience?
this allowed Hitler to ‘mould’ him into pursuing his own goals and ideals
What did his close, personal relationship with Hitler lead to?
Speer could not have reached his high rank within the party without developing such a close, personal relationship with Hitler, which in turn allowed for his success on the world stage during WW2
why did relationship began to shatter once Speer was appointed Armaments Minister?
as Speer constantly over-ruled Hitler
example of Speer over ruling Hitler?
Speer’s experts designed a fighter plane to be faster and more powerful than any other aircraft, for the purpose of shooting down bomber craft over Germany, although Hitler insisted that it be converted to a bomber plane for use in raids on Britain
When did rel/ship begin to fall apart?
when Speer began to tell Hitler what he did not want to hear, that the war was lost and began to defy Hitler’s orders, such as the ‘Scorched Earth policy
Historiography: what does Overy describe their rel/ship as?
as being like a ‘father and son’ relationship
Historiography: Gitta Sereny of romance?
states that “Speer became a frustrated romantic, whose sublimated, nonsexual but homoerotic devotion for Hitler, a love that was reciprocated, blinded him to reality”.
(erotic, non-sexual, dimension to their closeness)
Historiography: Fest?
states they were united by what he calls “an emotional relationship”. “He drew Speer to him like no one else, he singled him out and made him great”.
Historiography: Kershaw?
Hitler’s reasons for befriending Speer was he “perhaps found in the handsome, burningly ambitious, talented and successful architect an unconsciously idealised self-image…”
Historiography: Why was their re/ship souring according to Van der Vat?
“For Speer the long illness at the beginning of 1944 had brought disenchantment with Hitler personally… by open dissent as he sent Hitler challenging memoranda”
