Frasi di Albert Speer
Albert Speer
Data di nascita: 19. Marzo 1905
Data di morte: 1. Settembre 1981
Albert Speer è stato un architetto e politico tedesco.
Fu architetto personale di Adolf Hitler, ruolo che gli valse il soprannome di "architetto del diavolo", e ministro per gli armamenti del Reich, oltre che uno dei massimi interpreti dell'architettura nazista, quale autore dei maggiori progetti monumentali e urbanistici promossi personalmente dal capo del nazionalsocialismo, delle cui idee architettoniche ed artistiche si fece originale interprete, ottenendo per ciò anche un riconoscimento internazionale quale la medaglia d'oro per il suo padiglione della Germania all'Esposizione universale di Parigi del 1937.
Semplice iscritto al Partito nazista sin dal 1931, nel 1942, a seguito della tragica morte di Fritz Todt, fu improvvisamente nominato da Hitler ministro degli armamenti della Germania nazista. Svolse tale incarico con straordinario successo grazie alle sue eccezionali doti organizzative. Conservò l'incarico di ministro della produzione e dell'economia nel governo di Karl Dönitz anche dopo il suicidio di Hitler, sebbene questi lo avesse destituito nel suo testamento per l'attiva opposizione dell'architetto alla politica della "terra bruciata", decisa da Hitler il 19 marzo 1945.
Arrestato dagli Alleati il 23 maggio 1945, fu processato a Norimberga e, riconosciuto colpevole per lo sfruttamento di manodopera in stato di schiavitù presso le industrie belliche tedesche, si assunse - unico tra gli imputati - la completa responsabilità morale per lo sterminio degli ebrei. Fu condannato a 20 anni di reclusione, scontati nel carcere di Spandau.
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architetto italianoFrasi Albert Speer
„Se Hitler avesse avuto degli amici, io sarei stato suo amico.“
— Albert Speer
Davanti alla corte del processo di Norimberga
„Actually, a kind of state socialism seemed to be gaining more and more ground, furthered by many of the [Nazi] party functionaries. They had already managed to have all plants owned by the state distributed among the various party districts and subordinated to their own district enterprises... Our very system of industrial direction in the interests of war production could easily become the framework for a state-socialist economic order. The result was that our organization, the more efficient it became, was itself providing the party leaders with the instruments for the doom of private enterprise.“
— Albert Speer
p. 359
„I felt this coming. I tried unsuccessfully to assassinate Hitler in 1945. I am not concerned with jurisdiction of the court as Hess or others are. History will show the trials to be necessary.“
— Albert Speer
To Leon Goldensohn, April 14, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - (2004)
„A new large-scale war will end with the destruction of human culture and civilization. Therefore, this this trial must contribute toward preventing such degenerate wars in the future, and toward establishing rules whereby human beings can live together.“
— Albert Speer
Nuremberg trials, (31 August 1945)
„Hitler's dictatorship differed in one fundamental point from all its predecessors in history. His was the first dictatorship in the present period of technical development, a dictatorship which made complete use of all technical means for the domination of its own country. Through technical means like the radio and the loud-speaker, eighty million people were deprived of independent thought. It was thereby possible to subject them to the will of one man.“
— Albert Speer
1946. Quoted in "Nuremberg: The War Crimes Trial" by Richard Norton-Taylor, Nicolas Kent - Drama - (1997)
„So long as Hitler had temperamental outbursts of hate, there was yet hope for a change towards more moderate directions. Therefore, it was the resoluteness and coldness which made his outbreaks against the Jews so convincing. In other areas when he announced horrifying decisions in a cold and quiet voice, those around him, and I myself knew that things had now become serious. And with just this cold superiority he declared also, when we occasionally had lunch together, that he was set to destroy the Jews in Europe.“
— Albert Speer
Testimony of Albert Speer, Munich, (15th June 1977)
„At a situation conference early in February the maps showed the catastrophic picture of innumerable breakthroughs and encirclements. I drew Doenitz aside: "Something must be done, you know." Doenitz replied with unwonted curtness: "I am here only to represent the navy. The rest is none of my business. The Fuehrer must know what he is doing."“
— Albert Speer
p. 427
„20 years. Well … that's fair enough. They couldn't have given me a lighter sentence, considering the facts, and I can't complain. I said the sentences must be severe, and I admitted my share of the guilt, so it would be ridiculous if I complained about the punishment.“
— Albert Speer
To Dr. G. M. Gilbert, after receiving his sentence. Quoted in "Nuremberg Diary" by G. M. Gilbert - History - (1995)
„At this time a high-ranking SS leader hinted to me that Himmler was preparing decisive steps. In February 1945, the Reichsführer-SS had assumed command of the Vistula Army Group, but he was no better than his successor at stopping the Russian advance. Hitler was now berating him also. Thus what personal prestige Himmler had retained was used up by a few weeks of commanding frontline troops. Nevertheless, everyone still feared Himmler, and I felt distinctly shaky one day on learning that Himmler was coming to see me about something that evening. This, incidentally, was the only time he ever called on me. My nervousness grew when Theodor Hupfauer, the new chief of our Central Office- with whom I had several times spoken rather candidly- told me in some trepidation that Gestapo chief Kaltenbrunner would be calling on him at the same hour. Before Himmler entered, by adjutant whispered to me: "He's alone." My office was without window panes; we no longer bothered replacing them since they were blasted out by bombs every few days. A wretched candle stood at the center of the table; the electricity was out again. Wrapped in our coats, we sat facing one another. Himmler talked about minor matters, asked about pointless details, and finally made the witless observation: "When the course is downhill there's always a floor to the valley, and once it is reached, Herr Speer, the ascent begins again." Since I expressed neither agreement nor disagreement with this proverbial wisdom and remained virtually monosyllabic throughout the conversation, he soon took his leave. I never found out what he wanted of it, or why Kaltenbrunner called on Hupfauer at the same time. Perhaps t hey had heard about my critical attitude and were seeking allies; perhaps they merely wanted to sound us out.“
— Albert Speer
p. 427-428
„At Mondorf and Nuremberg, Goering had undergone a systematic withdrawal cure which had ended his drug addiction. Ever since, he was in better form than I had ever seen him. He displayed remarkable energy and became the most formidable personality among the defendants. I thought it a great pity that he had not been up to this level before the outbreak of the war and in critical situations during the war. He would have been the only person whose authority and popularity Hitler would have had to reckon with. Actually, he had been one of the few sensible enough to foresee the doom that awaited us. But having thrown away his chance to save the country while that was still possible, it was absurd and truly criminal for him to use his regained powers to hoodwink his own people. His whole policy was one of deception. Once, in the prison yard something was said about Jewish survivors in Hungary. Goering remarked coldly: "So, there are still some there? I thought we had knocked off all of them. Somebody slipped up again." I was stunned.“
— Albert Speer
p. 512
„The tremendous danger, however, contained in this totalitarian system only became abundantly clear at the moment when we were approaching the end. It was then that one could see what the meaning of the principle was, namely, that every order should be carried out without any criticism. Everything... you have seen in the way of orders which were carried out without any consideration, did after all turn out to be mistakes... This system let me put it like this to the end of the system it had become clear what tremendous dangers are contained in any such system, as such quite apart from Hitler's principle. The combination of Hitler and this system, then, brought about this tremendous catastrophe to this world.“
— Albert Speer
As quoted by chief prosecutor Robert H. Jackson in the closing summation of the prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials on July 26, 1946
