OVERVIEW
In this unit, students study the life of Nazi architect Albert Speer. The focus of this unit is two-fold. On the one hand, students are required to learn about Speer's life in a biographical sense. They look at Speer's upbringing, early career and achievements, and his rise through the Nazi Party in becoming Hitler's one-time right-hand-man. Students must also have an in depth knowledge of the role Speer played as Reich Armaments Minister from 1942. In this role, Speer's policies of economic raitionalisation allowed the German war economy to regenerate, allowing the Germans to continue fighting for a further two years!
The second part of the unit focuses more on the historiography of the Speer story. After his trial and subsequent 20 year imprisonment, Speer wrote his autobiography, Inside The Third Reich. Students look at this text in relation to the works of other historians in the years after Speer's imprisonment that eventually lead to the unraveling of the 'Good Nazi' image that he was able to create for himself. In the HSC examination, students must answer ONE 10 mark question AND ONE 15 mark question. Generally, the 10 mark question asks for a biographical account of a part of Speer's life or career. Students will need to have an intricate understanding of Speer's experiences and achievements in order to answer this question effectively. The 15 mark question is more analytical. This question often involves a statement that students must respond to. It is imperative that students are able to cite the opinions of a range of historians, including Gitta Sereny, Dan Van Der Vat, Matthias Schmidt and Jochaim Fest among others. It is this understanding of the historiography of the Speer story that will allow them to succeed in this section of the examination. |
QUESTION A
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10 MARKS
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Outline the main features in the background and rise to prominence of the twentieth-century personality that you have studied.
QUESTION B
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15 MARKS
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To what extent does history present us with a balanced interpretation of this personality?
SAMPLE RESPONSES
Additional Questions
QUESTION A
Describe the significant events in the career of Albert Speer up to 1945.
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10 MARKS
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SAMPLE RESPONSES
QUESTION B
‘From the beginning Speer served Hitler and the German war effort without question. He was unaware of the importance of anything else.’
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15 MARKS
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In light of this statement, assess the role of Albert Speer in the Nazi war effort from 1941 onwards