Events Shape People More Than People Shape Events

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| Albert Speer | Events Shape People More Than People Shape Events. | | Louis Funnell | | | "To this day I still consider my main guilt to be my tacit acceptance of the persecution and the murder of millions of Jews," -Albert Speer, South African Affidavit, c.1978 The statement, events shape people more than people shape events, is significantly accurate when describing Albert Speer, despite some events being shaped by him. These events include his emotionally sterile childhood, his presence at Hitler’s Munich University speech, (this event playing a pivotal role in his Nazification). His place in Hitler’s circle was secured through his chance to design the Nuremburg rallies of 1933 (as a result of Templehof rally designs), which would become known as, his most recognized and successful work, The Cathedral of Light. Despite these events playing a significant role in his life, Speer also shaped some events, which caused him to become the man he was, specifically his success as the armaments minister and his similar success as Reich Architect. Born in Mannheim, 1905, Albert Speer Jr. was born the son of successful architect, Albert Snr and household mother, Mathilde, with one older and one younger brother. His father openly preferred his younger brother, Ernst, and Hermann was preferred by his mother, leaving Albert forgotten, receiving no emotional love shown towards him, making his life a ‘’misery for the weak’’. Consequently, Albert Snr had been brought up to suppress any feelings or emotions which, in turn brought about the same attitude that Albert Jnr had towards his own family later on in his life. This disaffection significantly desensitised Speer’s outlook on his future actions in regard to his amorality in regard to concentration camps and treatment of Jews. Despite Speer later writing in his memoirs that,

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