ALBERT SPEERFAMILY BACKGROUND AND

EDUCATION

O Speer was born in 1905 in Mannheim, Germany.

O “ I was born at 12 noon and was heralded into the world by thunder storms and bells of the nearby Christ Church”

O (this was a lie)

O Speer came from an upper middle class family. The family were well off and throughout his life Speer never wanted for material things.

O The family home in had 14 rooms.

O They had a cook, nanny, maid, butler and chauffeur.

O “Only about 20 families in Manneheim could live like this.” (Speer)

O In 1918 his family moved to the country.

O Speer liked this better than the city of Manneheim.

O His father (Albert senior) was a very successful architect.

O Even during the hyperinflation of 1923, the family had 2 cars.

O Speer’s mother (Lina) came from a wealthy family and loved an extravagant lifestyle.

O She was quite a snob.O Speer also had 2

brothers who he did not get on with.

“His description of his home life…conveyed an overwhelming impression

of cold: cold between parents, cold between parents and children, cold

between the mistress of the house and the staff.” (Sereny)

“To this day I can feel the artificiality and discomfort of that world.”

O At 6, Speer went to a private elementary school.

O At 11 he went into a selective school

O He was a smart student who made study seem effortless.

O As a teenager he got involved in sport and became stronger and gained a wider circle of friends.

O Like his mum, he was a bit of a snob (and a bore as well).

“I despised those among my school mates who were finding their first pleasures in dancing, wine and cigarettes.” (Speer)

While Marget’s parents came to really like Speer , they did try to send her away to school at first in order to end the relationship.They married in 1928 without the knowledge of either sets of parents.

Speer met Margret Weber in 1922,Margret was from a lower class family. As such, she and her family were spurned by Speer’s family.They seemed to get on very well, but there was not much passion between the two.They shared a love or art and the outdoors.There is a suggestion that what Speer liked most about Margret was her family. They were loving and much warmer than his family.

O Speer left school in 1923 and wanted to pursue a career in maths.

O His father insisted he become an architect like he was.O He graduated in

1928 and became the assistant to a highly ranked German architect – Professor Tessenow.

Political AwarenessO 12 January, 1923“nothing much happened today” in a letter to Margret.This was the day the French invaded the Ruhr.

“As a student, the reserved Speer did not join anything much..but he remained dedicated to Margret, the great outdoors, to music and the theatre.”