Objective Summary

The middle section of Spandau: The Secret Diaries, a transition occurs in the writings of Albert Speer, as his thoughts transition from a focus on dealing with his guilt to coming to terms with his sentence. Speer still reflects on his conversations with Hitler. In private, he wonders how he could have been so blindly indoctrinated, but when others misrepresent, in his opinion, Hitler, Albert is the first to defend him. Speer states several times that he wants people to understand the humanity and abilities of Hitler, instead of only his monstrosity. Only when Hitler is perceived correctly will people be able to understand members of the Nazi party and why they followed such a commanding and inspiring leader. At the same time, Speer recognizes the facts and what Hitler did. He focuses on his guilt and involvement in the crimes and how he never spoke up against them in the moment. The other main point in this section is Speer's avoidance of boredom. He constantly reads the writings of philosophers, entertaining himself with internal dialogues on their philosophies. In this section, Speer even begins a walk "around the world". He keeps track of all the kilometers he's walked in the prison yard and pretends as if he's going places. He even researches where he "walks" to next heavily in travel books and other resources. Albert uses this as a tool to keep his mind off of his imprisonment, guilt, and boredom.

The included video is a video of portions of several of Hitler's speeches with English subtitles. The strength in word and power he exerts helps readers know what Speer thought people should understand about Hitler.

Speer, Albert, Clara Winston, and Richard Winston. Spandau, the Secret Diaries. London: Fontana, 1977. Print.

Essential Question Blog Post

Topic: War

Essential Question: Is war necessary?

Claim: War is a necessary evil that can bring many benefits.

Reason: War can allow a country in need to secure land and resources for itself and its people. For example, post-WWI Germany was a greatly demoralized and broken apart nation. German populations were cut off from their home country and ruled by foreigners, such as in the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland. Hitler brought the idea of lebensraum to the German populace, stating the need for land for the German people. Hitler also went to war to defend his refusal to pay the reparations of the Treaty of Paris, saving his people from debt. Another example of warring for land and resources can be seen in the Mexican-American war of the mid 1840s. The United States fought for territory in Western North America, which brought sea to sea power for the United States. The war also resulted in the finding of vast amounts of precious metals to make the US rich.

Territory gained for the US in the Mexican-American war.