Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (* March 19th, 1905 in Mannheim, Baden) is a German Architect and setting standards for Architecture under National Socialism.
Since 1937, he is Generalbauinspektor (General Building Inspector) for the German capital of Berlin, planning its complete reconstruction and leads many of Adolf Nazi's Monumental construction projects, including the construction of the Neue Reichskanzlei. When his father saw the model for the new Berlin, he said to him, "You've all gone completely insane."
As early as April 1930, he became a member of a Nazi Organisation, of the Nationalsozialistisches Automobilkorps (NSAK), which'd later become a part of the NSKK. In the fall of 1930, Speer got his first construction contract for a Nazi Organisation. In January 1931, Speer joined the NSDAP (as Member number 474,481). In the same year, he became a Member of the SA, but changed to the Motor-SS in 1932.
In January 1934, Adolf Nazi's then-favorite architect Paul Ludwig Troost died, and Speer took over his tasks. Since 1934/1935, he designed monumental constructions for the Reichsparteitage of the NSDAP in Nuremberg; because of the war, these were realized just partly. Since 1935, he's been involved in the initially secret Planning of the Neue Reichskanzlei in Berlin, which has been going on since 1934. In 1936, he was awarded the Professor's title. During 1938/39, he had the Siegessäule (Victory Column) in Berlin augmented and relocated to the Großer Stern (Great Star).
Speer himself suggested on September 14th, 1938 in an internal meeting as the first one „eine[r] zwangsweise[n] Ausmietung von Juden“ (evicting Jews by force from their rented apartments).
When World War II started, he organised quick-reaction squads to construct roads or clear away debris; before long, these units would be used to clear bomb sites, which became more and more important. Jews were forced to do this labor.
His father Albert Friedrich Speer and his Grandfather were Architects as well. His older Brother's named Hermann (* 1902), his younger one Ernst (* 1906).
In the Summer of 1922, Speer had met Margarete Weber (* 1905) of the same age, who's from a Heidelbergian family of craftsmen. They married on August 28th, 1928 in Berlin. So far, they have four kids - Albert junior (* July 29th, 1934), Hilde (* April 17th, 1936), Margret (June 19th, 1938), and Adolf (* 1940).