Mein Kampf

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Mein Kampf (English translation: My Struggle, My Battle or My Fight) is the signature work of Adolf Hitler, combining elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology of Nazism. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925, with volume 2 in 1926, and an English paperback edition contains about 720 pages. ^[1]

Briefly stated, in Mein Kampf, Hitler presents himself as the "Übermensch" ("super-human"), describing plans for German-allied countries to rule Europe, along a racist worldview of white supremacy with "Aryans" as the "master race" at the top and Jews and Gypsies at the bottom: Germany would re-arm and join Britain and Italy as allies to defeat France and Eastern Europe, eventually overthrowing the Soviet Union to conquer the so-called "twin evils" of Communism and Judaism, giving Germany Lebensraum ("living-space") to the east (see details below).

Contents 1 Writing of Mein Kampf 2 Contents 3 Popularity 4 Current availability 5 The sequel 5.1 Historical debates 6 Globalists vs Continentists 7 Intentionalists vs Functionalists 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 See also 11 Online versions of Mein Kampf 12 External links

[edit] Writing of Mein Kampf

The first volume of Mein Kampf, entitled "Eine Abrechnung" ("An Account") was published on July 18, 1925, from notes Hitler dictated while in prison; the second volume, Die Nationalsozialistische Bewegung" ("The National-Socialistic Movement") was published in 1926. The original title Hitler chose was Viereinhalb Jahre (des Kampfes) gegen Lüge, Dummheit und Feigheit or in English "Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice." His Nazi publisher, Max Amann, decided this title was too complicated and had it shortened to Mein Kampf ("My Struggle").

The connotative and contextual flexibility of the German word "Kampf" brings the possibility of multiple translations to the title. The contemporary connotations of "Kampf" at the time of the text's writing are equally ambiguous. While translated as "fight" or "combat" (or even "war") as evidenced by examples such as the German names for a number of tanks ("Panzerkampfwagen" meaning "armored fighting vehicle") and dive bombers ("Sturzkampfflugzeug" meaning "diving war airplane"), "My Fight" might be considered a more accurate translation.

"My Struggle" may also represent the truest interpretation however. Throughout the text, Hitler describes the various trials and tribulations he and his movement experienced during their early years. Precedence for this translation can be found in the titles of other contemporary literary works such as Rudolf von Jhering's Der Kampf ums Recht (The struggle for justice).

Hitler began dictating the book to Emil Maurice while imprisoned in Landsberg Prison, then after July 1924 to Rudolf Hess, who later, along with several others, edited it. The book has been said to be convoluted, repetitive and hard to read, partly as a result of being edited and re-edited over the next twenty years in a range of editions. It was dedicated to Dietrich Eckart, member of the Thule Society.

[edit] Contents

The book outlines major ideas that would later culminate in World War II. It is heavily influenced by Gustave Le Bon's 1895 The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, which theorized propaganda as an adequate rational technique to control the seemingly irrational behaviour of crowds. Particularly prominent is the violent anti-Semitism of Hitler and his associates, drawing, among other sources, on the fabricated Protocols of the Elders of Zion. For example, Hitler claimed that the international language Esperanto was part of a Jewish plot and makes arguments toward the old German nationalist ideas of "Drang nach Osten" and the necessity to gain Lebensraum ("living space") eastwards (especially in Russia).

In Mein Kampf, Hitler uses the main thesis of "The Jewish peril", which speaks of an alleged Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership and also warns against the French. Overall, however, it does explain many details of Hitler's childhood and the process by which he became increasingly anti-Semitic and militaristic, especially during his years in Vienna, Austria. In one early chapter, he wrote about how for the first time in the city streets he noticed distinctively dressed Jews unlike those he already knew and then asked himself "Was that a German?" rather than "Was that a Jew?"

Mein Kampf has also been studied as a work on political theory. For example, Hitler announces his hatred in Mein Kampf toward what he believed to be the twin evils of the world: Communism and Judaism. The new territory that Germany needed to obtain would properly nurture the "historic destiny" of the German people; this goal explains why Hitler invaded Europe, both East and West, before he launched his attack against Russia. Laying Germany's chief ills on the parliamentary government, he announces that he wants to completely destroy that type of government.

Mein Kampf has been examined as a book on foreign policy. For example, Hitler predicts the stages of Germany's political reality on the world stage: in the first stage, Germany would, through a massive program of re-armament, overthrow the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles and form alliances with the British Empire and Fascist Italy. The second stage would feature wars against France and her allies in Eastern Europe by the combined forces of Germany, Britain and Italy. The third and final stage would be a war to destroy what Hitler saw as the "Judeo-Bolshevik" regime in the Soviet Union that would give Germany the necessary Lebensraum. The German historian, Andreas Hillgruber, labelled the plans contained in Mein Kampf as Hitler's "Stufenplan" (Stage-by-stage plan). The term "Stufenplan" has been widely used by historians, though it must be noted that the term was Hillgruber's, not Hitler's.

Hitler presented himself as the "Übermensch", frequently rendered as the somewhat ambiguous "Superman" or "Superhuman". The essentially apolitical Friedrich Nietzsche had developed this term in his book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Hitler's self-identification as such may have stemmed from his association with Nietzsche's sister, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, who was an early member of the Nazi party and a committed anti-semite. While she became the owner (and editor) of his works after his mental collapse, Nietzsche had often, during prior years, criticized her for having no understanding of his work and denounced her antisemitism.

Mein Kampf makes clear Hitler's racist worldview, dividing up humans based on ancestry. Hitler states that German "Aryans" are at the top of the hierarchy and that Jews and Gypsies are consigned to the bottom of the order. Hitler goes on to say that dominated peoples benefit by learning from the superior Aryans. Hitler further claimed that the Jews were conspiring to keep this "master race" from rightfully ruling the world by diluting its racial and cultural purity and by convincing the Aryans to believe in equality rather than superiority and inferiority. He described the struggle for world domination as an ongoing racial, cultural and political battle between Aryans and non-Aryans.

In 1928, Hitler went on to write a second book in which he expanded upon these ideas and suggested that around 1980, a final struggle would take place for world domination between the United States, the combined forces of "Greater Germany" and the British Empire (read more about this sequel below).

[edit] Popularity

Even before Hitler came to power, Mein Kampf was already quite popular. From the royalties he was able to buy a Mercedes while still in prison. Moreover, he accumulated a tax debt of 405,500 Reichsmark (6 m euros/8 m US$ today) from the sale of about 240,000 copies by the time he became chancellor in 1933 (at which time his debt was waived) ^[2][3].

After Hitler's rise to power, the book gained enormous popularity and became the virtual Bible of every Nazi. Despite rumors to the contrary, new evidence suggests that it was actually quite popular among the general population. Often reviewed and quoted in other publications, the book led the lending lists of public libraries. By the end of the war, about 10 million copies of the book had been sold or distributed in Germany (every newly-wed couple, as well as every front soldier, received a free copy), and Hitler had made about 7.6 m Reichsmark from the income of his book (when the average income of a teacher was about 4,800 Mark) ^[2][3].

Some historians have speculated that a wider reading prior to Hitler's rise to power (or at least prior to the outbreak of World War II) might have alerted the world to the dangers Hitler would pose to peace in Europe and to the Holocaust that he would pursue. An abridged English translation was produced before World War II. However, the publisher removed some of the more anti-Semitic and militaristic statements. The publication of this version caused Alan Cranston, who was an American reporter for UPI in Germany (and later senator from California), to publish his own abridged and annotated translation. Cranston believed this version to more accurately reflect the contents of the book. In 1939, Cranston was sued by Hitler's publisher for copyright infringement, and a Connecticut judge ruled in Hitler's favor. However, by the time the publication of Cranston's version was stopped, 500,000 copies had already been sold ^[4].

[edit] Current availability

Today, the state of Bavaria owns the copyright of all editions of Mein Kampf except the English and the Dutch. The Dutch government claims ^[5] to have seized copyright after World War II. The copyright will end on December 31, 2015. Historian Werner Maser, in an interview with Bild am Sonntag has stated that Peter Raubal, son of Hitler's nephew, Leo Raubal, would have a strong legal case for winning the copyright from Bavaria if he pursued it. Raubal, an Austrian engineer, has stated he wants no part of the rights to the book, which could be worth millions of euros.

The government of Bavaria, in agreement with the federal government of Germany, does not allow any copying or printing of the book in Germany and opposes it also in other countries but with less success. Owning and buying the book is legal. Trading in old copies is legal as well unless it is done in such a fashion as to "promote hatred or war", which is, under anti-revisionist laws, generally illegal. Most German libraries carry heavily commented and excerpted versions of Mein Kampf.

Elsewhere in the world, the situation is as follows:

• In Austria, the possession and/or trading of Mein Kampf is illegal.

• In France, the selling of the book is forbidden unless the transaction concerns a historical version including commentaries from specialists and states the law allowing its special historical edition. In 2002, a French court ruled that the company Yahoo! had to pay €100,000 per diem for selling revisionist materials, including Mein Kampf and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, to French customers ^[6].

• In the Netherlands, selling the book, even in the case of an old copy, is illegal as "promoting hatred", but possession and lending is not. In 1997, the government explained to the parliament that selling a scientifically annotated version might escape prosecution.

• When Mein Kampf was republished in Sweden in 1992, the government of Bavaria tried to put a ban on the book. The case went all the way to the Swedish Supreme Court. The court ruled in 1998 that the copyright could not be owned by the modern state of Bavaria. Since the publishing house that published Mein Kampf in the thirties had long gone out of business, Mein Kampf should be considered as being in a state of limbo (or even in the public domain). The case was won by the modern publisher, an outspoken anti-Nazi.

• Mein Kampf sells many examples in England in areas with a large Arab population [1].

• In Lebanon, an Arabic edition of Mein Kampf was published in 1995 by Bisan/Beisan.^[7]

• Mein Kampf was sixth on the Palestinian bestseller list, circa September 1999,^[7] and the book, translated into Arabic, has been widely distributed in the Arab-Muslim world from the 1930s to the present.^[8]
• A Turkish edition was reported to be a bestseller in Turkey in March 2005.^[9][8]

• In the USSR, the book was unavailable and de facto prohibited. In the Russian Federation, Mein Kampf has been published at least 3 times since 1992; the Russian text is also available on a number of web-sites. Recently the Public Chamber proposed to ban the book.

• In Czech Republic, Mein Kampf was published in 2000.

• In Spain, Argentina, India and Denmark, the book is unavailable. (Note: recent changes may have changed this status.)

• In Canada, Australia and Finland, the book is available. - (ISBN 0-395-07801-6, ISBN 0-395-92503-7, ISBN 1-59364-006-4)

• In 1999, the Simon Wiesenthal Center documented that major Internet booksellers like amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com sell Mein Kampf to Germany. After a public outcry, both companies agreed to stop those sales. The book is currently available through both companies. Public-domain copies of Mein Kampf are available at various Internet sites with links to banned books. Additionally, several Web sites provide the text of the book.

[edit] The sequel

After the party's poor showing in the 1928 elections, Hitler believed the reason for loss was that the public did not fully understand his ideas. He retired to Munich to dictate a sequel to Mein Kampf which focused on foreign policy, expanded on the ideas of Mein Kampf and suggested that around 1980, a final struggle would take place for world domination between the United States and the combined forces of Greater Germany and the British Empire.

Only two copies of the 200 page manuscript were originally made, and only one of these has ever been made public. Kept strictly secret under Hitler's orders, the document was placed in a safe in an air raid shelter in 1935 where it remained until its discovery by an American officer in 1945. The authenticity of the book has been verified by Josef Berg (former employee of the Nazi publishing house Eher Verlag) and Telford Taylor (former Brigadier General U.S.A.R. and Chief Counsel at the Nuremberg war-crimes trials). The book was never edited nor published during the Nazi Germany era and remains known as Zweites Buch (Second Book). The Zweites Buch was first discovered in the Nazi archives being held in the United States by the German-born American historian Gerhard Weinberg in 1958. Unable to find an American publisher, Weinberg turned to his mentor Hans Rothfels and his associate Martin Broszat at the Institute of Contemporary History in Munich, who published Zweites Buch in 1961. A pirated edition was published in English in New York, 1962. The first authoritative English edition was not published until 2003 (Hitler's Second Book: The Unpublished Sequel to Mein Kampf, ISBN 1-929631-16-2).

[edit] Historical debates

There are a number of historical debates concerning the material in Mein Kampf.

David Irving, a noted Holocaust revisionist, has stated, about another book by Hitler, that "the book is perfectly genuine; published also by the Institut für Zeitgeschichte in Munich, the historical institute; in my view it is far more reliable than Mein Kampf, having been written by Hitler in his own hand." and as an answer to the question "you haven't read Mein Kampf?" [2] Irving states that "I have dipped into Mein Kampf but never read it: it was written only partly by Hitler, and that is the problem. More important are Hitler's "Zweites Buch" (1928), which he wrote in his own hand; and Hitler's "Table Talk," daily memoranda which first Heinrich Heim (Martin Bormann's adjutant, whom I interviewed) and then Henry Picker wrote down at his table side, and the similar table talks recorded by Werner Koeppen (which I was the first to exploit, in Hitler's War [3]). Totally worthless as a source is the book "Conversations with Hitler" by a former Danzig Senator, Hermann Rauschning; he as an anti-Nazi, and met Hitler only once, as internal NS inquiries established, at a formal cocktail party. It was wartime propaganda, published by the same firm who published Fritz Thyssen's bogus memoirs I Paid Hitler."

Irving has stated [above] that he has never read Mein Kampf but that "Hitler's staff, and others who have read it, told me that it is endlessly verbose, self-important, and turgid -- like the works by Prof. Richard Evans. I wonder what it is about this book that the international Jewish community (who evidently have read it it in some detail) seem to fear so much that they do not mind the ridicule and obloquy that their repeated calls for its banning inspire." [4]

[edit] Globalists vs Continentists

One of the more important debates of the book concerns the battle between the Continentists, including Hugh Trevor-Roper and Eberhard Jäckel, who argue Hitler wished to conquer only Europe and the Globalists, including Gerhard Weinberg, Milan Hauner, Gunter Moltmann, Meier Michaelis and Andreas Hillgruber, who maintain that Hitler wanted to conquer the entire world. The chief source of contention between the Continentists and Globalists is the "Zweites Buch".

The Globalists argue that Hitler's statement that after Germany defeated the United States, then Germany would rule the entire world clearly proves his intentions were global in reach. The Continentists argue that because Hitler predicts the war between the United States and Germany as beginning sometime ca. 1980 (Hitler was born in 1889), the task of winning this war in the 1980s would presumably have fallen to one of Hitler's successors. The Continentists believe that Hitler for his own life-time would have been content with ruling merely Europe.

[edit] Intentionalists vs Functionalists

Mein Kampf has assumed a key place in the Functionalism versus intentionalism debate. Intentionalists insist that the passage stating that if only 12,000 – 15,000 Jews were gassed, than "the sacrifice of millions of soldiers would not have been in vain," proves quite clearly that Hitler had a master plan for the genocide of the Jewish people all along. Functionalists deny this assertion, noting that the passage does not call for the destruction of the entire Jewish people and note that although Mein Kampf is suffused with an extreme anti-Semitism, it is the only time in the entire book that Hitler ever explicitly refers to the murder of Jews. Given that Mein Kampf is 694 pages long, Functionalist historians have accused the Intentionalists of making too much out of one sentence.

Functionalist historians have argued that the memorandum written by Heinrich Himmler to Hitler on May 25, 1940, regarding the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" (whose proposals Hitler accepted) proves that there was no master plan for genocide which stemmed all the way back to the 1920s. In the memorandum, Himmler rejects genocide under the grounds that one must reject "...the Bolshevik method of physical extermination of a people out of inner conviction as un-German and impossible". He goes on to argue that something similar to the "Madagascar Plan" be the preferred "territorial solution" to the "Jewish Question".

Additionally, Functionalist historians have noted that in Mein Kampf Hitler states the only anti-Semitic policies he will carry out are the 25 Point Platform of the Nazi Party (adopted in February 1920), which demands that only "Aryan" Germans be allowed to publish newspapers and own department stores, places a ban on Jewish immigration, expels all Ostjuden (Eastern Jews; i.e., Jews from Eastern Europe who had arrived in Germany since 1914) and strips all German Jews of their German citizenship. Although these demands do reflect a hateful anti-Semitism, they do not amount to a program for genocide, according to the Functionalist historians. Beyond that, some historians have claimed although Hitler was clearly obsessed with anti-Semitism, his degree of anti-Semitic hatred contained in Mein Kampf is no better or worse than that contained in the writings and speeches of earlier volkisch leaders such as Wilhelm Marr, Georg Ritter von Schönerer, Houston Stewart Chamberlain and Karl Lueger, all of whom routinely called Jews a "disease" and "vermin". Nevertheless, Hitler cites all of them as an inspiration in Mein Kampf.

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography

• Hitler, A. (1925). Mein Kampf.
• Hitler, A. (1935). Zweites Buch (trans.) Hitler's Second Book: The Unpublished Sequel to Mein Kampf by Adolf Hilter. Online Version.
• Hitler, A. (1945). My Political Testament. Wikisource Version.
• Hitler, A. (1945). My Private Will and Testament. Wikisource Version.
• Hitler, A., et al. (1971). Unmasked: two confidential interviews with Hitler in 1931. Chatto & Windus. ISBN 0-7011-1642-0.
• Hitler, A., et al. (1974). Hitler's Letters and Notes. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-012832-1.
• Hitler, A., et al. (2000). Hitler's Table Talk. Enigma Books. ISBN 1-929631-05-7.
• Zusak, Markus (2006). The Book Thief Knopf. ISBN 0-37-58310-02.

[edit] See also

• List of Adolf Hitler books
• Gustave Le Bon, a main influence of this book and crowd psychology
• Generalplan Ost, Hitler's "new order of ethnographical relations"
• Lingua Tertii Imperii (About the language of the Third Reich)
• Propaganda
• Nazism
• Nazi Germany

[edit] Online versions of Mein Kampf

• German: adolfhitler.ws German version.

• English: adolfhitler.ws.

• freespeechsite.com.

• mondopolitico.com.

• gutenberg.net.au.

• audio version.

• French: radioislam.org.
• Russian: lib.ru.

[edit] External links

• Reception of Mein Kampf in East Jerusalem and PA Territories

• Reviews of Mein Kampf articles - Hitler's Third Reich in the News

• Forgetting the Past to Prevent Repeating It Global Journalist Magazine

Adolf Hitler

Hitler's life and views

Death | Family | Home | Last will and testament | Medical health | Mein Kampf | Political beliefs | Religious beliefs | Speeches | Vegetarianism

Depictions of Hitler

Books on Hitler | Der Sieg des Glaubens | Triumph of the Will | Hitler: The Last Ten Days | Der Untergang (Downfall) | The Empty Mirror

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