Mein Kampf
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Cover of Mein Kampf |
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.
The first volume, titled
Eine Abrechnung ("An Account") was published on
July 18,
1925; 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" (
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 connotive 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 ambigious. While translated as 'fight', 'combat', or even 'war', as evidenced by examples such as the German names for a number of tanks ("Panzer
kampfwagen", "armored fighting vehicle") and dive bombers ("Sturz
kampfflugzeug", "diving war airplane"), "My Fight" might be considered a more accurate translation.
Many still feel "My Struggle" is the truest interpretation however, as 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, 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, and partly as a result it was 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.
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 things on the
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 idea of
Drang nach Osten: the necessity to gain
Lebensraum ("living space") eastwards, especially in
Russia.
Some argue that much of the material was distorted or fabricated by the author. Hitler used the main thesis of "The Jewish peril," which speaks of an alleged Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership. 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?"
In terms of political theories, Hitler announced his hatred in
Mein Kampf toward what he believed to be the twin evils of the world:
Communism and
Judaism, and he stated that his aim was to eradicate both from the face of the earth. 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. Since Hitler blamed the parliamentary government then ruling Germany for much of the ills against which he raged, he announced that he wanted to completely destroy that type of government.
In regard to foreign policy, Hitler wished to go through several stages. 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.
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A page in "Mein Kampf" where Hitler discusses the Jewish religious community |
Hitler presented himself as the "
Übermensch", frequently rendered as the somewhat ambiguous "Superman" or "Superhuman", that the basically apolitical
Friedrich Nietzsche had referred to, especially 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 stated that German "
Aryans" were at the top of the hierarchy, and assigned the bottom of the order to Jews and Gypsies. Hitler went 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 and the combined forces of "
Greater Germany" and the
British Empire (
read more about this sequel below).
Before Hitler became
chancellor of Germany in 1933,
Mein Kampf sold very slowly; but in 1933 alone it sold 1.5 million copies. Although the
Nazi Party (NSDAP) claimed that it was already a huge seller, documents revealed after the end of
World War II showed this to be false.
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Opening of a popular 1933 edition of Mein Kampf |
After Hitler's rise to power, the book gained enormous popularity and virtually became the Bible of every Nazi. Every couple intending to get married was required to own a copy (something that has been attributed to a desire to ensure large royalties). Sales of
Mein Kampf earned Hitler millions; however, many of those who purchased it barely read it, and many bought it simply to show their allegiance to Hitler, gain position in the NSDAP, or avoid the attentions of the
Gestapo. By the end of the war, about 10 million copies of the book had been distributed in Germany.
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, which he believed 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; the publication of Cranston's version had to be stopped after about 500,000 copies had been sold.
Today, the
copyright of all editions of
Mein Kampf except the English and the
Dutch (Dutch government claims
[ Heruitgave van Mein Kampf is geen zaak voor de Nederlandse overheid Newspaper article (in Dutch) in which the author argues that the opinion of the Dutch government to be the copyright holder of the Dutch translation of Mein Kampf (Mijn kamp), is based on false assumptions. NRC Handelsblad, November 12, 1997.] to have seized copyright after WW II) is owned by the state of
Bavaria. 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.
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.
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.
In France, selling of the book is forbidden, unless it is a historical version including commentaries from specialists and states the law allowing its special historical edition. Yahoo! was thus condemned to pay €100,000 per day that
Mein Kampf, the
Protocols of the Elders of Zion and other revisionist items were available to French customers
[ Legalis.net on a 2000 French juridical decision about Mein Kampf and other Nazi and revisionist items sold by Yahoo! ].
In Austria, possession and trading with this book is legal.
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.
An Arabic edition of
Mein Kampf has been published by Bisan publishers in Lebanon.
A new Turkish edition was reported to be a bestseller in Turkey in 2005.
[Mein Kampf sales soar in Turkey The Guardian, March 29, 2005 ] [Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' sells 50,000 copies in Turkey in three months, The Daily Star, March 18, 2005]Public-domain copies of
Mein Kampf are available at various Internet sites with links to
banned books; also, several Web sites provide copies of the book.
In Finland, Spain, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Russia and India the book is freely available.
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, expanding 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 1929631162).
There are a number of historical debates concerning the material in Mein Kampf.
Globalists vs Continentists
One of the more important debates concerns the battle between the Continentists such as
Hugh Trevor-Roper and
Eberhard Jäckel who argue Hitler wished only to conquer Europe and the Globalists such as
Gerhard Weinberg, Milan Hauner, Gunter Moltmann, Meier Michaelis, and
Andreas Hillgruber who argue 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 because Hitler states that after Germany defeated the United States, then Germany would rule the entire world, that 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 and that because Hitler was born in 1889, that the task of winning this war in the 1980s would presumably fall to one of Hitler's successors. The Continentists believe that Hitler for his own life-time would be content with merely ruling Europe.
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 10,000–15,000 Jews were gassed, then
Germany would have won
World War One, proves quite clearly that Hitler had a master plan for the
genocide of the Jewish people going. 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 going all the way back in the day of the 1920s. In the memorandum, Himmler rejected
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" and went on to argue that something similar to the "
Madagascar Plan" be the preferred "territorial solution" to the "Jewish Question". In addition, 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, the banning of Jewish immigration, the expulsion of all
Ostjuden (Eastern Jews; i.e. Jews from
Eastern Europe) who had arrived in Germany since 1914, and stripping all German Jews of their German citizenship. Though these demands do reflect a hateful
anti-Semitism, in the view of the Functionalists they do not amount to a program for genocide. Beyond that, some historians have claimed though 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"; and all of whom Hitler cites as an inspiration in
Mein Kampf.
*
Hitler, Adolf,
Mein Kampf*
Hitler, Adolf Hitler's Second Book : The Unpublished Sequel to Mein Kampf edited by
Gerhard L. Weinberg Enigma Books, 2003 ISBN 1929631162.
*Hauner, Milan "Did Hitler Want World Domination?" pages 15-32 from
Journal of Contemporary History, Volume 13, 1978.
*
Hillgruber, Andreas,
Germany And The Two World Wars, translated by
William C. Kirby, Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1981 ISBN 0674353218.
*
Jäckel, Eberhard Hitler's Weltanschauung : A Blueprint For Power , translated from the German by Herbert Arnold , Middletown Conn. : Wesleyan University Press, 1972 ISBN 0819540420.
*Michaelis, Meier "World Power Status or World Dominion" pages 331-360 from
Historical Journal, Volume 15, 1972.
*Moltmann, Gunter "Weltherrschatfsideen Hitlers" pages 197-240 from
Europa und Übersee Festschrift Für Egmont Zechlin edited by O. Brunner & D. Gerhard, Hamburg, 1961.
*Rich, Norman
Hitler's War Aims, New York : Norton, 1973 ISBN 0393054543.
*
Trevor-Roper, Hugh "Hitlers Kriegsziele" pages 121-133 from
Vierteljahreshefte für Zeitgeschichte, Volume 8, 1960.
*
Adolf Hitler*
Generalplan Ost*
Gustave Le Bon, a main influence of this book, and
crowd psychology*
Historical revisionism (negationism)*
Lingua Tertii Imperii*
List of Adolf Hitler books*
Nazism*
Nazi Germany*
On the Jewish Question*
Propaganda*
World War II*
Zweites Buch*
English online version*
English version (plain text) on
Project Gutenberg*
Russian online version*
Article in Cabinet magazine about the book's publication history*
Mein Kampf In East Jerusalem and PA Territories*
Reviews of Mein Kampf articles -- from Hitler's Third Reich in the Newsroa-rup:Mein Kampf
