Mein Kampf (German: [maɪn ˈkampf]; Mein Kampf oder mein Kampf (My Fight or My Fight) is an autobiographical manifesto published in 1925 by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The document describes the process by which Hitler became anti-Semitic and describes his political ideology and future plans for Germany. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926. [1] The book was first edited by Emil Maurice, then by Hitler`s deputy, Rudolf Hess. [2] [3] Available in many translations, Mein Kampf is widely distributed worldwide and regularly appears on bestseller lists in India. However, the Free State of Bavaria used copyright law to prohibit the production of new German editions after 1945. However, all of that ended when the copyright expired at the end of 2015. It is now legal to make new copies of the book. Hitler wanted to call his next book Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice. [7] Max Amann, director of Franz Eher Verlag and publisher of Hitler, is said to have proposed the much shorter „Mein Kampf“[8]. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism American literary theorist and philosopher Kenneth Burke wrote a rhetorical analysis of Hitler`s „Battle“ Rhetoric in 1939, revealing an underlying message of aggressive intentions. [28] On 3rd February 2010 the Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) in Munich announced that it would republish an annotated version of the text for educational purposes in schools and universities in 2015. The book was last published in Germany in 1945.

[69] The IfZ argued that the republication was necessary to obtain a binding annotated edition before copyright expires, which could pave the way for neo-Nazi groups to publish their own versions. [70] The Bavarian Ministry of Finance rejected the plan, citing respect for Holocaust victims. He said reprint permits would not be granted domestically or abroad. This would also apply to a new annotated edition. There was disagreement over whether the newly published book could be banned as Nazi propaganda. The Bavarian government stressed that even after the expiration of the copyright law, „the spread of National Socialist ideologies in Germany remains prohibited and punishable.“ [71] However, Bavarian Science Minister Wolfgang Heubisch advocated a critical edition and said in 2010: „After the expiry of the Bavarian copyright law, there is a danger that charlatans and neo-Nazis will appropriate this notorious book.“ [70] Since Hitler is now considered the embodiment of evil, his authorship suggests that Mein Kampf must also be the world`s worst book. After the war, Fernand Sorlot reworked the work without the permission of the Free State of Bavaria, whose author`s rights had expired, and sold it for sale. The critic George Steiner has suggested that Mein Kampf can be considered one of the many books that resulted from the crisis of German culture after Germany`s defeat in World War I, comparable in this respect to the philosopher Der Geist der Utopie (1918), to Der Untergang des Westens (1918) by historian Oswald Spengler, to the theologian Franz Rosenzweig Der Stern der Erlösung (1921), the theologian Karl Barth Der Römerbrief (1922) and Das Sein und die Zeit by the Philosopher Martin Heidegger (1927). [36] Different restrictions or special circumstances apply in other countries. The ideological context in which Hitler drew inspiration was known to many at the time. This contributed to the book`s obvious appeal to „common sense,“ which in turn helped mask some of Hitler`s strange conclusions as seemingly explicit. But those looking for dangerous examples of Nazi ideas will find them much easier elsewhere.

Joseph Goebbels` infamous speeches that inspire the masses with the idea of „total war“, Leni Riefenstahl`s great propaganda film The Triumph of the Will or the widely reproduced anti-Semitic caricatures of Der Stürmer are all easily accessible and offer much more to fear for people who fear the spread of extreme views. In 1999, the Simon Wiesenthal Center documented that the book was available in Germany through major online booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. After a public outcry, both companies agreed to stop such sales to addresses in Germany. [63] In March 2020, Amazon banned the sale of new and used copies of Mein Kampf and several other Nazi publications on its platform. [64] The book remains available on the Barnes and Noble website. [65] It is also available in several languages, including German, at the Internet Archive. [66] One of the first complete English translations was published by James Vincent Murphy in 1939. [67] The Murphy translation of the book is freely available on Project Gutenberg Australia. [68] When Hitler and Mussolini attack „Western democracies,“ they imply that their „democracy“ is not genuine. National Socialism provides for the elimination of the difference in wealth, education, intellect, taste, philosophy and habits through a process of levelling, which in turn requires total control over the child and adolescent. Any personal attitude will be described as „bourgeois“ on the communist model, despite the fact that the bourgeoisie is the representative of the most gregarious class in the world and that Nazism is essentially a bourgeois movement.

In Mein Kampf, Hitler repeatedly speaks of the „masses“ and the „herd“ referring to the people. The German people, according to him, should probably remain a mass of identical „individuals“ in a huge pile of sand or anthill, identical even to the color of their shirts, the garment closest to the body. [34] In the United States, Mein Kampf can be found in many community libraries and can be bought, sold and traded in bookstores. [60] The U.S. government seized copyright in September 1942[61] during World War II under the Enemy Trade Act, and in 1979, Houghton Mifflin, the book`s U.S. publisher, purchased the rights from the government under 28 C.F.R. 0.47. More than 15,000 copies are sold per year.

[60] In 2016, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt said he was struggling to find a charity that would accept the profits from the sale of his version of Mein Kampf, which he had promised to donate. [62]. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The book could also be purchased in two volumes during Hitler`s reign and was available in softcover, hardcover. The softcover edition included the original cover (as noted above in this article). The hardcover edition had a leather back with boards covered with fabric. The cover and back contained an image of three brown oak leaves. Mein Kampf has been published at least three times in the Russian Federation since 1992; the Russian text is also available on websites. In 2006, the Public Chamber of Russia proposed banning the book.

In 2009, the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs requested the removal of an annotated and linked Russian translation of the book from a historiography website. [53] [54] [55] On April 13, 2010, it was announced that Mein Kampf would be banned for promoting extremism. [56] But this historical context has long since faded, and a critical edition such as that of Munich publishers can help explain these links, which are so essential to the book`s appeal. What this shows, however, is neither the nature of Nazi „propaganda“ (which Hitler largely left to his henchmen), nor what was unique about the regime (while racist ideas are generously scattered throughout the book, there is no „plan“ for the Holocaust in it). Richard Verber, vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said in 2015 that the council trusted the academic and educational value of republication. „We would, of course, be very cautious in any attempt to glorify Hitler or downplay the Holocaust in any way,“ Verber told The Observer. „But that`s not the case. I understand how some Jewish groups can be upset and nervous, but it seems to be done from a historical perspective and to put it in context. [75] Maiken Umbach, Professor of Modern History and Director of Research, Faculty, University of Nottingham The issue sold out before it even appeared on bookstore shelves.