Wodehouse nicely mocked him in his figure of Roderick Spode—had many of the traits of a genuinely popular, charismatic figure, worryingly so. He is a victim and a sufferer first and last—a poor soldier who is gassed, a failed artist who is desperately hungry and mocked by all. The creepiness extends toward his fanatical fear of impurity—his obsession with syphilis is itself pathological—and his cult of strong bodies. Pathos is the weirdly strong emotion, almost the strongest emotion, in the memoir.
Yet the other striking—and, in its way, perhaps explanatory—thing about the book is how petty-bourgeois in the neutral, descriptive sense that Marx, or, for that matter, Kierkegaard, used the term its world picture is, even including the petty-bourgeois bias toward self-contempt.
His pervasive sense of resentment must have vibrated among those who know resentment as a primary emotion. Creepy and miserable and uninspiring as the book seems to readers now, its theme of having been dissed and disrespected by every authority figure and left to suffer every indignity must have resonated with a big chunk of an entire social class in Germany after war and inflation.
The poison of anti-Semitism comes in many flavors, after all, but the kind that, for instance, Drumont, in France, or Chesterton and Belloc, in Britain, had until then favored was aristocratic in pretension. It assumed that Jews have a secret, conspiratorial power. It resents not the newcomer who invades the sanctuary but the competitor in the shop down the street, who plays by unfair rules.
The Jews are like the French: they are, in plain English, the people who get to go to art school. They look down on us, and it is intolerable to have anyone look down on us! That someone would feel this sense of impending shame as a motive for violence is commonplace.
But that someone would choose to make so overt his love of violence arises from a fear of being mocked, and that he would use this as the source of his power seems weirdly naked and unprotected.
Here we touch on a potentially absurd but also possibly profound point. There were, of course, millions of men with toothbrush mustaches, but the choice by a performer or politician to keep or discard a symbolic appurtenance is never accidental.
Chaplin chose to use the mustache because, as Peter Sellers once said of the little mustache he placed on his petty-bourgeois hero, Inspector Clouseau, it is the natural armor of the insecure social classes. Hitler seems to have been forced during the Great War to trim an earlier, more luxuriant mustache—the point is that he kept and cultivated the abbreviation. In it was agreed, after much consultation between Bavarian authorities and representatives of Jewish and Roma communities, that a scholarly edition should be planned in an attempt to demystify the book.
The state pulled out, leaving the institute to continue on its own. Christian Hartmann, one of the team of five historians from the IfZ who spent several years working on the academic edition, described his relief at being able to analyse the text, even if he felt in need of regularly airing his tiny Munich office in order to cope with the task. We explain why that was the case. They were excluded from public administration and from the army, so of course, many went into media. As well as being able to piece together some of the secondary literature Hitler would have turned to, the historians also rubbished the claim by many Germans after the war that not many of them actually read the book — and by extension could not have known what Hitler planned to do.
Ahead of the lifting of the copyright, and the publication of the scholarly version on 8 January, the reemergence of the book has spawned a theatre production , which investigates what happened to it after , hours of chat-show fodder, a television documentary called Countdown to the Breaking of a Taboo, and even a transgender comedy.
Most Jewish leaders in Germany have reluctantly accepted the scholarly edition, but have admitted their nervousness that the copyright has expired, saying that they too will be closely monitoring what happens, and will intervene to stop plain, non-academic editions. Experts in the field of rightwing extremism say it is unlikely that the book will create many waves in far-right circles. I read this book on the recommendation of a friend. Or at least I thought he was my friend.
It turned out he was actually just a cashier at Borders. But he looked an awful lot like this guy I used to be friends with when I worked at Gamestop. I could have sworn it was him.
T Hitler The only real difference was that he worked at Borders and not Gamestop. Oh and he apparently enjoys Nazi literature. And I'm pretty sure the guy I worked with at Gamestop was black. But in any case I suppose I should blame myself. Perhaps the next time a skinny bald white cashier recommends a book written by Adolf Hitler I should get a second opinion. Especially if he's not the tall black guy with dreads I used to work with.
So in summary View all 56 comments. Sep 04, Trevor I sometimes get notified of comments rated it did not like it Shelves: biography , history. While I was teaching on my placement at the start of the year my supervising teacher had an incentive program going on with some of the students in the VCE history class we were taking.
He told me he had made this offer every year and had never been required to pay up. He believed this was because the book was so poorly written and so turgid that even the most money hungry 16 year old would figur While I was teaching on my placement at the start of the year my supervising teacher had an incentive program going on with some of the students in the VCE history class we were taking.
He believed this was because the book was so poorly written and so turgid that even the most money hungry 16 year old would figure there were easier ways to make some cash. That was the head-space I approached this book in. I was expecting it to be almost painfully badly written and pretty much the awful rants of a nearly insane fool. I need to assure you, that is not the book I found. This book is actually frighteningly lucid and remarkably well written.
It is a much more dangerous book than, say, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. That book is so embarrassingly badly written, so pathetically obviously a forgery that anyone with half a brain could do little else than laugh at it with derision. I was actually a bit surprised when Hitler referred to the Protocols in this — as I thought even he would have had more shame.
Nevertheless, the rest of his arguments against the Jews are much more carefully constructed and build in a way that has become a virtual template for any conspiracy theory.
And what a conspiracy theory this is! Hitler starts by saying he never really had anything against the Jews, thought that they were just another religion and could hardly be bothered worrying about them. In fact, he goes as far to say that if he had heard people speaking against them he would probably have stopped them and regarded these people as reactionary fools.
At least, until his eyes were opened to the Jews infinite deceit after a series of interactions with them and Social Democrats following the death of his parents. This is the conspiracy theory to end all conspiracy theories. He keeps telling the reader just how lacking in creativity the Jews are — but if they are able to pull off half of the stuff he blames them for they must be nearly godlike in their powers.
There were only one or two sections in the book when these rants became tiresome — he clearly understood when to push his point and when to hold back. He sounds much more reasonable than I would have ever dreamt. The things that are most interesting about this book, to me anyway, were the glimpses into his life given early. The stuff with the mice he watched playing on the floor is the last thing I thought I would find in this book. The stuff about his father is gobsmackingly interesting.
As he says, he respected his father, but loved his mother. In fact, he makes it clear that he definitely did not want to become anything at all like his father. What he has to say about propaganda — essentially, people are stupid and so need to be told in the simplest terms imaginable what they need to believe and that all subtlety is wasted on them, made me wonder how people ever followed him given he is saying he is more than happy to lie to his followers.
This ought to be much more chilling for us today flicked on the television and watched any ads lately? This view is increased by this dismissal of female sexuality as entirely submissive. Sex plays a large role in his argument against the Jews. Jews marry off their daughters to Aryans as they know that the best way to overcome a nation is to attack its blood and their sons lie in wait to seduce Aryan women. By diluting Aryan blood and keeping the purity of their own blood he never explains how both of these are possible at the same time except for vague references to the purity of the male blood line of Jews - the opposite of the case, in fact they hope to one day take over the world.
I can see how easy it would be for someone suffering from the defeat of Germany to want to believe the reason for their defeat and hardships was a Jewish conspiracy. I got to the end of the first volume and decided I had heard enough. If you wanted a conspiracy theory, perhaps a good one would be that conservatives tend to say Hitler is impossible to read so that people will not see the similarities of his views with their arguments. This one is so extreme it is little wonder it took the entire efforts of the state to continue it.
Even then, it is doubtful Germans actually believed it — the big lie was just enough to allow one of the greatest crimes in history to be committed, but not enough to truly justify it even to those following through with the vision. There are chilling moments here — particularly given what happened next and not just to the Jews but also to the Slavs. His discussion of Russia is particularly chilling.
But then there are moments of remarkable insight. He talks of people who want to lead the movement who have been active for 40 years and yet have not achieved their aims or stopped their opponents from achieving their aims.
He points out that this is a clear sign of how pathetic their aims must be. This is a very interesting argument and one it would be difficult to argue against. There are many long standing Marxists and Nazis who would do well to consider the implications of what he is saying here. All the same, this book is disturbing given what we know about what came next. And it is impossible now to not read between the lines and hear the awful silence of the death camps echoing throughout this book.
The point is, however, that many of his arguments are little different from what is dished up today. I would have preferred this to be much more extreme than it ended up being.
I would have felt safer that way. Our remarkable ability to create scapegoats has not deserted us with the years or with the knowledge of the consequences this madness had in Europe. I am glad I read this — but one volume was more than enough. View all 65 comments. Jan 21, Margarita rated it it was amazing. It is very difficult to talk about this book, and to agree with those who review it positively, because the person who wrote it did terrible things.
Anyone who reads this book should not fall prey to manipulation. But any book can be dangerous. We can blame the Holy Quran and the Holy Bible in just the same way. I read Mein Kampf when I was quite young actually and because it was a forbidden book.
There was only one copy at the town library and I had to sneak it out. So the context is as importan It is very difficult to talk about this book, and to agree with those who review it positively, because the person who wrote it did terrible things. So the context is as important as the rest.
This is a memoir, a historical document, a madman's vision on politics and the organisation of the world. We send our youths to visit concentration camps in Germany beause what happend must never be forgotten. Well, I think that they should also read this book because it is part of what remains of those dark times, it is a part of our common European heritage.
Yes, it is terrifying. But we need to remember the good and the bad. View all 15 comments. MindOverMatter Also, when you want to honor history, you read books of sane people historians or survivors of the concentration camps instead of the book from the Also, when you want to honor history, you read books of sane people historians or survivors of the concentration camps instead of the book from the guy who caused all that suffering. But I don't think you want to read that because you love this book and compare it to the bible and the Quran and that tells us enough about you.
Reading the book as a young child is bad enough for the child because you become what you spend time with and that is even more the case for children and young adults , but loving the book years later shows that indeed you became what you spent time with. There is enough horrible legacy to remember the past as it was and understanding - even as child - that a forbidden book may be forbidden because it is crap and comes from the worst human being of the past century.
Man had more of a reason than Hitler Dec 29, Paul rated it it was ok Shelves: fascism. I read this in as part of my first degree in history whilst doing a course on Modern German History.
The most interesting thing is that this was written without hindsight or from a position of power, or at the time any immediate likelihood of power. The mix o I read this in as part of my first degree in history whilst doing a course on Modern German History.
The mix of ideas following Darwin, combined with Nietzsche superman , the anti-Semitism and eugenics; not to mention all the madcap scientific ideas around and the growth of psychoanalysis.
We sometimes forget that eugenics was very popular and respectable. The list in opposition is much shorter. Hitler was influenced these ideas, especially the virulent anti-Semitism. The Russian Revolution and the rise of Bolshevism were also significant, as was the decadence of the Weimar Republic and the rampant inflation. Hitler expounds his Jewish conspiracy theories and adapts the racial theories of Haeckel. The rise of Marxist theory he considered, was part of the broader Jewish conspiracy.
Hitler adapted all of this mix into a world view, adding the concept of Lebensraum. This relates to the need for expansion to give the German nation room and space.
It originates from the English and French drive for colonies and the westward expansion in America; it was just applied to Europe by the Nazis. Everything is there that leads to the gas chamber and genocide. It is easy to laugh at extremists, people certainly laughed at Hitler, but they have to be taken seriously, especially if they capture the mood of the time. Mein Kampf, when read with our hindsight, is horrific, and the author is vile.
However he is the product of people and times slightly less extreme. Free debate and analysis of ideas and their meaning will usually show up the extremes. Censorship in any form is dangerous; the first thing Hitler did with power was to begin to move against people and ideas he considered a threat to his ideology.
A lesson we need to keep relearning. View all 27 comments. Understanding their guidebook might be the best way to beat them at their own game. Many readers today avoid the book to avoid the taint of being seen reading it and also out of fear of perhaps falling under its influence.
That is considered to be playing into the hands of the ones who are willing to use he powerful methods present therein. If the book was indeed a powerfully reasoned piece of work this would have held true. Instead it turned out to be a pathetic work, which only showcases the workings of a weak mind that constructed all its arguments from pre-conceived notions and never examined the basis of its arguments.
It is clear that Hitler never bothered to understand the core ideas behind evolution, species selection, etc. Darwin had been pretty clear about all this, writing half a century or more before Hitler came up with his tripe. And it s not because of hasty constructions. Hitler takes all the time n the world and spends most of his book rehashing the same ideas in the same ways again and again. It is an insufferable drag. And even when he departs from his obsession with race purity and talks of geopolitics and grand strategy, he again jumps to conclusions about Britain, France and Russia that clearly proved to be wrong within his lifetime.
Most of his ideas had to be abandoned in the course of the war. I am sure he came up with great explanations whenever this happened.
That is the thing with this kind of 'method'. There is just no being wrong in it. The real question then is not whether we would buy his arguments but why anyone did. It is not about reading Hitler to understand how modern Dictators might use the same tactics, but understanding the conditions that allow these pretty rudimentary tactics to succeed and to avoid those conditions.
The best way yo have a world which rejects its Hitlers is to have a world that is not scared enough to accept without question essentially baseless fascist arguments. Hitler provides a good litmus test - wherever we see such ideas are getting currency, it might be time to examine what is causing the society to suspend common sense. Unfortunately, we might not have to look far to see test cases. Many unsupported rants pepper the book, repeated ad nauseam.
A sample: Austria: Everything about it is bad, except the Germans. Should be brought into the fold, but carefully. Has to be expanded. Germany has been greatly discriminated against after the First World War okay, have to concede this, but it doesn't take a genius to figure that. Probably just echoing Keynes in any case. German people have suffered enough. It is time for a Great Leader to arise again. No prizes for guessing who that is! Jews: Always vaguely and conveniently defined.
But incontrovertibly the scum of humanity. To be eliminated. Democracy: How can the masses ever rule? Democracy is only an excuse for rulers to pass on responsibility and avoid taking tough decisions. What a country under there needs is a strong leader who canned do what needs to be done. To be avoided at all costs. The Masses: The mindless lot. Manipulated and brain washed by the Jews.
They have to be emancipated by effective and complete control, by a leader. Only the weak and the leach-like attempt these activities. The German people to abjure them and take to manly activities that does not suck the life blood of the country and the race. The Market: Sheer anarchy! Not to be allowed. State has to control production to avoid wastage. Monarchy : Well, not in name, but we need a leader who can recreate the grand Reich of old. Who cares if it looks exactly like a kingship?
Marxism: The scourge of this earth! The tool of the Jews! Initiated by a Jew, what more proof do you need? Exists only to corrupt the masses. Has to be used only to reach the masses. Should be superseded forthwith after that. The Press: Has to be controlled so that only the state views are set forth. Otherwise the Jews and the Marxists will take it over and corrupt the public even more. The Races: Have to be preserved and kept apart to prevent dilution, especially the Germanic race of the Aryans.
My Way or The Highway! Got it? View all 63 comments. Of course I didn't expect Mein Kampf to be a great book, even within the admittedly narrow antisemitic messianic homoerotic prison genre, but I did expect a little more showmanship. My German is middling, but I've heard he was all charismatic and persuasive or whatever. Like, if you were just planning to go out for a stroll and pick up some schnitzel, you'd happe Of course I didn't expect Mein Kampf to be a great book, even within the admittedly narrow antisemitic messianic homoerotic prison genre, but I did expect a little more showmanship.
Like, if you were just planning to go out for a stroll and pick up some schnitzel, you'd happen to overhear him on a radio broadcast and all of a sudden you'd be smashing windows, incarcerating Jews, and annexing strategic swaths of Lebensraum before you even knew what you were doing.
He was that powerful. Yeah, we all understand that Hitler didn't have the best taste. He was into retro-Greek kitsch and probably those paintings of clowns and kittens and whaling ships. All the more reason to expect a semi-entertaining wallow in the muck and mire. Why can't we expect the same from Adolf Hitler? We expect idiots to entertain us with their idiocy; we don't expect them to be dull. I'll bet Mel Gibson's ghost writer would shit out a much better book.
With more anecdotes about Jodie Foster than your standard-issue xenophobic tract. I just realized I've been misspelling Hitler's first name my whole life as 'Adolph. Probably the Jews View all 28 comments. Yes, I have read it, hell I still own a copy. I make no excuses, and will not issue apologies. I am not a nazi sympathizer, anti-semitic, or racist, fascist, or any other variety of colorful names that I have been called for having this on my shelf.
I confess that I was curious about the method to the madness and how such whole sale slaughter of human life could be rationalized. Get past impressions that are forced down your throat in history class and read it for what it is, a historical text t Yes, I have read it, hell I still own a copy.
Get past impressions that are forced down your throat in history class and read it for what it is, a historical text that, like it or not, had a tremendous impact on the world as we know it today.
It is a difficult read and, to be frank, a large percent of the population will not have the fortitude to pick it up off the shelf in a bookstore or be able get past the ideas presented and discard it outright. One does not have to agree with the author in order to examine the text as a political and social commentary of the time.
The important thing, as in so many hot issues, is to keep everything in perspective and make up your own mind. View all 7 comments. View all 5 comments. Oct 27, Matt Brady rated it did not like it. I found the narrator, a racist german war veteran imprisoned for an attempted coup, very unrelateable. He was just not very sympathetic or likeable. Also the book is written in german, which is not very relateable to me, someone who doesnt speak german.
View all 12 comments. Jul 26, Sean O'Hara rated it did not like it Recommends it for: Inbred honky trailertrash who think they're better than people of color.
Shelves: goodreads-has-stupid-policies , hate-the-author. The author of this book is certainly one of the five or ten biggest nutjobs in the history of the world. Complete raving lunatic. No one should ever listen to a thing he says.
If you agree with him, you're some kind of Nazi scumbag. View all 16 comments. Jul 26, Jessaka rated it did not like it Shelves: non-fiction , holocaust , history. Berkeley back in the s. I have no idea what I was checking out at the time. Maybe it was the time that I had spent at their library reading the Salem Witch Trials, the court documents. But as I was standing at the counter, I noticed a speech written on the wall behind the desk. Who wrote it? Imagine my shock. I have not been able to find that speech, and it is no longer on their wall behind that check out desk.
I have read a lot of books about the holocaust since then. Well, back in , when I was helping our library during their book sale, the one where I frequent now, I noticed some books on Hitler and bought one.
That led me to wondering about the book Mein Kampf, so I ordered it used online. After reading maybe half of it, I threw it in the garbage where it belonged. Mein Kampf was a constant rant on Jews.
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