By: Adolf Hitler Publisher: Mariner Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Mariner Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 694 Publication Date: September 15, 1998
Product Description: In 1922, just four years after the war to end all wars, an unknown Austrian then living in Bavaria planned a pamphlet to be called Settling Accounts. In it he intended to attack the ineffectiveness of the dominant political parties in Germany which were opposed to the new National Socialists (Nazis). In November 1923, Adolf Hitler was jailed for the abortive Munich Beer Hall putsch along with men willing and able to assist him with his writing. With the help of these collaborators, chief among them Rudolf Hess, the pamphlet became a book. Settling Accounts became Mein Kampf, an unparalleled example of muddled economics and history, appalling bigotry, and an intense self-glorification of Adolf Hitler as the true founder and builder of the National Socialist movement. It was written in hate and it contained a blueprint for violent bloodshed. When Mein Kampf was published in 1925, it was a failure. In 1926 a second volume appeared - it was no more successful than the first. People either laughed at it or ignored it. They were wrong to do so. As Hitler's power increased, pressure was put on all party members to buy the book. Gradually this pressure was extended to all elements of the German population. Soon Mein Kampf was even being passed out to newlywed couples as a gift. Ironically, and frighteningly, by the time Hitler came to power on January 30, 1933, what has been considered by many to be the most satanic book ever written was running neck and neck with the Bible at the top of the German bestseller lists. In his excellent introduction to this definitive American translation of Mein Kampf, Konrad Heiden writes: "For years Mein Kampf stood as proof of the blindness and complacency of the world. For in its pages Hitler announced -- long before he came to power -- a program of blood and terror in a self-revelation of such overwhelming frankness that few among its readers had the courage to believe it ... That such a man could go so far toward realizing his ambitions, and -- above all -- could find millions of willing tools and helpers; that is a phenomenon the world will ponder for centuries to come." We would be wrong in thinking that such a program, such a man, and such appalling consequences could not reappear in our world of the present. We cannot permit our selves the luxury of forgetting the tragedy of World War II or the man who, more than any other, fostered it. Mein Kampf must be read and constantly remembered as a specimen of evil demagoguery that people whenever men grow tired of thinking and acting for themselves. Mein Kampf is a blueprint for the age of chaos. It transcends in historical importance any other book of the present generation. In his translation Ralph Manheim has taken particular care to give an exact English equivalent of Hitler's highly individual, and often awkward style, including his occasional grammatical errors. We believe this book should stand as the complete, final, and definitive English version of Hitler's own story of his life, his political philosophy, and his thwarted plans for world domination. Translated by Ralph Manheim with an introduction by Konrad Heiden. A compilation of Hitler's most famous prison writings of 1923--the bible of National Socialism and the blueprint for the Third Reich.
Amazon.com Review: The angry ranting of an obscure, small-party politician, the first volume of Mein Kampf was virtually ignored when it was originally published in 1925. Likewise the second volume, which appeared in 1926. The book details Hitler's childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the desire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. It also includes Hitler's racist agenda and his glorification of the "Aryan" race. The few outside the Nazi party who read it dismissed it as nonsense, not believing that anyone could--or would--carry out its radical, terrorist programs. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book. By the time Hitler became chancellor of the Third Reich in 1933, the book stood atop the German bestseller lists. Had the book been taken seriously when it was first published, perhaps the 20th century would have been very different.
Beyond the anger, hatred, bigotry, and self-aggrandizing, Mein Kampf is saddled with tortured prose, meandering narrative, and tangled metaphors (one person was described as "a thorn in the eyes of venal officials"). That said, it is an incredibly important book. It is foolish to think that the Holocaust could not happen again, especially if World War II and its horrors are forgotten. As an Amazon.com reader has pointed out, "If you want to learn about why the Holocaust happened, you can't avoid reading the words of the man who was most responsible for it happening." Mein Kampf, therefore, must be read as a reminder that evil can all too easily grow. --Sunny Delaney
Mein Kampf Order Delivery was fast and efficient and the book came in good condition. From what I have read so far the book is excellent and currently have no regrets from my purchase.
Mein Kampf Review Mein Kampf is exactly like what it is infamous for. It is difficult reading and not because of any supposed complex philosophy. It is merely the rantings of a madman and I would not consider it worth buying since you can read it online.
I rated it 5 star because the book itself is very good, particularly the cover.
amazing this product was amazing. the condition in which it was shipped and in which it arrived was astonishing. the product arrived by the date specified and the product itself was very enjoyable and entertaining.
Cockeyed Book by an Emotionally Stunted Party Dictator What did Hitler think? Well for the most part it's here in this dreadful cockeyed and intellectually stunted book . His ontology is confused and contradictory and based upon assumptions that require no proofs beyond Hitler's belief that it is true. It's not surprising given the fact that he was a high school failure with no real education that he understands little to nothing of logic and proofs and rigorous thinking.
In higher learning, you are forced to examine all sides of things, and you are trained to think critically with an open mind. Hitler made a virtue out of being the oposite. "I know people who 'read' enormously...yet whom I would not describe as 'well-read.'...their brain is unable to organize and register the material they have taken in. They lack the art of sifting what is valuable for them in a book from that which is without value, of retaining the one forever, and, if possible, not even seeing the rest." Adolf as explains the purpose behind reading as being the gathering of facts to fill in a mosaic that you have already designed. In essence, he refuses to open his mind to new and contradictory views/explanations/facts. I guess if you believe you have everything figured out, you already know what reality is, anyone who disagrees with you is wrong no matter what. It reminds me of when Hitler was presented with incontrovertible evidence that the Protocols of Zion were fake. The Protocols are a virulent anti-semetic tract supposedly written by Jews on how they plan to take over the world. Hitler said, "It is completely indifferent where these originate. The important thing is that with positively terrifying certainty they reveal the nature and activity of the Jewish people and expose their inner contexts as well as their ultimate final aims." So even if something was patently false it was still true. He was the epitome of the anti-scientific, anti-intellectual, closed mind.
His worldview is very cockeyed. I mean take his casting of Jews as a monolithic entity that created, championed, and controlled both international capitalism and international Marxism from Jew HQ. Yeah, that's why it's ok to firebomb Sol's local laundromat, cause he is the cause of capitalism and communism. Goofy. I always wondered how Hitler thought millions of Jews communicated and co-ordinated themselves over thousands of miles. Or how highly educated and very talented Jews were hurting German industry, science, and arts. Talk about blinded by hate.
Another example in Mein Krampf is his view on WWI. Hitler's view was that the the people under Jewish influence let the troops down, and that if there were no Jews, national pride would have kept the population on side and Germany would have won the war. It was bogus, and anyone examining the evidence and listening to the leaders who made the peace would have known it wasn't true, but Hitler wasn't one for facts.
As an aside, the war ended for the following reasons. First, the naval blockade of Germany starved the country of raw materials and food. Germany's sea power could not compete with Britain. Second, Germany was near exhaustion having been fighting on two fronts the combined forces of the British empire, the United States of America, Russia, and France. In fact, the entry of the US in 1917 meant fresh troops (10 000 per day), fresh money, and fresh equipment. The US drafted 4 million people for the war. Third, industrial output was 50% 1913 levels in 1918 and food scarcity was causing malnutrition and starvation. Fourth, civilian moral was desperately low, with strikes and protests common. Revolution was a real possibility. Fifth, the German army suffered defeat after defeat in the final months, hemorrhaging men. The German leaders knew the war was lost and sought an armistice.
Hitler did have decent political instincts, though. In Mein Kampf, he seems to have been right on how a fascist political party in 1920's Germany should get their messages out: furnish no proofs, keep repeating a simplistic message ad nausem, and concentrate on the stupid people. I would imagine though that these insights were hardly original and mostly likely cribbed from someone else.
So how does a despised shunned doss house failure and stool pigeon rise to the status of supreme dictator? Well it's not because of rational thought or an appeal to the noble side of humanity. It is in an appeal to the base evil side of humanity and the application of force to back up every claim or demand. Disagree or refuse to do what Hitler wants and suffer the consequences. As he explains in Mein Kampf, right from the beginning when he took over the 7 member worker's party and became it's dictatorial boss, force was the key to his expansion of power. And right from the beginning he demanded unconditional obedience and an oath of total submission to his will from those who followed him. So another couple of themes that can be plucked out from the book is belief in the use of force and demand for total submission. His talent seem to have lain in the use and exploitation of certain kinds of power thereby attaining more of the same, until he ruled Germany.
He serves no idea, people, or guiding principle except for himself. The thrust of the book is extension of his personal power and revenge upon those he feels resentment to-wards, and providing proof that he is special. In fact, resentment is one of the keys to Hitler's personality, he feels himself persecuted and treated poorly to an amazing degree and of course he seeks violent revenge of these imagined offenders. Altruism, compassion, kindness, sympathy, fairness, and humour are all completely absent from this book, and I imagine from the man himself. There is nothing that inspires love in his work, only fear and anger which I believe is what attracted his followers. There is no nobility in his words, only ugly baseness.
So here are some of the baguettes Hitler pinched off for this book:
1) Democracy is weak, stupid, and worse than useless. 2) Germans are the Greatest people in the world and have a natural right and duty to rule all other peoples. 3) Germany's woes and lack of empire and the loss of WWI are due to the Jews. 4) Violence is OK as a political tool, just like pamphlets and posters. 5) Elimination (murder) of political opposition is OK. 6) The destruction of a free press is good. 6) The power of the party boss is absolute and absolute submission and unquestioning allegiance is a must. 7) Certain elements of society must be removed. 8) Germany must go to war to secure land and glory. 9) Hitler is always right should never be contradicted. Should you argue with him, you should be beaten and then put in a concentration camp to work until you die. 10) Hitler is special and better than everybody else.
Pretty much what happened during the years between the writing of the book and 1945 is stately literally, or is easily predicted from this book. The book is so outrageous, the Frankfurter Zeitung (sp?) proclaimed it an act of political suicide. You can't accuse him of false advertising at least.
If you can believe Hitler, and he was a liar through and through, there are a couple of surprises. The main one being that Hitler wasn't raised a racist. Apparently his family and school environment were tolerant of Jews, seeing them as just another religious group like protestants and catholics. It was only when he was out in the big city when he was older and a failure that he started reading racist works and hanging out with racists that his views changed. Another surprise was that Hitler's biggest fear was being ignored.
In conclusion, if this book is at all representative of what he actually thought and believed, it is no surprise his life ended in suicide with no joy or friends or love (Eva Braun was nuts and incapable of real love, and Hitler was a malignant narcissist and could only love himself); only fear, death, depression, and rage were his companions in that bunker.
History on your bookshelf This should be on every bookshelf. Pure intellectual pleasure. Monumental. Deep analysis of conditions in central Europe.
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