Customer Reviews

Mein Kampf

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1 star:		(31)

 

 

The edition of MEIN KAMPF I am reviewing here is the Murphy translation, different from the Manaheim translation which can be purchased in most book stores. It has this grainy, purple-colored picture of Hitler on the front in a Nazi uniform, and the spine is bright yellow with the title written in massive red letters. Most of the people who condemn this book so harshly probably did not read it, and have only a superficial, media-produced idea of what National Socialism/Nazism was all-about. Ho-hum--So self-righteous, so sanctimonious.

The style of MEIN KAMPF is very drawn out and highly technical and detailed, presented in the form of an autiobiographical, philosphical, political, social and quasi-spiritual diatribe. The prevailing theme of much of the first part is Hitler's frustration with the military alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary. He felt that the Germans should all live in one country, rather than there being a Germany and an empire ruled by Germans (the Austro-Hungarian Empire) over various ethnic groups in Eastern Europe. I don't consider myself any kind authority on this period of time in the late 19th and early 20th century in central Europe, but some type of understanding of the political structure in place in Austria-Hungary and Germany is necessary to understand what Hitler is talking about, otherwise it will just seem like endless rambling. Hitler writes about his expiriences in WWI, and praises the heroism of the German army in the conflict. Germany not only held off both Britain and France on the Western Front, but was also free to battle at will with its enemies on the east and south, and (until 1918 before Marxist inspired workers' strikes), maintain the upper hand. Hitler analyzes the use of propaganda between the two sides and concludes that the Allies had the upper hand in influencing morale for their cause. Britain was especially successful in portraying the Germans as the 'Huns' who committed terrible atrocites so that the Allied troops would not be as shocked going into the war as the German soldiers were, whose propaganda portrayed the Allies as silly weaklings, which was obviously not true. Hitler understood well the workings of propaganda and how it can be used as a soft-core form of government mind-control. There is nothing different from Hitler's description and use of it and how it is used by the news and entertainment media in America today.

There are many anti-Jewish statements strewn throughout MEIN KAMPF, but they are not so much to be as shocking as many would think. The 'anti-Semitism' is more assumed than explained, but the explanation involves the Nazi theory of a three-tiered racial makup of mankind which determines human interaction between cultural and religious groups. The "founders of culture" are the mythical Aryans. All ancient cultural, religious and other developments can be traced to them, even though Hitler never explains who they are, or how they could be related to Germans. The "preservers of culture" are those who got culture from the Aryans, but stagnated after the Aryans interbreeded with those of lesser racial stock. The only apparent "preservers of culture" that Hitler mentions here are the Japanese. The Jews are the "destroyers of culture." Hitler criticizes them for using their religion to justify a racial-preservation group tactic. Hitler does not cite any sources as to where he got this information, and MEIN KAMPF generally relies on the readers' percieved, innate, subjective insight regarding racial and social issues. Throughout are descriptions of the state controlled eugenic social policies that would be in place once the Nazis gained power in Germany.

The last third or so of the book is dedicated to retelling the story of the National Socialist Movement and especially Hitler's personal perspectives and recollections on it. Highlited are the Nazi organizational sturcture and its struggles against the Marxists.

I'm reviewing this particular edition of Mein Kampf, not the book itself or Hitler's arguments. If you just want to understand what Hitler's philosophy was, this is fine and inexpensive.

HOWEVER, I bought this for research purposes, and have found that the translation is sloppy. Moreover, it is full of typos and I find it difficult to believe it was even proof-read before going to print. For example it has Hitler referring to a battle in "1948", when it is obviously 1848. Another example: "It would be a stake to think that the followers of various political parties...". Surely that should be "mistake", not "stake". Unfortunately this edition is riddled with errors such as this, which is only a reflection of lazy translation and proofing. As a result, I can't be 100% sure that it is accurate, so will have to cross-reference with another edition.

This book is really something that one should take the time for, it is not an easy read, especially not in German, and the book is also not very exciting, it is, after all, a political book. Some people seem offended that I own this book, when they see it on my shelf, some dare not say anything, afraid i might be some kind of neo nazi, but Mein Kampf is one of the best selling books ever published, and it had a great impact on those who read it during it's time of first publishing.

People simply look at Hitler as being this disturbed man, who was just dangerous to everyone, and should never have been alive, but there is more to Hitler than hatred. He had the power to convince millions of people that he could change their economical, social and political situation, he influenced and inspired them. He was a brilliant man, although also said to be mentally ill, possibly schizophrenic.

People are scared of young adults reading Mein Kampf and being influenced by it, but in order to prevent something like this from happening again, we should look at the situation at that time, we can read this book and learn from it, find out what drove Adolf Hitler to this. I believe this is a book more people should read and learn from, instead of fearing it and the man behind it.

But beware, it's not an easy read.

Here it is, straight from the man himself. Called everything from garbage to a Satanic Bible, Mein Kampf is the written words of one of history's most important figures, Adolf Hitler. "My Struggle" was taken down in prison where Hitler was incarcerated for his failed Munich coup in 1923. Hitler waxes philosophical about his early life and aspirations, government, and a new program to lift Germany to dominance. The book is kind of tough to read at times, but other passages are remarkably lucid. This is probably due to the fact that it is a dictated account. There is endless repetition and congealed passages that will make you shake your head in incomprehension. I think the best hope for reading this book is to try and come away with the general themes of what Hitler is trying to say. Try not to get bogged down in the details or you're a goner.

Hitler begins the book by discussing his childhood. His father and him argued incessantly over what career Hitler should pursue. Hitler won by default (his parents died) and chose to pursue his dream of painting. He spent time in Vienna, where he began to form opinions on Marxism and Judaism. Long sections follow on Hitler's experiences in World War I, the Jews, and the failures of democracy. German foreign policy, along with its failures, is discussed in detail. Hitler never provides much evidence for his arguments, except for his condemnation of democracy, which is right on the money. Interspersed throughout his long discussions on politics and race are accounts of the rise of the NSDAP, or Nazi party. This is probably the most interesting part of the book, as Hitler outlines the growth of the party up until the Munich putsch.

I suspect most people will read this book to find out what Hitler says about the Jews. Hitler does discuss the Jews, mainly by outlining how the Jews gain dominance over the gentiles throughout history. Hitler sees Marxism as a Jewish phenomenon designed to enslave the Aryan world. The international financial system is seen as the cause of World War I. This same system is also described as a tool of the Jews. Hitler believed that the Jews sabotaged the German war effort from behind the lines. Jews are referred to as parasites and less than human. In general, most of the book is not about Jews, but concerns politics. The copy I bought was in the history section under Germany/Austria.

At times turgid and fascinating, you'll never forget reading Mein Kampf. I enjoyed this translation. I expected to see some raving monster. Instead, we see a political animal with some intense views. This book is must read for historians and World War II buffs.

This review is for the Menheim translation of Mein Kampf.


This a controversial book. Mein Kampf is a hard and boring book. Hitler was a lot of things, but not a good writer, and he is quite terrible at expressing his thoughts in a way that would be understood easily by the reader. Reading Mein Kampf requires a lot of patience.
Now on into the content, the book is a combination of an attempted autobiography, a critique to the various events that shaped German history during Hitler's life, and the foundations of Nazism as expressed by Hitler. The book is a great primary source, but its content is controversial - it has been proven at many points to be unreliable, with statements of Hitler's life simply being false. I would suggest reading Mein Kampf with another book analyzing its ideas and validity (Such as The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, which has a great chapter on Hitler's mind, and Mein Kampf). Hitler jumps from one subject to the next with no clear structure whatsoever. The structure and expression improves in the second volume.

I don't suggest reading Mein Kampf, simply because of its complexity, its unreliability, and its terrible approach to the reader. Better read an analysis on Mein Kampf, but in the case that you would go for it anyway, the Ralph Manheim edition, (although just like any edition of Mein Kampf, it is not perfect) would be a great choice as it is fairly an accurate translation.

Many say this translation, The Manheim, though filled with anti-Hitler footnotes, remains truest to the original.

Houghton Mifflin published a translation by Ralph Manheim in 1943 to avoid having to share their profits with Reynal & Hitchcock. They also wanted to offer a more readable translation. The Manheim translation was first published in England by Hurst & Blackett in 1969.

There are numerous errors in this translation, however. And it doesn't identify a number of important references. Moreover, it omits examples or even mistranslates common sayings of Hitler.

When Manheim was unsure of a word (for example Sheepshead meaning the Bavarian card game), he left it untranslated in the original German.

Some passages are also missing from the Manheim translation, most likely due to the fact that he could not translate them or did not understand them.

Finally, Manheim's translator's note in the front of his translation show his is a biased translation.

Little needs to be said about the words of Hitler. I enjoy reading Mein Kampf. That certainly is not an endorsement of the man or his movement. Mein Kampf is an interesting look into the mind of this man and it is interesting how we can see some of the same characteristics running in numerous people in office today. If we don't know history, we're apt to repeat it.

Indeed, Hitler might even have won a Nobel Peace Prize based on his promises and the excitement he created in people before they really got to know him had the prize been given in those days! Certainly such greats as JFK and Churchill gave him glowing compliments.

Why did people follow Hitler? Knowing what we do now, it's easy to think the German people were stupid. The truth is the country had suffered a severe punishing war and hyperinflation -- money was worthless. They needed a real leader.

Hitler promised everyone everything. He was just the "right" person for that particular time. If times had been different, he would not have risen to power in all likelihood.

I find Hitler part genius, part psychopath.

The book -- no matter what translation -- is a must-read. It's a classic. It's a book that gives you insight into one of the most important minds of the 20th Century and in all of history.

Why should you read any translation of Mein Kampf? Sun Tzu said you must know your enemy. We read about those we regard as dangerous, or wrong or criminal in order to avoid that type of individual ever encroaching into power again. We also read to understand that person in relationship to the times in which he lived.

Just as Hitler knew his dreaded enemy, the Communist Party and Karl Marx, we should know Hitler, the Fascist dictator. Hitler didn't take on an issue or an enemy without knowing it inside-out. In that regard, he was brilliant. He knew what he was fighting. He knew the enemy.

I recommend Mein Kampf (The Ford Translation) to you. Although I do find the Manheim translation better than most previous to Ford. I also recommend Mein Kampf Official Nazi Translation to you.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

Rating this book is something of a futile exercise. What is important is that the reader understand that this book is a penetrating look into the psycho/socio state of a man who held tremendous influence on the 20th century world. From a historical perspective one can see clearly that Hitler did in fact spell out his goals for a Thousand Year Reich and wonder why Chamberlain and others so greivously overlooked it. As despicable as he and his literary work may be, it must be used as a tool in the study of one of the most tyrannical regimes in the twentieth century, lest such mistakes be misunderstood and hence repeated.

To berate this author's book, passing it off as simply "rambling," is to deny passing on the message the Holocaust survivors want us most to deliver: "Always remember, and never forget." To discount it as boring or confusing simply means the reader must educate himself with history, desire to learn about issues outside his own environment and current events, and most importantly - read more in order to get a better vocabulary so it won't seem so confusing.

Upon first hearing that Hitler was a high-school dropout and before reading Mein Kampf, I figured it was his lack of education that gave way to his feelings - and actions - on racism. Throw in a little economic failure with a society desperate for WWI revenge, and you have the perfect recipe that needs only an uneducated schitzo like Hitler to concoct the horror that ensued. Oh, no, indeed. Rather, the opposite holds true: High school was far too simple for Hitler, who, unlike our own youth, thirsted for knowledge in the subjects our youth find tedious. It is when you WANT to learn and educate your SELF, rather than a school teacher assigning it to you that you truly learn and internalize anything.

It was in Hitler's thirst for knowledge of history, culture, society and his internalization of it that he conceived applying his knowledge to an entire nation by "saving" them from destruction. Was Hitler moral? Not by our standards. Was he correct? Not by our standards. But it is only in lending yourself to different thoughts than your own in past time periods and economies that we will learn FROM it so as to STOP it dead in its tracks in the future.

The most asked questions about the Holocaust, "HOW could he do what he did to so many people, and WHY?" starts HERE, with this book. A must read for anyone remotely interested in learning not just about Hitler, the Holocaust and Hitler's ideologies, but in responsibly educating oneself so as to possibly become a positive force in society's future. To think another "Hitler" cannot arise again is to have the attitudes and actions behind tossing this book aside, sticking one's head in the sand, and flipping on the television again so as not to miss out on one's daily vegetation into ignorance and complacency.

"Mein Kampf" is an important historical source and probably should be read as such. If you can get through Hitler's bombastic writing, the sheer volume of the book, and many of its obscure German historical references, it will definitely give you insight toward the internal momentum that lead Germany to wage the second World War.

Among other things, "Mein Kampf" is autobiographical. Hitler describes his childhood, schooling, his war experience and his subsequent "struggle" in the political upheaval of post-war Germany. While it is interesting to get into the dictator's mind, one should remember that Hitler had an enormous ego and that he wrote this book for public consumption. Many of his self-praising statements are simply false. For example, Hitler claims that he was the top student in his childhood history class and that his application to study in art school was rejected because the faculty felt that his architectural drawing was superior to his painting. These statements and numerous others are false, which is well documented by Alan Bullock, Ian Kershaw, and other biographers of Hitler.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of "Mein Kampf" is its literal force. Although Hitler may have distorted some facts about his past, he was scrupulously honest about his future intentions, which included killing the Jews of Europe and colonizing Russia.

In fact, "Mein Kampf" is more a combination of Hitler's self-promotion and a blue print of his future plans that it is an ideological tome. The central aim articulated in "Mein Kampf" is purifying what Hitler perceived to be the master race and providing it with "living space". But Hitler never provides a truly revolutionary idea that is comparable to themes found in works such as "The Holy Bible" or "The Communist Manifesto". Like Fascism itself, "Mein Kampf " is more about mood and momentum than the articulation of a compelling new idea.

If you are unfamiliar with Hitler's role in modern German history, you may want to read one of his numerous excellent biographies before tackling his own words. For anyone interested in exploring the phenomenon of Nazi Germany and how a despot managed to package himself and his genocidal intentions, "Mein Kampf" is an indispensable read.

The time is 11:11pm, and right now, as it is pitch black and cold out, the time to review this book feels just right....

First off, I am going to make a category as to weather or not I recommend you read this book, please identify which category you best fit in.

YOU SHOULD/CAN READ THIS BOOK IF YOU:

- Have a basic understanding and basic, no lie complete truth education as to what really happened in the second World War. If you studied World War Two even briefly and your parents taught you right from wrong, you should have no problems reading this book.

YOU SHOULD NOT READ THIS BOOK IF:

-You are the faint of heart and cannot tolerate any forms of racial remarks or profiling.
-You DON'T know a thing about World War II, because at times if you read this and feel like you are siding with Hitler, I would recommend you place the book down immediately and watch the History Channel or the Military Channel.

As stated above, if you feel like after you read some of Hitler's remarks and say "Jeez, this guy is starting to make me side with him". Please place the book down and continue on to something else. Also, if you find yourself in that category, you can stop reading this review now. Thanks, and happy trails.

Now, to the people who fit in the first category and want to read this book, please make note before reading:

Technically, this is not Hitler's autobiography. While at some parts he does mention his past, family, upbringing and so on and so forth, the book and whole is his thoughts on politics and how Germany essentially got "screwed over" after the First World War. The book contains rants, political thoughts, autobiographical pieces, and a few others, but in whole, the book is rantings and political thoughts of a mad man. If you are studying Hitler, there are hundreds of biographies on the man. I would recommend reading one of those and then reading this to get the whole picture if you will.

Also, this book was written in the mid to late 1920's, before any of the terrible events unfolded in World War II, so no, while Hitler clearly expresses his hate of the Jewish people, it does not mention the Holocaust or anything as the event had yet to begin. Hitler wrote this while in prison for his "political" beliefs (and I use the term "political beliefs" very sparingly considering the horrendous and inexcusable acts that occurred in Nazi Germany.

Now, on to the review:

First off, I would probably recommend a different version of Mein Kampf. While the Ralph Manheim translation which I own is okay, there are noticeable spelling errors in parts that could confuse the reader. I bought this copy because it was all they had at Border's when they were closing.

Hitler was not a genius, contrary to popular belief of some. He did seem genius at times, but in all of the wrong places, like convincing a people of a religion to come to Germany to find work and instead they were killed. Not cool. Hitler rose to power because in the post-war Wiemar Republic, the economy was in absolute shambles (The Mark, the currency of Germany, worthless. And no, not like a penny worthless, it was literally sold as wastepaper rather than used as money.) The Treaty of Versailles bankrupted Germany and unemployment was rampant. According to many, Hitler was a great speaker, although I am sure if a lab mouse went up to the podium before Hitler and said "employment opportunities for all!" The people of Germany probably would have followed the mouse. Not that they are stupid in the least, but at a time when turmoil was the only thing around, if anybody had a plan, they were essentially tricked into following them, like they followed Hitler.

Essentially, the book is just one big rambling of a mad man. Clocking in at about 380 pages, it is not very long, but literally if someone went on a big rant and wrote it all down, their rant would be like this book. Since you are reading this review because you have basic knowledge of the Second World War, you know what Hitler hated and his political views, and really they are all gathered in one place.

I would not recommend reading this book in public, like the train station, airport, park, etc. as you are sure to get a look, even if you were just reading it to see how long one man's hate and sideways political views could go on. Read it in your study, with a nice pipe and a roaring fire, then maybe throw it in the fire afterwords.

On a final note, it is not really that bad of a book if you have the basic knowledge to understand Hitler, but at times it is certainly stodgy, dull and generally outright boring. Read at your own risk.

S.O.