Hilter's Mein Kampf is Being Re-Printed-First Time Since WW2

Mein Kampf is being re-printed in Germany now that the printing ban has been lifted.

Reprints of Adolf Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf will be hitting bookstores across Germany once more — the first time since the Nazi leader’s death.

A ban on reprinting the Nazi manifesto in the country has been in place since the end of World War II. The state of Bavaria has held the German copyright ever since but it expires in December, reports the Washington Post.

There are passionate arguments on both sides. What says ATS?

time.com...

Like we really need more hate in this world, i am all for free speech but i wouldent mind if this book never came back on print.

I'd buy a copy. I've heard it isn't much of a well written book and would like to form my own opinion.

I think I read somewhere that the text had been expurgated, I presume that means all the anti Semitism has gone, cannot say I'm all that bothered about reading it, in either version, from reports by reviewers, its rather turgid at best.

I think it is the publishers duty to supply the public with the widest selection of different information and books. It is up to the consumer what to buy, no one is forcing you to buy it.

Well... to exercise freedom of speech, you have to approve that even you most hated rival or enemy is allowed to speak his mind.
Allowing this book to be printed won't make normal people turn into nazis suddenly nor will it cause a new holocaust or similar.

One of the biggest problems in the world, is the distortion of history, because the winning side for a long time has had the power to choose what is written about itself.
There's always more to ANY conflict, than just the views of the one side.

So in short, without saluting herr Hitler, I think the reprint is simply ok. Once we let ourselves sink down into oppressing free speech we have shackled ourselves.

If anything, it could be a nice nuance to the political turmoil surrounding Germany in the early 1900s.

I have a copy.... somewhere.

Interesting read but I never made it past his nostalgic political views as a 10 year old.

No book should ever be banned and maybe one day we will be civilized enough to stop shunning an ancient symbol of peace.

I went to the article and saw this:

The new edition, which is being produced and published by the taxpayer-funded Institute of Contemporary History, will be a heavily annotated 2,000-page volume that features mostly criticism and analysis.

The institute says Mein Kampf (My Struggle) is an important historical and educational tool.

That makes a huge difference, to me. In fact, I was thinking, before I clicked on the link, that the only way I'd want to see that back out in the public (though it already is in other countries) was with a ton of analysis and fact-checking built into the story, so that it could be put in historical context as a tool for learning and examining the "inspirational leader" of one of the biggest atrocities mankind has instigated. I feel greatly for those who may see this as "giving voice" to someone who does not deserve it. That is a powerful argument. My overriding thought, however, is that it is in the interest of humanity to know HOW we got to the Holocaust, so that we will never again be brought to the depths of extreme evil that WWII evidenced.

That being said, I might feel differently if I were a survivor, or family of a survivor. I give my deepest empathy and respect to them.

Finally, the book is already available in many places, including the US (and online) without all the analysis and context.

Though republication of Mein Kampf has been banned in Germany, the book is widely available online and in many other countries including the U.S. and Canada.

Source (same as OP)

So, yes, I support a version of this book printed with annotations and context, so that historical reality may sit side by side with Hitler's twisted narrative.

peace,
AB

I say good, it should be there for those that want to read it.

As a WWII historian I think it's a very telling trip into Hitler's psyche. He's rational, he rages, he's depressed, he's invincible, and he's racist. He can also be charming and congenial, frustrated, normal and human. It's not a poorly written book, nor is it a very good book. It's literally the rambling diary of a madman.

I'm sure Neo-Nazis already have their own copies, I doubt it'll bring them any new recruits.

It's my understanding that most if not all libraries did not carry this. I think reprinting and advertising it is an excellent and important thing. We must never forget the past, or sweep it under the rug, lest we bring on the next great horror through our ignorance.

As long as its read with an eye on history and the outcome of this one mans delusion, its a good idea.

Who could read it and not remember the problems the world suffered from one mans idea.

a reply to: borntowatch

Trust me, anyone who isn't reading it just for history's sake will get really bored really fast. lol. It's not a thrilling tale of Adventures in Nazi-ism.

Educationally this would be a good idea.

On a social level, it could really remind us of how bad human beings can be, and why we CANNOT let someone like that roam free again.

Sure, there will be some backlash, probably even a protest, but in the grand scheme of things, there are a few people in this world who need a sobering slap in the face.

The university my girlfriend went to had a copy, but you had to get permission to read it, I'd imagine if it was allowed to be borrowed like a normal book it wouldn't return.

It's just a diary, nothing more. And people know what kind of person he was already, so they will go into the book with a certain mindset, but I doubt they will leave the book hating jews and wanting to head into world domination.

A good library should have books that have every point of view (and hence, can insult every different group). For the last 70 years, one group has been "untouchable" as far as criticism goes. Times may be changing, but I doubt this will change.

a reply to: lostbook

I'll buy it, I've always wanted to read it. Now if only I could get my hands on an original copy..

As an early teen I read an original version my step grandfather had that he collected after the second war. He was a soldier who fought over there. They had TONS of books when I was a kid! Perhaps he even read it to determine WHY he was over there. I read it in a couple of nights in my room over the summer during a visit when I was 13. I was able to understand it for the most part, but it's been almost 30 years since I've read it to be able to discuss it and remember it from back then. Would I read it again? Yes. It's just a book by a craptastic writer in my opinion. I've certainly read better books that I can recall word for word certain pages or lines.

Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner
Hamlet
The Great Gatsby
etc....


I actually thought some of Hitler's art was better than his writer once I saw it when I was older. Perhaps if he got into the art school and gotten encouragement, 6 million Jews would still be alive today. Then again, you never how history will turn up.

a reply to: MALBOSIA

I have one too....printed in 1950....I've never opened it since I inherited it.

Its red and small and just looks and feels odd for a book...so I don't want to

originally posted by: threeeyesopen
a reply to: lostbook

I'll buy it, I've always wanted to read it. Now if only I could get my hands on an original copy..

My grandfather had one. I was extremely careful with it when I read it in secret at night. I would write down what page I was on in a notebook before I went to bed and put the book back on the shelf because I wasn't sure whether to ask for permission and at the same time, I thought if they said no, they might remove the book to remove temptation and I wanted to read the book after reading "Diary of Anne Frank" to get the other side's perspective. I was very mature at 13 and had already sat in on some of my father's college classes he'd taken at night, Human Anatomy, English, and History. The teacher had no problem with it, and for fun would allow me to take tests with the adults and sometimes I'd score higher than my dad, which gave me a great sense of pride! So I felt I was mature enough to read Mein Kampf. To my grandparents though, I was a child who was more 9 than 13 going on 18. When my brother had a 'nocturnal emission" they berated him for urinating in the bed and said he was too old for that. I knew what it was, but I didn't want to step on toes, nor embarrass my brother, so I kept quiet. I felt shameful reading the book in secret, but I was very careful with it and never tore a single page, considering how old the book was. They never knew I read half the books they had. They only knew about the "appropriate" ones.

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: MALBOSIA

I have one too....printed in 1950....I've never opened it since I inherited it.

Its red and small and just looks and feels odd for a book...so I don't want to

Sounds similar to the one my grandfather had.

2nd

originally posted by: pikestaff
I think I read somewhere that the text had been expurgated, I presume that means all the anti Semitism has gone, cannot say I'm all that bothered about reading it, in either version, from reports by reviewers, its rather turgid at best.

If that is true then what is the point?

Free speech is free speech, there is no argument for censorship.

Just as making drinking illegal for teens will cause more teens to drink and anti-bullying campaigns will generate new and emboldened bullies.