1. HIST2125 Hitler’s Germany Lecture 3: Hitler’s Mein Kampf (My Struggle) and Zweites Buch (Second Book) 24 September 2012

2. Mein Kampf Sales Vol. 1: Eine Abrechnung A Reckoning (1925: 23,000 copies by 1929) Vol. 2: Die Nationalsozialistische Bewegung The Nazi Movement (1926: 13,000 copies by 1929) One volume Volksausgabe People’s edition (1930: 80,000 copies by 1932; over 1,5 million at end of 1933) = Total sales ca. 8-9 million until 1945 = Chinese version (1936), English (1939) + 15 other languages

3. Hitler’s Zweites Buch (Second Book) Discovered in 1958 & published in 1961 by US historian G.L. Weinberg: English translation Hitler’s Secret Book (1961) ► Shorter & more lucid statement of Hitler’s views on foreign policy principles & problems = Demonstrates Hitler’s envy & admiration for USA = Not finished & published during Hitler’s lifetime due to his comparative contempt for writing

4. Mein Kampf Structure Autobiographical sections (1889-1923/4) Reflections & comments on past & current political circumstances in Germany Crude, turgid, disorganised structure = Mixture of autobiography, philosophy book, blueprint of Hitler’s program

5. Mein Kampf: Basic ideas Continuous contest between creative Aryans and destructive Jews State responsible for preserving Aryan race ↓ = Program for state of German people Step 1: Internal regeneration by education, social discipline, authority, elimination of ‘enemies’ Step 2: External policy to regain power position & creating Lebensraum ‘Living Space’

6. Mein Kampf: Racial Groups Kulturbegründer Creators of culture: Aryans: Germanic (English, Dutch, Danish, etc.) + North American people Kulturträger Bearers of culture: Orientals / Asians Kulturzerstörer Destroyers of culture: Jews, ‘Gypsies’, Africans, etc. = Governed by ‘iron logic of nature’

7. Mein Kampf: The Jews Kulturzerstörer Destroyers of culture Seen in sharp contrast to creative Aryans Possess only ‘borrowed’ culture from others Regarded as strongly egoistic: Parasites Judaism not judged as only religion but as race Charged of seeking to destroy Germans & Germany Made responsible for modern evils: Capitalism + Marxism ► Darwin’s biological theory of struggle (‘survival of the fittest’) ► Hitler’s race theory of struggle between Aryans and Jews = Social Darwinism

8. Mein Kampf: Summary Introduces to Hitler’s minds & methods: Reveals Hitler’s Messiah (Saviour/Jesus) complex Reflects Hitler’s violence and non-civilised thinking Shows Hitler’s highly personal world view = Hitler fighting his persecutors = Hitler magnifying his person = Hitler creating a dream-world with himself as most important figure