Now it is time to talk about Mein Kampf, a novel written by Adolf Hitler. This book was published in two volumes in 1925 to 1926. While Hitler was alive, there was around eight million to nine million copies sold. The novel was sold worldwide and was translated into eighteen different languages.
The edition I read of the book was translated by Ralph Manheim with an introduction by D.C. Watt. I read the introduction of the novel and the first four chapters. In this post, I will be discussing some points from chapter one and two.
Chapter 1: “In the House of My Parents”
This chapter was short with only fifteen pages. This chapter is mainly about Hitler’s parents and his childhood. One thing that stood out to me throughout this chapter were the footnotes. There are times when Hitler stated something, but then the footnote stated what actually occurred or what is the truth.
What also stood out to me was how Hitler said that he was a good at learning but was difficult to deal with at school. Does this reflect on why he committed the awful things that he did? I think it is possible. His father, who was a civil servant, also wanted Hitler to become a civil servant, but Hitler did not want to. What Hitler wanted to do was to become an artist, specifically a painter.
There are also many points that Hitler states about political events going on and his beliefs. Throughout all four chapters, Hitler discusses political issues that he saw as issues and how it shaped him. He also discusses how it shaped his beliefs.
Chapter 2: “Years of Study and Suffering in Vienna”
This chapter is longer than chapter one with forty-three pages. Some things in the chapter that stood out to me was how Hitler states hat he wanted to be an architect which connects to why he admired so many political buildings. Hitler applied to an art school but was rejected and was told that he should focus on becoming an architect.
This chapter is also when Hitler begins to talk about what he called “two menaces,’” which was “Marxism and Jewry” (20). After this, his beliefs on these are discussed more throughout of the chapters that I read. According to Hitler, it was not until when he was fourteen years old that he first heard the word “Jew” (48). Throughout most of this chapter, Hitler discusses about the Jewish people and also mentions Zionists, which connects to a writing that inspired him which is The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Final Thoughts
Although what I states above is not the extent of what Hitler discussed in the first two chapter, I feel that these topics are what stood out to me.