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Mein Kampf

2.87 of 5 stars 2.87 · rating details · 7,572 ratings · 923 reviews

Adolf Hitler's personal memoir. In his own hand he tells of his childhood and involvement in early socialism.

An insight into the man, leader, and his quest for world domination by any means necessary.

Paperback, 694 pages

Published May 11th 1973 by Mariner Books (first published July 18th 1925)

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Aug 08, 2012 Kira rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-use-as-weapons, lost-the-will-to-live, made-me-want-to-choke-myself, books-that-changed-my-life, go-choke-on-your-sexism, your-slut-shaming-is-disgusting, tstl-heroine, so-boring-i-ate-my-own-face, papa-dont-preach, no-effing-way, argh-you-made-me-cry, wtf-is-this-racist-crap, oh-god-the-whitewashing, made-no-sense, will-read-for-all-the-wrong-reasons

Caution: Extreme cussing ahead. I mean it. It's extreme. If you have an aversion to bad language, what you're about to read might make you want to claw your eyes out. It was difficult to make it through a single sentence of this review without cussing.

When I was younger and dumber, I said that one day I'd review this drivel properly. Now, in the dead of night, it just feels right.

This ~~book~~ thing is, without a doubt, the biggest load of flaming shit I've ever read in my fucking life. It is, bar...more

286 likes · like · see review

Jul 30, 2007 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People with a strong grasp of 20th century history.

Recommended to Greg by: posterity.

(added March 2013)
This review is popular enough that I feel obliged to add something I hadn't thought about when I first wrote it, especially now that my 'internet presence' or something matters.
I had a very good social studies teacher in 12th grade. He started his 20th century history class with one word - Nationalism. This was the recurring theme for all of the 20th century, as he understood it, and thus the class. He was right, or at least as right about 20th century history as you can be in...more (added March 2013)
This review is popular enough that I feel obliged to add something I hadn't thought about when I first wrote it, especially now that my 'internet presence' or something matters.
I had a very good social studies teacher in 12th grade. He started his 20th century history class with one word - Nationalism. This was the recurring theme for all of the 20th century, as he understood it, and thus the class. He was right, or at least as right about 20th century history as you can be in a Catholic High School, and it took going through the first 2.5 years of the St. John's curriculum (where I was when I originally wrote this review), including an unorthodox classical Western history element and immersive studying Thucydides (translated by Thomas Hobbes, natch) the same academic year I watched airliners fly into the Eastern Seaboard, to realize the significance of that nationalism.
Note ". . . the significance of that nationalism," not " . . .that aforementioned nationalism explains everything that happened between 1900 and the present."

I disagree with Hitler, but his opinions are worth understanding. I gave this book four stars for its historical significance, not my opinion of its content on moral, military, political, biological, or literary merits. I don't share those here because outside of biological fact (wrong to the point of headscratching), military strategy (Dude invaded Russia in winter. Seriously.), and literary quality (Ever read a translator's introduction explaining his or her biggest challenge was the awful original prose?), they're subtle enough that I don't feel like letting the sampling of people who comment here abuse me more. A lot of people think I Am Not Mean Enough To The Bad Man.

This should not be the first book you read about World War II, Adolf Hitler, Germany, fascism, or nationalism. This should be something you read after you've developed a decent factual grasp, maybe even some opinions, on 20th century history broadly (including the basics on WWI and II, maybe even the consequences of how the latter ended, definitely the consequences of how the former ended) and want to understand it better. It made me very glad I had developed a very, very dorky interest in World War 2 during junior high.

(end addition)

Chomsky of all people talked me into reading this book.
Hitler, like all believers in traditional government, held that his vision of government was best for everyone. He was, as an individual, the elite in the sense of the plural "vanguard" in Leninism, and the "greater number" according to Madison/Publius, the community as a whole in consensus-governed communities, and so on.
Hitler conceivably wished to make the world a better place. He simply felt that this involved killing lots of people and German domination of the entire globe - under his rule, of course.

Valuable as a historical document, reflection on political theory, and as a personal memoir. It is terribly written. That doesn't matter.(less)

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Aug 24, 2010 David marked it as spurned · review of another edition

Shelves: feces

Of course I didn't expect Mein Kampf to be a great book, even within the admittedly narrow antisemitic messianic homoerotic prison genre, but I did expect a little more showmanship. If you've seen Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will, then you know Adolf* could really work himself into an artful spittle-flying lather. My German is middling, but I've heard he was all charismatic and persuasive or whatever. Like, if you were just planning to go out for a stroll and pick up some schnitzel, you'd happe...more

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May 02, 2012 Robert Brown added it · review of another edition

Funny story: I was embarrassed to check this out of the library, but I'm writing a lesson plan for a teacher I TA for and I needed this book to do it. Well, I was really busy, and I actually forgot to go to the desk and have them check me out so when I left the library, the alarm rang and I had to show them what was in my bag . . . . How embarrassing.

Anyhow, the book's probably as creepy and disturbing as you would imagine it to be. It's haunting how often he tries to give himself and his ideas...more

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Feb 16, 2008 Jarrett rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hitler... booooooooooooooo!

Call me a crazy talking liberal if you want, but I am against burning human beings in big ovens. I don't care how trendy and cool it was considered back in the day, that's just the way I was raised.

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend. Or at least I thought he was my friend. It turned out he was actually just a cashier at Borders. But he looked an awful lot like this guy I used to be friends with when I worked at Gamestop. I could have sworn it was him. T...more

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Jun 05, 2007 Q rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one, especially not insane anti-semites.

Glancing at this book, no one has given it even one star.

I find this kind of hard to believe, because the book is amazing. Amazing that one person could have not only thought these things but had the audacity to write them down for posterity.

I read a good chunk of this in it's original German form. It was assigned to us in high school as a "get as far as you can stomach" sort of read. I admittedly skimmed most of it, and cringed at the bits I did read.

But as I had an idea for an altered book pro...more

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Mar 25, 2012 notgettingenough rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: better-written-than-harry-p

So I tried looking at things from that point of view of the people on goodreads who give this book 2 or 3 stars. I mean, none I get. FIVE I get. But TWO. What’s that all about? What sort of mind would you have? Nothing if not intrepidly brave (I did start reading Harry Potter, credit where credit is due), I decided to go where no man would normally dare...

Okay, so you can’t give it five stars in all conscience. It was a manifesto for taking over the world and ridding it of various groups of peop...more

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Sep 10, 2007 Paul T rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Weimar-era Germans, it seemed to do well with their demographic.

I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats. But I still didn't like it. I even tried listening to Wagner and making shitty art while reading it...nothing. What the heck, it beats the shit out of The Fountainhead...right? No? Yeah, its pretty bad. Analyze it all you want for whatever reason - it still blows.

25 likes · like · see review

Oct 08, 2009 hexaspir rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone interested in German history 1918-1945

Recommended to hexaspir by: my grandmother

Shelves: hist-neu-deutsch

Being German, I first read it at the age of 15 or so, the copy my grandparents were given for their wedding in 1942. I did not understand everything at the time, in particular some of the allusions to the parliament, but I understood well enough and could not believe what I was reading. In Germany it is not easy to get a copy, I think, but for me this was and is a must-read. Hitler wrote it when no one believed he would ever be in a position to do all this nasty stuff - but then, when he was, he...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Fahad rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

كفاحي

نادرة الحالات التي نقرأ فيها للطغاة، لا يمتلك الطاغية وقتاً ولا رغبة في تبرير نفسه وشرح أفكاره، فلذا يترك المهمة الصعبة للمؤرخين، الذين ينهكون أنفسهم في محاولة ربط أفعاله وأقواله والخروج منها برؤية تفسيرية.

هتلر في هذا الكتاب هو هتلر ما قبل السلطة، هتلر ما قبل كل ما جعلنا نعرف اسم هتلر، وننقشه كعلامة تاريخية مميزة، ولكن هذا لا يعني أن هذا كتاب ناقص، لا يعني أنه لا يجعلنا نفهم ما الذي حدث ولماذا حدث، بالعكس الكتاب هو صدر البيت الذي كانت عجزه حقبة 1934 م – 1945 م.

ولكن مع هذا بالكاد يمكننا ت...more كفاحي

نادرة الحالات التي نقرأ فيها للطغاة، لا يمتلك الطاغية وقتاً ولا رغبة في تبرير نفسه وشرح أفكاره، فلذا يترك المهمة الصعبة للمؤرخين، الذين ينهكون أنفسهم في محاولة ربط أفعاله وأقواله والخروج منها برؤية تفسيرية.

هتلر في هذا الكتاب هو هتلر ما قبل السلطة، هتلر ما قبل كل ما جعلنا نعرف اسم هتلر، وننقشه كعلامة تاريخية مميزة، ولكن هذا لا يعني أن هذا كتاب ناقص، لا يعني أنه لا يجعلنا نفهم ما الذي حدث ولماذا حدث، بالعكس الكتاب هو صدر البيت الذي كانت عجزه حقبة 1934 م – 1945 م.

ولكن مع هذا بالكاد يمكننا توصيف (كفاحي) على أنه مذكرات شخصية، فهو في أساسه قائم على توضيح أفكار هتلر السياسية والمستقبل الذي يريده لألمانيا، ذلك الحلم الذي انتهى بهدمها على رؤوس أهلها، واحتلالها من أربع دول مجتمعة.

سيطرت على هتلر في هذا الكتاب وفي السياسة فيما بعد، فكرة أساسية، هي فكرة التفوق العرقي، فالعرق الآري في رأيه هو العرق الأرقى، هو العرق الذي صنع ويصنع الحضارة الإنسانية، فلذا هو الذي يجب أن يسود، هذه السيادة هي سيادة حتمية، لابد أن تتم بالقوة أولاً، ليحل بعدها السلام على الأرض، في سبيل ذلك لابد من توحيد العرق الآري من خلال استعادة الأراضي الألمانية التي سلبت في الحرب العالمية الأولى، وضم الجاليات الألمانية الموجودة في النمسا، وغيرها من الدول المجاورة، وهذا ما قام به بالفعل عندما تولى السلطة.

ولأن هذه الفكرة ترى أن العرق الآري وصل إلى ما وصل إليه عبر تطوره الذي امتد على مدى تاريخه، فلذا لابد من المحافظة على نقاء هذا العرق، وهذا يعني منع تزاوج واختلاط الأعراق، كما أن هذا يعني نفي وإخصاء المعاقين والمجانين والمشوهين، حتى لا تنتقل جيناتهم الملوثة إلى أبنائهم، مهددة بإضعاف العرق.

الآمر الآخر هو أن العرق الآري سلبت حقوقه، وألهي عن طريق المجد بواسطة اليهود والماركسيين، حيث يعمل اليهود عند القمة ممسكين بالاقتصاد والإعلام الألمانيين، بينما يعمل الماركسيون عند القاعدة متسبيين بهزيمة الألمان في الحرب العالمية الأولى بالإضراب الذي نفذوه، فلذا كانت محرقة هتلر ومطاردته للماركسيين واليهود فيما بعد.

الكتاب ممل في خطابيته وتفصيلاته وخاصة أنه لا يحتوي على هوامش تساعد القارئ في التعرف على ظروف تلك الفترة وتحولاتها السياسية.
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Sep 25, 2007 David rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: chick lit types

hitler should have changed his last name to "hit", because that's what this book is! the main character, who looks like sarah jessica parker, is in her mid-30's and looking for love in all the wrong places. when she gets transported back in time to repressive regime of hitler, the language barrier and her liberal ideals won't stop her from finding true love.

a lil' bit of trivia: the audio book was narrated by a young jody foster.

28 likes · like · see review

Oct 07, 2010 Ahmad Al-Aloula rated it 2 of 5 stars

دفعني لقراءة الكتاب رغبتي أن أعرف من هو هتلر.. ما أفكاره.. وما هي قصته؟
لم أجد أحداً ينقل لي ما أريد أفضل منه هو.. حين يكتب سيرته الذاتية

وصلت إلى غرضي من قراءة الكتاب...
كتاب مفيد للمهتمين بالسياسة، ينقل لك آراء هتلر الجريئة والمقنعة في الجانب السياسي
إلا أن الكتاب يعيبه سوء تصنيفه، وتكرار الكلام فيه في أكثر من موضع دون داعٍ لذلك
كدت أن أعطي الكتاب ثلاث نجمات لولا نقطة سوء التصنيف هذه

أما هتلر نفسه..
رجل اختار عقيدة أساسها باطل... وآمن بها حتى النخاع... وصار يحشد الأدلة على صحتها ويتعامى وينكر كل ما ي...more

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view all 6 comments

Areej MBA بالنسبة لي يا اخ احمد، اني اشك في مصداقية الكتاب في بعض جوانبه ، لا سيما وان اليهود ما زالوا يكرهونه حتى الان و ليس بعيد ان يكون لهم دور في ذلك ، اذ ل...more
Jul 10, 2011 06:30am

Wael كلامك صحيح فيما يخص اختيار هتلر عقيدة التفوق العرقي ليقود بها شعبه ولعله اختارها عندما وجد افضل من خيار الدين لتوحيد الشعب (في زمنه كان هناك صراع بروت...more
Oct 07, 2012 05:22am

Mar 14, 2012 بثينة العيسى added it · review of another edition

مقدمة هذا الكتاب كارثية. المقدمة تقول بأن هتلر من "العظماء" الذين كادوا أن يغيروا وجه العالم ومجرى التاريخ، وهنا يجب أن نقف طويلا وأن نتساءل كيف تحول هتلر، في ذهن القارئ العربي والناشر العربي، إلى رجل عظيم؟ يميل كثير منا إلى تمجيد هتلر وذكر "بطولاته" لكونه احتقر اليهود وحرقهم و"مسحهم بأستيكة" كما يقولون، بشكل أو بآخر نشعر كعرب، بصفتنا ضحايا لدولة إسرائيل، بأننا ننتقم من أعدائنا عندما نقرأ ما كتبه عن كرههم للنظافة وعن أنوفهم الطويلة وعن كونهم طفيليات على الحضارة وما إلى ذلك من أمور تبدو ملائمة لن...more مقدمة هذا الكتاب كارثية. المقدمة تقول بأن هتلر من "العظماء" الذين كادوا أن يغيروا وجه العالم ومجرى التاريخ، وهنا يجب أن نقف طويلا وأن نتساءل كيف تحول هتلر، في ذهن القارئ العربي والناشر العربي، إلى رجل عظيم؟ يميل كثير منا إلى تمجيد هتلر وذكر "بطولاته" لكونه احتقر اليهود وحرقهم و"مسحهم بأستيكة" كما يقولون، بشكل أو بآخر نشعر كعرب، بصفتنا ضحايا لدولة إسرائيل، بأننا ننتقم من أعدائنا عندما نقرأ ما كتبه عن كرههم للنظافة وعن أنوفهم الطويلة وعن كونهم طفيليات على الحضارة وما إلى ذلك من أمور تبدو ملائمة لنا تماماً (بصفتنا ضحاياهم) لكي نشعر بالانتصار ولو قليلاً .. ولكن هذا غير صحيح، غير صحيح أخلاقياً لأن عنصرية هتلر لا تقف عند الشعب المختار، وغير صحيح لنضالنا ضد دولة إسرائيل أيضاً لأننا نستعير محارق ومجازر النازية على المستوى النفسي، ونتبناها أيضاً.

عنصرية هتلر وإيمانه بتفوق العرق الآري وبوجوب استخدام بقية الأعراق الأخرى كـ "موارد مادية" لبناء الحضارة شأنها شأن "الخيل والماشية" .. وإيمانه بأن العرق الآري وحده يصنع الحضارة، وبأن بقية الأعراق هي محض متطفلة أو هادمة للجمال والثقافة والفكر .. كل هذه الترهات أصنفها - بمنتهى الراحة - في خانة أقبح أفكار قرأتها في حياتي.

لا يهمني إذا كانت العنصرية تستهدف اليهود أو لا .. فأنا أرفض العنصرية أصلاً، وبصراحة شديدة لا أرى فرقاً على الإطلاق بين أسطورة الشعب المختار الذي يريد السيطرة على العالم (الصهيونية) وبعد أسطورة تفوق العرق الآري على بقية شعوب العالم (النازية) ..

ويجدر بنا أن نعرف بأن لا فرق بين الاثنين أبداً، وهذا النوع من الفكر هو الذي يجرجر العالم إلى مزيد من الويلات والكوارث التي لا حاجة لنا إلى مزيدٍ منها.

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May 07, 2012 Zainab rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

فـكـر هتلر! ..... اكثر ما شدني فيه ، التعريفات والتحليلات التي وضعها بداية بالعنصرية ، التي تاخذ محور حديثه ، الي كلمة السياسة في حد ذاتها ... شعرت بالتملل في الكثيير من طيات الكتاب خاصة عندما يتعمق في قضية الامة الالمانية ... واكثر جزء اعجبني ، (الدعاية والاعلان ) وجزئية التعليم

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Feb 29, 2008 Brody Lord of the undead rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: AYNONE!!!

Recommended to Brody by: Stephanie

amazing!!!!!!!! the most spectacular peice of literature of the 20th century!!! I was changed forever.

22 likes · like · see review

Jul 31, 2008 Zach rated it 5 of 5 stars

Best romantic comedy I've ever read.

86 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2010 Travis Cherry rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yes, I have read it, hell I still own a copy. I make no excuses, and will not issue apologies. I am not a nazi sympathizer, anti-semitic, or racist, fascist, or any other variety of colorful names that I have been called for having this on my shelf. I confess that I was curious about the method to the madness and how such whole sale slaughter of human life could be rationalized. Get past impressions that are forced down your throat in history class and read it for what it is, a historical text t...more

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Dec 03, 2008 Tifnie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography

No, I didn't finish this book in 2 days. I've had it on my shelf and have read between books for a good part of the year. No, I didn't not read this book word for word.

I found Mein Kampf a difficult read. Not only for the content but for the way in which it is written. Think - textbook.

Mein Kampf (My Struggle) is basically Adolf Hitler's plan for his social movement. His deep seeded hatred for Jews began at an early age and he writes in detail how the Jews are poisonous, bastards, dishonest, an...more

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Jun 14, 2008 Rob added it · review of another edition

Shelves: world-war-ii, 2008

(This review applies specifically to the translation by Ralph Manheim, Houghton Mifflin, 1999.)

The rantings of a deranged lunatic, or one of the most important documents of the 20th century? Any way you look at it, Mein Kampf is a must-read for at least two reasons besides the obvious:

First, the book quite efficiently dispels the "Hitler was an athiest" myth. For example, Hitler concludes Chapter 2 with the summary statement:

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of...more

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Manny First, the book quite efficiently dispels the "Hitler was an athiest" myth. For example, Hitler concludes Chapter 2 with the summary statement:

"Hence...more
Apr 14, 2010 01:48am

Trice my understanding is he also messed around a lot with the occult - playing both sides, shall we say

the church was used in Germany - NAZI sermons from t...more
Apr 14, 2010 05:57am

moonletters Just because someone says what they are doing is for the Lord, doesn't really mean that it is so. Rather, Hitler seemed to be a very clever man who ap...more
Jul 01, 2010 07:20pm

Jun 22, 2012 6riwah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: after-goodreads

أرى تصنيفه بأنّه نقدي وسيّاسي أكثر من كونه سيرة لهتلر
لأنّه احتوي على أراءه لاسيرته .

الكتاب بشكل عام مُمِلّ.
أستطيع القول بأنّ "ثلاثة أرباع" كذلك، و"الربع الباقي"
تكمن فيه المُتعة.
رُبّما للترجمة السيئة دور في ذلك!
ولأنّ الكتاب يحتوي على العديد من الأخطاء المطبعية أيضاً،

ولاحتواءة على الكثير من المصطلحات السياسية البحتّة، !
التي استعصت على عقلي.

أحببت حديثه عن طفولته وذهابه لفيينا بعد وفاة والدته،
نظرته لليهود قبلاً وكيف تحوّلت إلى بُغض،
وكيّفيّة دخوله لمعترك الحياة السياسية،
دوره كجندي في الحرب العالمي...more

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Dec 03, 2008 Bill rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: History, Psych students

Shelves: autobiography

If you wish to get into the mind of a madman, read this book. It's difficult to read it without holding the notion that the author was a monster in every possible sense of the word. Naturally, this will heavily influence your perception of the writing. As literature, it's a piece of trash. It's an affront to the tree that died and gave it's pulp over to accept the ink of hate and monstrosity. But I had to read it - I had to try to understand what made this "thing" tick. I grudgingly gave the boo...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Kartik rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, conspiracy-theory, biography

First things first...

Who should read this: Anyone intelligent enough to see through Hitler's BS.
Who should not-read this: everyone else

Unfortunately I was in the second category when I read Mein Kampf; most teenagers are. The first part of the book is a very convincing patriotic, nationalistic point of view. The second part is where all the hate propaganda truly begins. By the time naive readers reach the second part, they might be convinced that Hitler is making sensible arguments.

I was well th...more

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Jun 14, 2007 Däv rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Only those interested in general political theory

One of my top 2 favorite pieces of autobiographical political propaganda... brilliantly written if obviously logically flawed... a beautiful look into the crafting of a thoroughly well rounded political theory... about as much to be lieved as any other... not for the dogmatic among us

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May 10, 2013 Tariq Alferis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

لقد كان في ذهني أمر واحد طوال قراءتي لكتاب هتلر..هو أنني عرفت تماما ما هو السر الذي جعل هتلر قائدا ناجحا نال أعلى المناصب – بغض النظر عن نظرته العنصرية- وقاد ألمانيا نحو النصر وجعل منها دولة يحسب لها الحساب.. السر ببساطة هو أن هتلر أحب وطنه وأحب شعبه وأراد لهم الخير بل الأفضل ... أحب ألمانيا أكثر من أي شيء آخر.. ثم سعى لخدمة وطنه بإصرار وعزيمة قويين...

تعلمت من هتلر درسا هاما: أن قائد أي أمة بإمكانه أن يرتقي بأمته ويقودها أيضا نحو النصر لو امتلك فقط هاتين الخصلتين: حب الوطن والصدق والإخلاص في الع...more

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Jun 20, 2010 Sheery Al-Zahrani rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كل عدتي إرادة صلبة وتصميم أكيد على مواجهة ظروفي ومصيري لتحقيق طموحاتي و أحلامي في الحياة !!

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May 29, 2012 Triv S. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: school-reads, non-fiction, written-review

This is only one because I can't make it -200,000,900000000.

Okay--firstly--why is this at my school library?! Yeah, yeah I get that we need to study it for 20th Century but seriously...when I'm innocently looking for books on Renaissance fashion (don't ask) I do not expect to stumble upon Mein Kumpf. I was certain I'd have to buy it.

Okay to the "book": Sick, sick, sick, sick. Really, just the small writing infuriated me. AND THEN I READ IT! Okay, admittedly, not the whole thing but I don't think...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont added it · review of another edition

Here is an assessment of Mein Kampf that I wrote some time ago on my blog. I’m adding it here in the light of a recent press report that it is published in Germany for the first time since 1945.

Mein Kampf is conceivably one of the most honest political manifestos ever written, so much so that after Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 he was discomforted enough to claim initially, when his regime was still militarily weak, that it represented "merely a fantasy written behind bars." But in the cours...more Here is an assessment of Mein Kampf that I wrote some time ago on my blog. I’m adding it here in the light of a recent press report that it is published in Germany for the first time since 1945.

Mein Kampf is conceivably one of the most honest political manifestos ever written, so much so that after Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 he was discomforted enough to claim initially, when his regime was still militarily weak, that it represented "merely a fantasy written behind bars." But in the course of his political life he was to work towards all of the goals set out in the book, from racial policy to the quest for Lebensraum. His final testament in 1945 did little more that rehash some of the central themes of Mein Kampf.

It should be read, first of all, as a form of political biography, which has a tendency to spill over at points into outright pathology. The Weltanschauung Hitler develops during his time in Vienna in particular is crucial in understanding his later political actions. At the most basic level it is a crude mixture of Social Darwinism, eugenics, and popular science; ideas half-digested and badly understood. It is in Vienna, moreover, where Hitler becomes both a committed German nationalist and an anti-Semite, drawing his ideas from the racist pamphlets freely available at the time.

Moving beyond the autobiographical element, the main themes to look for are hostility to the Treaty of Versailles, hostility to the Weimar Republic, and hostility to Communism. These are all united by his overriding hostility to the Jews, who threaten Germany from all angles, either as Marxists or as plutocrats. Germany, he believes, has to strive for a super power status, by breaking the bonds of Versailles, and surging eastwards at the expense of the Slavs. Democracy he regards with disdain; for "...as practiced in Western Europe today, it is the forerunner of Marxism." He has little respect for ordinary voters, even the people who later would help carry him to power, describing them as 'stupid' or as 'cattle'.

The theme of anti-Communism is also one of considerable importance, again uniting his hatred of left-wing ideologies and the Jews. Russia was not only the seat of Communism, but it was also dominated by the Jews who were aiming at the destruction of Germany. It was also, by fortunate coincidence, the area that was to provide the chief outlet for German expansionism-"When we speak of new territory in Europe today we must principally think of Russia and the border states subject to her...The struggle against the Jewish Bolshevization of the world demands that we should declare our position towards Soviet Russia."

Read the passages on propaganda with some care, because it is here that the book is often at its most informative and revealing, a useful guide to the effective techniques adopted by the Nazi Party. For example, he writes "We chose red for our posters, our intention being to irritate the left so as to arouse their attention and tempt them to come to our meetings." He is particularly good in his descriptions of politics and mass mobilisation as a form of collective drama, and the need for simplicity and again simplicity. And if you intend to tell a lie make sure it’s a big one, to be repeated continuously until it becomes the truth and truth the lie.

So, that’s it; that’s my review that is not a review. I’m not going to star it because that seems wholly egregious. To rate it would almost certainly be seen as a statement of approval or disapproval. All I will say is that as work of literature it only deserves one star but as an important historical document it deserves five. There is simply no standard of objectivity here. This is an infamous book that has a well-deserved place in the history of infamy. It should be read for that reason alone.

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May 11, 2010 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography

The book is helpful in coming to an understanding of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader.

Hitler: "I had become a juvenile ringleader who learned well and easily at school but was rather difficult to manage. In my freetime I practised singing in the choir of the monastery church at Lambach."

Hitler: "I studied just the subjects that appealed to me, especially those which I thought might be of advantage to me later on as a painter."

Hitler:“I had an aptitude for drawing” “My obvious talent for...more

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Dec 30, 2007 Spinoza spinoza added it

Very badly written. It is interesting to notice how people could have believed and supported its author. But one can argue that GW Bush has never written anything and was elected twice (eventhough there was fraud each time, but still he got at least let's say 48 percent of the electorate in each case). Further, France just elected Sarkozy (an American style "urban redneck"), probably the most vulgar and uncultivated president in France's history. So, after all, it is not so surprising. What is m...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Hadrian rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, germany, nonfiction, politics-and-foreign-policy, the-evil-that-men-do

-Slow and rambling. Terrifying in its statements of wars of extermination and the force of propaganda.
-Excellent for understanding the psychology and neuroses of future dictators and megalomaniacs. For example: Hitler's interest in his 'method' of reading - finding only the most relevant bits of information - could be interpreted as a demand for facts which fit pre-determined worldview. Obsessive patriotism as refuge from conflicted family life. Failed artist leading to view as romantic hero/sav...more

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About Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian born, German politician who led the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party, and became the Führer (leader) of the German people.

Hitler served in World War One, proving to be a brave soldier, but who was gassed towards the end of the war. In the post-war years, disliking the poverty, the influence of Communism, and the perceived moral decay of Germany, he invol...more

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Books by Adolf Hitler

Hitler's Second Book: The Unpublished Sequel to Mein Kampf

Hitler: Speeches and Proclamations, 1932-1945 (English Volume III: 1939-1940) (Hitler: Speeches and Proclamations, 1932-1945)

The Political Testament Of Adolf Hitler: Recorded By Martin Bormann

The Speeches Of Adolf Hitler, April 1922 August 1939: An English Translation Of Representative Passages

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“لقد كان في وسعي أن أقضي على كل يهود العالم ولكني تركت بعضا منهم لتعرفوا لماذا كنت أبيدهم” — 120 people liked it

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