Mein Kampf

Politics and government

Print length: 580 pagesBottom of the Hill Pub., 2010

Description

Mein Kampf is a 1925 autobiographical political manifesto in which Adolf Hitler presents his political beliefs, ideology, and plans for Germany and the wider world. He began writing it while imprisoned at Landsberg following a failed coup and a conviction for treason. Across two volumes, the work combines an account of Hitler’s own development with a description of the development and objectives of the National Socialist movement. Its subjects include nation and race, the state, propaganda, party organization, war, and foreign policy, making the book a direct statement of Hitler’s political outlook and plans.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Dense · Essayistic · Poetic

Pace

Slow

Tone

Bleak · Dark · Earnest · Irreverent

Structure

Argumentative

Focus

Argument · Ideas

Emotional intensity

4 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 4 / 5
Ideas: 4 / 5
Structure: 3 / 5
Background knowledge: 3 / 5

Themes

AmbitionOppressionPolitics and ideologyPowerRace and racismWar

About Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who led the Nazi Party and ruled Germany as a dictator from 1933 until his death. His writing was an instrument of his political project. In Mein Kampf, composed during his imprisonment after a failed coup, he combined a selective account of his development with arguments for racial hierarchy, antisemitism, territorial expansion, and authoritarian leadership. The book also set out his views on propaganda and party organization. After taking power, Hitler established a dictatorship based on personal authority and encouraged rivalry among subordinates to secure his control. Under his leadership, Germany invaded Poland in 1939, beginning the Second World War in Europe, and the Nazi regime perpetrated the Holocaust, murdering about six million Jews as well as millions of other victims. Mein Kampf is read as a primary document of the ideology and rhetoric that informed that rule.

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Bottom of the Hill Pub.
Language: English
ISBN: 9781483707181, 9781935785071

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