Thursday, October 2, 2008

Mein Kampf

Adolf Hitler wrote Mein Kampf between 1923 and 1926, during much of which time he was in prison. The first volume was published in the Fall of 1925, while the second volume was published in December of 1926. Although the book, as a whole, gives an autobiographical account of Hitler's early life and Hitler's interpretation of the early years of the National Socialist party, much of the book describes the philosophy of the National Socialist movement, as dictated by Hitler. He says the destiny of Germany lies with National Socialism, for only through National Socialism can the Aryan (mainly German) race attain its "natural" and proper position of leadership and domination in the world.

What is most striking about Mein Kampf is that it ultimately contains a blueprint for what happened in Germany during Hitler's rule. While the other fascist movements in Europe at that time were also anti-semitic, they more or less used this idea to tap into the traditional anti-semitic feelings of many Europeans. Anti-semitism was a convenient device for blaming someone for Europe's ills at the time and for gaining popular support. If Mein Kampf is to be taken seriously, however, Hitler not only was anti-semitic in the traditional sense of the term, but also really believed that the Jews were the main evil force in the world. As such, they had to be dealt with in a serious fashion, lest they complete their goal of dominating the world. Hitler then combined this idea with that of social Darwin
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thiest mate with each other in order to preserve the strength of the species; mating between the healthier and the weaker elements ultimately results in weak offspring which do not survive. Similarly, the cross-breeding of higher and lower races will eventually result in the propagation of a lower mixed race, which will eventually overtake the original higher race. This results in a lower capability for culture and a slow decline of the race, the wages for the "sin against nature" (285-87). Having established the proper role of the state, he evaluates the various political systems which have been utilized throughout history. Most of this effort is focused upon an evaluation of the parliamentary or democratic system, which was predominant throughout Europe at that time. The other system which receives attention is that proposed by the Marxists, which, according to Hitler, is a virtual product of the problems of democracy. Finally, he proposes his own idea of the ideal state, which he calls the "folkish" state. While the democratic or parliamentary system was developed in response to the lack of freedoms inherent in the traditional monarchical systems, it has some severe problems of its own. The main problem, according to Hitler,
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http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703874.html

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