Mein Kampf by Adolpf Hitler, Ralph Manheim (Translator), Konrad Heiden (Introduction)

A stark reminder that the citizenry must pay attention to what politicians sayby CharlesAshbacher

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February 20, 2009: Citizens and voters become accustomed to hearing statements from politicians that are taken seriously only to the point where the election takes place. Even the most unusual or disturbing comments are passed off as political rhetoric, to be taken seriously only as a ploy to improve the chances of winning the election. If the politician wins the election, we then expect the duty and responsibility of the office to temper their actions down into a more reasonable and realistic configuration. If they lose the election, the citizenry largely ignores them.

Ironically and unfortunately, this was the expectation but not the reality of the political career of Adolph Hitler. In this book, originally published in 1925, Hitler made it quite clear that he had a deep hatred of Jews and would not hesitate to launch Germany on a war quest to conquer additional territory and enslave the "inferior" races currently occupying the territory. However, whether out of fear or delusion, most of the German people and other inhabitants of Europe did not take Hitler's ranting, as expressed in this book, seriously. It is often lost to history that Hitler was legally named Chancellor of Germany at a point when his electoral fortunes were fading. Many of the political power brokers in Germany felt that Hitler could be moderated and controlled once he took the responsibility of the Chancellorship of Germany.

This book is one of the most chilling and factual cases of "hiding in plain sight", as Hitler is so very explicit about his aims and yet few paid attention. If you have any interest in how Germany launched a war of conquest and genocide, then this is a book that you must read. In my opinion, it should be required reading in all political science programs. It is a stark reminder that an informed citizenry must pay attention to what politicians say, for while it is only rarely true, sometimes it is devastatingly so.

Great for anyone who wants to know why Hitler thought the way he did.by mark82

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December 19, 2008: As disturbing and dark as the ideas in this book are, we should never be afraid to learn why Hitler thought he was right to what he did. Learning from the past is our only hope in preventing this type of thinking in the future.