Antisemitism in Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf, Chapter 11: Nation and Race.
Mein Kampf is a book of two volumes authored by Adolf Hitler. The first volume was written whilst dictated to Rudolph Hess and Emile Maurice in Landsberg prison where Hitler was sentenced to following the failure of an attempted coup d’état of the Bavarian government in 1924. Mein Kampf is significant amongst historiography as it is thought to be an insight into the mind of Adolf Hitler. This book is not only autobiographical but full of memoires and political ideologies, which have subsequently sparked debate as to whether this piece of primary historical evidence can be regarded as the blue-print for Hitler’s future ambitions. An intentionalist view by Historians’ such as Lucy Dawidowicz, argues that the Holocaust was the result of Hitler’s long term plan, whereas the functionalist perspective by Historians’ such as Christopher Browning is of the result of a competing agents within the Reich to answer the Jewish question. Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf: Nation and Race, shows to comprehend with the intentionalist interpretation that this did indeed set the foundation for Holocaust as a propaganda medium.
Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf is a race rhetoric that advocates social-Darwinism in favour of the German Aryan race and even justifies war with the ‘racially lower’. This chapter refers to natural selection within humanity as the will of nature and of God. The word ‘Nature’ is emphasised being mentioned 20 times within the passage purveying it as a natural process. The mixing of genes with ‘lesser’ races are referred to as a sin against God, in which context Jews are included. Language used in this passage has been described as using metaphors to enforce racial prejudice, although evident is how the use of language has not only been used for easily digestible comparisons, but also as graphic and horrifying, such as ‘blood poisoning’ when describing breeding with a ‘weaker race’. Also described are the consequences of the
Mein Kampf is a book of two volumes authored by Adolf Hitler. The first volume was written whilst dictated to Rudolph Hess and Emile Maurice in Landsberg prison where Hitler was sentenced to following the failure of an attempted coup d’état of the Bavarian government in 1924. Mein Kampf is significant amongst historiography as it is thought to be an insight into the mind of Adolf Hitler. This book is not only autobiographical but full of memoires and political ideologies, which have subsequently sparked debate as to whether this piece of primary historical evidence can be regarded as the blue-print for Hitler’s future ambitions. An intentionalist view by Historians’ such as Lucy Dawidowicz, argues that the Holocaust was the result of Hitler’s long term plan, whereas the functionalist perspective by Historians’ such as Christopher Browning is of the result of a competing agents within the Reich to answer the Jewish question. Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf: Nation and Race, shows to comprehend with the intentionalist interpretation that this did indeed set the foundation for Holocaust as a propaganda medium.
Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf is a race rhetoric that advocates social-Darwinism in favour of the German Aryan race and even justifies war with the ‘racially lower’. This chapter refers to natural selection within humanity as the will of nature and of God. The word ‘Nature’ is emphasised being mentioned 20 times within the passage purveying it as a natural process. The mixing of genes with ‘lesser’ races are referred to as a sin against God, in which context Jews are included. Language used in this passage has been described as using metaphors to enforce racial prejudice, although evident is how the use of language has not only been used for easily digestible comparisons, but also as graphic and horrifying, such as ‘blood poisoning’ when describing breeding with a ‘weaker race’. Also described are the consequences of the
Bibliography: Broszat, Martin, ‘Hitler and the Collapse of Weimar Germany’, (Worcester, 1989) Dawidowicz, Lucy, ‘War Against the Jews 1933-45, (Harmondsworth, 1975) Evans, Richard, ‘The coming of the Third Reich’, (London, 2004) Golghagen, Daniel, ‘Hitler’s Willing Executioners’, (London, 1996) Kershaw, Ian, ‘Hitler, 1889-1936, Hubris’, (London, 2001) Kershaw, Ian, ‘The Nazi Dictatorship’, (London, 2000) McElligot, Anthony, Kirk, Tim, ‘Working Towards the Fuhrer’, (Manchester 2003) Musolff, Andreas, (2007), ‘What role do metaphors play in the racial prejudice? The function of anti-Semitic imagery in Hitler’s Mein Kampf’, Patterns of Prejudice, Vol.41, No Overy, Richard, ‘The Dictators, Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, (London, 2005) Watt, D.C,’ Introduction to Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf’, (London, 1984) Hitler’s ‘Last Will and Testamant’, 29th April 1945 Party Program of the German Workers’ Party (DAP), 24th February, 1920 “Der Jude,” Der Angriff. Aufsätze aus der Kampfzeit (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP., 1935), pp. 322-324. “Deutsche, kauft nur bei Juden!” Der Angriff. Aufsätze aus der Kampfzeit (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP., 1935), pp. 331-333 http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/angrif09.htm [ 1 ]. D.C Watt, Introduction to Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf (London: Hutchinson, 1984) [ 2 ] [ 3 ]. A quote from Mein Kamp but taken from: Daniel Goldhagen, Hitler’s Willing Executioners, (London: Abacus 1996) page86 [ 4 ] [ 5 ]. D.C Watt, Introduction to Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf (London: Hutchinson, 1984) [ 6 ] [ 8 ]. “Der Jude,” Der Angriff. Aufsätze aus der Kampfzeit (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP., 1935), pp. 322-324. Found at http://www.calvin.edu [ 9 ] [ 10 ]. A quote from ‘Mein Kampf’ but taken from Richard Overy, The Dictators, Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, (London: Penguin, 2005), page 1. [ 12 ]. “Der Führer,” Der Angriff. Aufsätze aus der Kampfzeit (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP., 1935), pp. 214-216. Taken from: http://www.calvin.edu/