Mein Kampf to be re-released with notes countering Hitler's arguments

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

Mein Kampf, one of the most notorious polemics of all time, will enjoy mass distribution in Germany for the first time since the second world war following a decision by authorities to publish an annotated version of it, as well as bringing it out in ebook and audio formats.

The copyright on Adolf Hitler's autobiographical work, which is currently owned by the Bavarian state finance ministry, expires in 2015. Authorities in the southern state, which have long struggled with how to deal with it, are now planning a highly controlled re-release of the book after that date in an effort to stop it being exploited by rightwingers.

Publication has been forbidden in Germany since 1945 as has flaunting it in public or displaying it prominently in a shop window.

Critics of the ban have long argued it was ripe for overturning, particularly at a time when it is readily available in other countries and the book is downloadable on the internet.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/25/mein-kampf-released-notes-hitler

[izquierdista]

1. How are the stupid to learn if there are no annotations?

People with critical thinking skills can distinguish bullshit when they read it, the authoritarian followers (stupid), not so much. It would be nice if most books carried factual annotations. It's been the practice in the scientific and engineering world for a long time. It's about time the practice was extended to that netherworld in between fact and fiction called politics.

But who to do the annotating? Even today, the right-wing is trying to get their annotated version of the Bush Years accepted. One where they replace facts as plain as the nose on your face with their preferred set of lies.

[geardaddy]

2. Yes, who will do the annotating.

That's critical.

[AverageJoe90]

7. I agree with this 100%.

Let us hope this effort isn't hijacked by some dishonest hack covertly pushing a pro-fascist agenda...........

[The Wizard]

3. Snappy title

Is this also the Republican guide to winning elections?

[Cleita]

4. I believe Karl Rove took a lot of his philosophy and strategy from it.

If you can get through the rambling and disconnected narrative, the seeds of what would become Nazi Germany are there and it's uncomfortably close to what Karl Rove has done to poison the public perception of our candidates in elections.

[sulphurdunn]

5. Mein Kampf is enlighteneing.

Were it up to me it would be required reading in college, like taking a foreign language you'll never speak. This is my favorite quote, referring to those responsible for the loss of WWI and upon which Hitler built the Nazi Party:

"But it remained for the Jews, with their unqualified capacity for falsehood, and their fighting comrades, the Marxists, to impute responsibility for the downfall precisely to the man who alone had shown a superhuman will and energy in his effort to prevent the catastrophe which he had foreseen and to save the nation from that hour of complete overthrow and shame. By placing responsibility for the loss of the world war on the shoulders of Ludendorff they took away the weapon of moral right from the only adversary dangerous enough to be likely to succeed in bringing the betrayers of the Fatherland to Justice. All this was inspired by the principle--which is quite true within itself--that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying."

This comment is not only sublime for its perfect scapegoating and projection but for its cynical understanding of human psychology and clarity regarding the bedrock principle of effective propaganda. Had Hitler been raised an American he would have been a politician or Carl Rove.

[AverageJoe90]

6. This actually sounds like a good thing, especially with the resurgence of the far right......

in much of Europe these days. In all honesty, I am of the viewpoint that people need to know the truth about history, and not be led astray by some vicious hatemongering fascist demagogues like William L. Pierce or Pete Peters(both guys are dead now but their influence is still very much alive).

I truly believe that one of the most effective antidotes to fascist propaganda, like Mein Kampf or the 'Protocols', is not to ban such by any means(unless absolutely necessary), but rather to make effective counterarguments as to why the propaganda in question is wrong. Education is key, ladies and gentlemen.

[Fumesucker]

8. The problem is that an education sufficient to thoroughly pierce the propaganda of Mein Kampf..

Will lead such an educated person to start questioning other propaganda as well, that becomes dangerous to the powers that be because many societies are rife with propaganda, some true but much misleading or outright false.

You can't do just one thing, if you educate people enough to recognize propaganda they are not supposed to believe when they see it you run the substantial risk that they will pierce the propaganda they are supposed to believe.