To read Mein Kampf?

[DarlingDuck]

I had a curiosity, albeit a morbid one, about what on earcth could have gone on inside his mind. I bought it on amazon and it has lay unopened as I can't bring myself to open it! Would I be unreasonable to read it?

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

Anyway, it'll be out on the kindle after 2115 :o

[Tyr]

Read it. Read anything that has had an impact if it interests you. As I remember, it was pretty turgid and difficult to maintain an interest in- nearly as bad as some Marx's efforts which I insisted on ploughing my way through when I was younger.

[NotDavidTennant]

Are we in the 22nd century already?

[Andrewofgg]

Sorry, my typo, try 2015!

[LolaRennt]

Unless you feel you have a natural urge to invade Poland I can't see the harm in it? It is a part of our history. It does look a pile of crap though.

[thejaffacakesareonme]

I've read a good chunk of it. Long winded drivel. If anything, I think the ridiculousness of it would be more likely to make someone anti nazi, rather than a nazi sympathiser. Makes the Daily Fail look very sensible in comparison. Why not flick through it if you want to?

[TotemPole]

You can get it free from an audio book site. It isn't read by an actor but a volunteer.

[HeadfirstForHalos]

My FIL has an original german copy of Mein Kampf, his father brought it back from Germany at the end of the war. The beginning of each chapter has little swastikas printed by them!

He isn't a nazi though, he just keeps it as he finds history fascinating. Reading Mein Kampf won't turn you into a nazi fascist either :)

[AgentZigzag]

I'm just reading a book about the Stasi (the secret police in east Berlin) and it was talking about whether Hitlers bunker should be turned into a memorial or just left covered up and 'forgotten'.

Who decides where the fine line should be between highlighting something so difficult to deal with in order to understand and not repeat, and leaving old wounds to heal and let the people living there to move on a bit.

[LineRunner]

Do you seriously think that historians haven't read it and continue to study it? So why shouldn't you?

[Yellowstone]

YABVU. What on earth could possibly be morally unreasonable about reading Mein Kampf?

[SiamoFottuti]

I've read it. Its turgid shit that will take you buckets of alcohol to wade through. Dull as fuck.

[izzywhizzyletsgetbusy]

I read Mein Kampf many moons ago and I was less than impressed, as witnessed by the fact that I've not felt the urge to read it again.

However, I recall being somewhat alarmed by the fact the Herr Hitler came across as not being unreasonable and there was certainly no indication that his tome was written by a deranged mind.

As Andrew has pointed out, Hitlers's oratory was allegedly mesmerising (perhaps you had to be there as, from films I've seen of various Nazi rallies, he doesn't appear to be overloaded with charm and charisma) but it is isn't particularly difficult to foment bad feeling and induce hysteria in others for personal gain.

[GodKeepsGiving]

I read it years ago. It's an interesting insight into his thoughts, but it is poorly written and more than slightly tedious. I was studying history at the time. Don't be concerned about it damaging you, if anything it made me realise the probably low intellectual ability of racist people.

[Andrewofgg]

Many of the leading Nazis claimed that they had never read it through and in this instance I am inclined to believe them. HeadfirstforHalos - there must be many such "souvenir" copies acquired like the one you mention although I believe binoculars were the souvenir of choice, the Wehmacht issue being superior to either the British or the American. There is a photo of Monty with a German officer's binoculars round his neck.

[LeoTheLateBloomer]

I tried reading it at university because it was relevant to my degree. Hard work doesn't begin to cover it. I was pretty much all the time I was reading. It's extraordinary getting that kind of insight.

Felt a bit signing it out of the library!

[TillyIpswitch]

Read it at school - dull, dull, dull, whinge, whinge, whinge, everyone else's fault, s'not fair - about sums it up.

[izzywhizzyletsgetbusy]

Much like mein mumsnet, Tilly?

[maypole1]

Hello my 2pence worth read it them chuck it I think ts a read but not a keeper, people spot that on your bookshelf they might start to wonder lol


I have a book bout the most dangerous ,people in history but
Let us know what you think of the book

[maypole1]

Do you think he was mad , bad or both

[InMyPrime]

YABU, but only because it's really badly written and just a tiny bit mental as well so it won't be much fun. I would bet you'll give up after a few chapters (I did - read it voluntarily as part of German studies at university). Most of it is just repetitive, paranoid rubbish about the 'world Jewry' and the scandalous Versailles traitors etc etc.

If you're interested in Hitler's mentality or background, Ian Kershaw's biography of him is regarded as the best there is.

[izzywhizzyletsgetbusy]

They encouraged him to write it to stop him ranting on so much

Sounds apt advice for some of the OPs here

It'll be interesting to see if the market is flooded with the poorly written autobiographies of assorted mumsnetters in time for next year's 'tome for the holiday' season.

[InstantAtom]

YANBU.

If people only ever read innocuous stuff how will we ever learn from history or think in more depth?

[LadyOfTheManor]

I've read it...merely for the historical content...not so I can join the NF!

I read somewhere that libraries record people who take it out and report them to some sort of MOD somewhere...not too sure how true that is...

It's like most things, you don't have to take part in something to (attempt) to understand it.