Mein Kampf
Kathryn Taylor
History 300
Dr. Anna Holian
September 11, 2012
Primary Source Analysis: Mein Kampf
In 1925, Adolf Hitler wrote a book that would forever change not only the history of Germany, but the history of Europe. This book became the manifesto of the Holocaust and Hitler 's reasoning for everything he did while he was in power. The title of the book is Mein Kampf which in English is translated to "My Struggle". Mein Kampf is commonly known as Hitler 's justification and plan to wipe out the entire Jewish race. His irrational thoughts about Jewish people are seen throughout the text. Throughout Hitler 's book he displays his over whelming feelings of antisemitism and Aryan superiority. Hitler, in order to justify his hatred of the Jewish race uses a warped sense of nature, Jewish characteristics, and the belief that Jewish people pose a severe threat to the Aryans and the culture that they have created.
Chapter eleven of Mein Kampf titled, Race and Nation, Hitler uses several different examples of nature and why the Aryan race is superior to the Jewish race. He also goes onto say that it is against nature for races such as these two to crossbreed. One example of this is, "Every animal mates only with a member of the same species. The titmouse seeks the titmouse, the finch the finch, the stroke the stork, the field mouse the filed mouse, the dormouse the dormouse, the wolf the she-wold, etc."(Hitler, 284). He then goes on to say the it is only under, "unusual circumstances" that this is changed (Hitler, 284). However, crossbreeding Hitler believes, is limited by nature and that the fertility of the bastard offspring is compromised. Nature, according to Hitler is also the reason why inferior races, such as Jewish people, are subjected to harsh living environments. Stating on page 286, "Nature does just this by subjecting the weaker part to such severe living conditions they by them alone the number is limited, and by not permitting the remainder to
History 300
Dr. Anna Holian
September 11, 2012
Primary Source Analysis: Mein Kampf
In 1925, Adolf Hitler wrote a book that would forever change not only the history of Germany, but the history of Europe. This book became the manifesto of the Holocaust and Hitler 's reasoning for everything he did while he was in power. The title of the book is Mein Kampf which in English is translated to "My Struggle". Mein Kampf is commonly known as Hitler 's justification and plan to wipe out the entire Jewish race. His irrational thoughts about Jewish people are seen throughout the text. Throughout Hitler 's book he displays his over whelming feelings of antisemitism and Aryan superiority. Hitler, in order to justify his hatred of the Jewish race uses a warped sense of nature, Jewish characteristics, and the belief that Jewish people pose a severe threat to the Aryans and the culture that they have created.
Chapter eleven of Mein Kampf titled, Race and Nation, Hitler uses several different examples of nature and why the Aryan race is superior to the Jewish race. He also goes onto say that it is against nature for races such as these two to crossbreed. One example of this is, "Every animal mates only with a member of the same species. The titmouse seeks the titmouse, the finch the finch, the stroke the stork, the field mouse the filed mouse, the dormouse the dormouse, the wolf the she-wold, etc."(Hitler, 284). He then goes on to say the it is only under, "unusual circumstances" that this is changed (Hitler, 284). However, crossbreeding Hitler believes, is limited by nature and that the fertility of the bastard offspring is compromised. Nature, according to Hitler is also the reason why inferior races, such as Jewish people, are subjected to harsh living environments. Stating on page 286, "Nature does just this by subjecting the weaker part to such severe living conditions they by them alone the number is limited, and by not permitting the remainder to