Christian Hartmann, leading historian of the reissuing project of an annotated version of Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf” is pictured prior to a press conference for its presentation in Munich on January 8.
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The new version, which will cost 59 euros (£43), has some 3,500 annotations.
German authorities generally support the new edition. What objectives did he have? “Which counter-arguments do we have, given our knowledge today of the countless claims, lies and assertions of Hitler?”
Ian Kershaw, a British historian who has written about Hitler, noted the importance of finally having an annotated version of the work for German and historical studies, but cautioned against expecting too much from the new edition of “Mein Kampf”, calling the interest surrounding its publication a “nine-day wonder”, he said it would not have a lasting impact on the myth surrounding the original in many parts of the world.
‘Pupils will have questions and it is only right that these can be addressed in classes, ‘ she said.
But the Jewish community questioned whether it was necessary to propagate the incendiary text again. Originally released in 1925, almost 10 years before Hitler came to power, the book laid out a violent vision that would lead to World War II and the Holocaust.
Those who argue in favor of republication of the book – which is banned in several countries, including Austria and the Netherlands, but has always been freely available in many others, such as the USA and India – say that a properly annotated edition could curb any future rise in neo-Nazi and far-right propaganda, especially in the current context where a growing influx of refugees in the country has fueled fierce debate.
“I can well imagine that this critical, annotated edition will shed light on and demystify this book”, Josef Schuster told the German broadcaster NDR.
The institute’s version, which is titled, “Hitler, mein Kampf, A critical edition”, is about 2,000 pages.
Roger Cukierman, the president of the council of Jewish institutions, called the planned French reprints “a disaster”.
“To find “Mein Kampf” in the windows of bookstores would be…”
Michael Lemling, the manager of the Lehmkuhl bookshop in Munich, said “Mein Kampf” was “probably the worst thing we’ve ever had here – the text is anti-Semitic, racist and militarist”.
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Institute Director Andreas Wirsching said the two-volume book, which features explications of every chapter and extensive commentaries in the margins, is expressly opposed to a “Hitler-centric” view of the Third Reich.
