Hitler’s Mein Kampf to be reissued in new year

Do not mess with the quiet ones. There are names considered so hated and so cruel that you only have to mention them and it will send tremors around those who hear. This is the case with Adolf Hitler, known as the Führer (leader) of Germany.

Unfortunately his image continues to carry a tragic and inhuman history, we can not erase. The disgraceful rise and fall of one of the most famous ever political figures still inspires documentaries, movies, series and books, still decades after.

I’ve listed some examples of documentaries, films and series about Hitler:

* Triumph of the Willens (documentary directed by Leni Riefenstahl, year: 1935)
* The Great Dictador (film directed by Charles Chaplin, year: 1940)
* Downfall (film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, year: 2004)
* Hitler: The Rise Of Evil (series directed by Christian Duguay, year: 2003)
* The Man In The High Castle (series directed by David Semel, year: 2015)

Books:

* Hitler At Home by Despina Stratigakos
* The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin
* Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler).

The last example of a book I mentioned, Mein Kampf (in his translation means My Struggle), was written between 1924 and 1925 at 35 years of age, by Adolf Hitler himself, in the period in which the Austrian general remained in prison for 9 months in Landsberg , a town located a few kilometres from Munich. It was printed eight years before Hitler came to power in July 18, 1925.

My Struggle, called the Nazi bible, has 384 pages and is considered hate speech. In these controversial pages Hitler shows his hatred of Jews and France. He tells the story of his life, his frustrations, his ideals, expressing his racist and cruel ideas, later adopted by the Nazi party.

After many years the book Mein Kampf causes controversy again as of 1st January 2016, after 70 years, the rights to the book expire from the time of his death. So it will be reissued in January with academic notes included for the first time since the end of Second World War.

Jews have expressed their indignation, criticising and affirming that the works of Nazis should never be republished or indeed published. To many they have a point and plenty of reason as they were historically persecuted, and yet even still many Hitler sympathisers claim the Holocaust never took place. The debate is not a quiet one. Unfortunately there are still anonymous (some not so) Nazi party supporter groups, who aim to spread racism and wish evil amongst many.

Authorities claim that the risk of inciting hatred is too high and access to the text will be limited to prevent neo-Nazi sentiments. We know in general people can be angry and disturbed, often looking for a trigger. The hope is that there is no reaction from either side or the birth of a fresh racist manifesto.

I decided to end this article by writing a curiosity to me that many do not know.

The book, My Struggle, was not the only one to be written whilst the author was locked behind bars. These great names below were able to comment on society in a more positive way:

* Martin Luther, a leading activist in the fight against racial inequality, arrested for protesting without permission. Author of the book The Letter From Birmingham Jail.
* Oscar Wilde, writer, poet and playwright, to imprisonment for indecent behavior and sodomy. Author of the book De Profundis.

I have presented these two figures because these are two examples of historical figures that I admire greatly, however you can a host of more famous inmates come authors.