Should we read Mein Kampf? In a time of cancelling, de-platforming, trigger warnings and ever-wider censorship, one might think that this is one item – repugnant to so many people – that should be avoided. However, as historians we have the duty to look even into the worst aspects of human thought and behaviour. While not every historian has to plunge into the many dark aspects of history, if we are to know anything like the truth about the past we need to know what was said and what actually happened. In any case, the Nazis were the godfathers of cancel culture, organising vast public burning of books by banned authors. Not to read Mein Kampf as part of historical research could be considered an ironic bow to Nazi practices.
What do we learn from reading Hitler’s long, rambling memoirs written early in his career while he was in prison in Bavaria in 1925 after the failed Beer Hall Putsch?
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