For the reading of Mein Kampf by none other than Adolf Hitler, the class split up the chapters so that we may cover a larger portion of the text. The two chapters I ended up having to read were focused on Hitler’s planning before the beginning of World War II. Hitler discussed which foreign allies he would like to have and what he hoped to accomplish with the war.
The chapters made some decent points but for the most part the text was boring and I almost fell asleep reading it. Hitler wanted to make friends with Britain for the war because he viewed them as having the strongest navy out of all the European countries. Hitler also wanted to be friends with Italy because his old pal Mussolini was running the country. Despite praising both of these countries, Hitler would throw random insults at the Jews that caught me off guard. Hitler claimed that the Jews controlled the media in Britain yet claimed that Britain did a good job of controlling the Jewish people. These contradictions did not make sense to me and it seemed as if there was constantly room for Hitler to elaborate upon his thoughts. Similar to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Hitler did not really have a ton of reasoning for his statements other than it just being what he believed.
I think it is important that this book is read and studied. Mein Kampf serves as a great model to show how corrupt thoughts can influence others into partaking in severe options. Some simple words from a man wanting power somehow resulted in the atrocities of World War II and it is important to analyze the effects this book had upon the German people.
