Overview
- The first volume of Mein Kampf debuted on July 18, 1925, marking the origin of Hitler’s expansionist and antisemitic manifesto.
- After Bavarian rights expired in 2016, scholars from the Institute of Contemporary History in Munich prepared a critical edition under Christian Hartmann’s direction.
- The new edition juxtaposes the original German text with extensive annotations that detail Hitler’s authorship in Landsberg Fortress and ideological planning for annexing Austria and securing Lebensraum.
- Early readers and some political commentators underestimated the book’s danger, overlooking passages that foreshadowed the Holocaust.
- Today’s release renews scholarly engagement with the text’s legacy and prompts reflection on modern interpretations of extremist literature.