There is an interesting controversy brewing between academics and Jewish groups in Germany as the deadline approaches for the end of the copyright over Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”, the book that laid the foundation for the Nazi takeover and ultimately the genocidal crimes of World War II. For seven decades, the copyright has rested with with Bravarian officials who have prevented the publication of the work. Now, academics are arguing that the book should be reprinted due to its obvious historical significance. However, Jewish and other groups are demanding a continuation of the ban on reprints.
The 800-page book, “My Struggle,” will become part the public domain on January 1st.
But as “Mein Kampf” — whose title means “My Struggle” — falls into the public domain on January 1, differences have emerged over how it should be treated in future. The historians at the Institute of Contemporary History of Munich (IFZ) will produce an annotated version of the two-volume tome that will be offered in January for 59 euros ($65).
The historians view this as a compromise since the work will be heavily annotated. However, Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, objects that even an annotated version “contains the original text” which “should itself not be printed”. She insists that it will be “in the interest of right wing militants and Islamists to spread these ideas.”
I certainly understand the concern but I believe that work should be reprinted with or without annotations. It is a historically important work in understanding the crimes and ideology of the Nazis. Like most free speech advocates, I have always been critical on the effort of Germany to criminalize references or symbols of the Nazi period. These laws have been easily circumvented by developing closely related symbols and salutes for Neo-Nazis. More importantly, it remains a fundamental tenet of free speech that the solution to bad speech is good speech — not censorship. The scourge of white supremacy and Nazi values has continued despite these laws, which allow extremists to assume the claim of victims and accuse the West of hypocrisy (or fear of exposure to these ideas). There remains plenty of sources of this information, particularly given the Internet. Historians however believe that the work should be available in new additions to be studied in history, political science and other departments. Perhaps not too surprising given the free speech and academic interests, I favor reprinting the work and leaving the debate over its content to the market of free ideas and exchange.
What do you think?
Source: Yahoo
First, the efforts of Germany to criminalize references or symbols of the Nazi period occurred after WWII at the behest of the Allies. They have persisted to this day because of strong British anti-German sentiment that would raise a furor if Germany tried to rescind these restrictive laws.
As to Mein Kampf, those who object to its publication have probably never read it and don’t really know what it contains. It should be published so they can read it.
“Also never bothered to read the primary books of the Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, or any other mythological god worshipers.”
“All thoughts and ideas should be available to everyone. How else can wisdom grow?”
Tyger,
Availability is the first step, but if all one does is use these “thoughts and ideas” as doorstops or paper weights then wisdom will be just an illusion.
Zinn chooses fiction instead of history and calls them facts. He is the guy Colbert would call the Father of Truthiness.
Nick, can you name a specific fact of which Zinn has made fiction?
I had you pegged as a Zinn-head. The antithesis of a ditto-head. Both polar and wrong.
I would add to the general consensus among the comments the following Zinn quote I received from another listserv this morning:
“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only on cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places- and there are so many- when people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand, utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” – Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States.
Books don’t hurt people. People hurt people.
stevegroen – Howard Zinn was factually challenged. Even his most ardent supporters admit that. As a historian I found Zinn to be a problem because a lot of television writers read him and used him as a source. So, I was constantly having to correct my students mistakes about history.
I never read the book, but I saw the movie. It was interesting. Also never bothered to read the primary books of the Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, or any other mythological god worshipers. These are beliefs, and I prefered information about reality over opinions. Wars are never fought over opposing beliefs in gravity. What do I think? All thoughts and ideas should be available to everyone. How else can wisdom grow?
JR, Thusly the motto, “Never Forget.”
We have PC people censoring our Civil War.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – Santayana
I can understand the opposition to an evil work by an evil man. Yet “Mein Kampf” must be understood if we are to prevent future holocausts.
Ditto Olly! Critical thinking seems to be a rare commodity these days; too much blindly following by the masses. Read and listen to everything with a critical ear, even your own internal thoughts.
Paul, whenever I hear someone criticize a work of literature, my first question is always, “Have you actually read it?” More often than not, the answer is “No”. It may really be bad, but until you have experienced it for yourself, you are just falling into the blind sheep syndrome; “Someone told me it was bad, so it is bad.”
good complimentary article to read: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/books/07huck.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I thought Mein Kampf was a war prize and as such was part of the public domain. I have read it, along with Marx, Lenin, Mao, It has been a long long time, but I do not remember it as being a well-written book. Could have been the translation though.
There would be no concern if we didn’t have generations of people taught what to think rather than how to think. They should make it widely available and assign it for study in universities. It would be refreshing to see critical-thinking skills be emphasized at all levels of education.
Nothing creates bestsellers like banning.
Just this article will probably send several readers out to find a copy and take a look.
What Hugh said…
Not only should it be put back into print, but that it’s taken this long at all shows how copyright law is used as a form of censorship. Mein Kampf is despicable beyond measure, but it’s also an important historical document.
Especially with the internet, keeping Mein Kampf unavailable isn’t possible. But what they might succeed in doing is keeping the annotated version out of print, and thus harm scholarship and knowledge. Plus, keeping the responsible edition out of print means that the main copies available might be distributed and edited by modern-day Nazis; as a Jew, I don’t feel it benefits me to have only antisemites editing and contextualizing Mein Kampf.
The katze is already out of the bag and their efforts will be fruitless. It is not a model of free speech to decide which publications can and cannot be censored using public domain as a vehicle. Mein Kampf today, anything else tomorrow. What’s next, burning piles of books and “degenerate art” entering the public domain at town centers?
Sunlight is the best antiseptic. It should be reprinted for all to read. Aren’t the words, “Never forget” part of the Holocaust Remembrance Day? Reading this maniacs polemic will help us to “Never forget” the evil. I taught history. Much of history is UGLY. But there is an inherent beauty in the truth of history.
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty. That is all we know on earth, that is all we need to know.” Ode to a Grecian Urn
The good sisters of Saint Joseph made me memorize that poem almost 50 years ago.
Judaic hypocrisy at it’s best: let’s ban Mein Kampf while Judaics worship their holiest of all holy books The Talmud. Beware, Judaics have a sleight of hand in that they have two “Talmuds,” one being the Old Testament, the other a book of Rabbinical wisdom they inherited from the Pharisees and Egyptian mystics, including vs. such as this: “Even the best of the goyim (gentiles) deserves only death.” Oh, and this gem you feminists should adore, a daily prayer of Orthodox Judaics: “Thank you _od you did not make me a slave, a gentile, nor a woman.” Oh, and you Zionist-quasi-Christians should love this: “Jesus (AKA Pantera), son of the whore Mary, boils in excrement for eternity.”
For a time Rome banned The Talmud because of its extreme, racist hate speech, especially toward followers of Christ. Later the Rabbis replaced Jesus’ name w/the code name “Pantera,” and a later Pope gave Judaics the best gift Rome could, being permission to resurrect the Talmud.
Judaics chose the name Pantera for Jesus because they allege that Pantera was the name of the Roman Centurion who paid the whore Mary for sex and fathered Jesus.
Seems like a futile attempt. After all, one can download it from the Internet Archive for free. (and it’s already been downloaded thousands of times)