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Words That Changed History - Mein Kampf: Hitler's Blueprint for Aryan Supremacy
The monumental losses of World War II and the horror of the Holocaust are the terrible world legacy of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. In the mid-1920s a young, imprisoned Hitler set down in writing his racial harreds, his skewed view of European history, and his plans for extermination of the Jews and for world domination. This is the story of the "book behind the man."
- GenresHistory
112 pages, Board book
First published January 6, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 10, 2009
Wow! I really never had any idea about Hitler. Whereas many strong political leaders are educated by the classics, Hitler was a drop out from school and was educated by political pamphlets. None of his ideas were really original; he just drew together several ideas that he picked up here and there. He bided his time until there was an opening for him and then jumped in. There were places in this book that reminded me of the book "Outliers" that I read this past summer. There were opportunities and the timing was right. If things had been a little different, there might not have ever been a Hitler. But, he was in the "right" place at the "right" time.
This little book was well done (I plan to read more in the series) and I feel it spared me reading the 700 jumbled pages of Mein Kampf. The appendix does include some of Hitler's book. It's interesting how most of his writing does contain that grain of truth, twisted to evil.
I think everyone should read this book.
A good companion video is:
Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary (subtitled)
May 1, 2019
At first, I wanted to read "Mein Kapmf" itself, but I understand that it's a difficult read. Apparently, Hitler was a terrible writer, and "his people" had to do a lot of editing to get his manuscript legible, and understandable. So this Duane Damon book was easier to read, and helped put each section of "Mein Kampf" in perspective. Lots of interesting history here.
July 22, 2013
This is an interesting, fascinating, helpful and very short book. It places Hitler's actual words in the context of his life experiences using numerous intriguing anecdotes.
This eliminates one's need to have to plough through Hitler's original, horrible and ranting drivel. (I once tried the latter and found it impossibly boring, even though as a trained historian, I'm used to reading boring books by terrible writers.)
This book is not boring. But, I did find it to be disturbing.
Words and ideas are powerful. They don't have to be right to be dangerous. This is true of books like Mein Kampf (My Struggle). It originally sold like hotcakes in Germany, eventually. But few actually read Hitler's "magnum opus" according to this author's analysis.
The Christian Bible makes clear in the short portion of the Book of Ephesians at http://diigo.com/0jl35 that the evil rampant in our world has a diabolical, not a human, source. That section kept coming to my mind as I read this book.
In its 86 well-crafted pages, Mr. Damon, the author of this analysis of Mein Kampf unfolds, possibly unknowingly, how sadistic, spiritual powers outside of the man chose, sculpted and empowered Adolf Hitler in a myriad of ways ...none of which were of Jesus, "God, The One & Only". The toxic drivel, however, was allowed by Him for His unfathomable reasons in the context of an evil-fill world.
The author clearly outlines how an unschooled, nothing of a dysfunctional house-painter was inspired by Satanic forces to nearly conquer all of Europe with his eye on the whole world ...but without the author actually saying so.
The roles in shaping Hitler's hatred of anti-Semitic Christians, like Martin Luther, the ex-Catholic Monk, Richard Wagner, and the U.S radio Priest, Charles E. Coughlin, plus anti-Christ-type Jews like Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx are appalling to learn about.
Many would give the book five stars. I do not because of two glaring omissions, in my opinion as a trained historian.
First, Mr. Damon makes no mention of the important and well-documented contributions of Islamo-fascist kindred-spirits in the Middle East and elsewhere, particularly the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, to the success of Hitler and the Nazis. Likewise, he makes no mention of Hitler's powerful Nazi apologists in the U.S., like Joseph Kennedy, John F.'s father and the family patriarch. Individuals like these were instrumental in Hitler's near success. Political-correctness sucks, eh?
Secondly, while Mr. Duncan discusses the unfolding of the Jewish holocaust, he also omits explaining that it was the advanced Hollerith punch-card technology supplied by IBM and its European subsidiaries, through the well-documented and knowing complicity of Thomas J. Watson Sr. and IBM's senior management. Their heinous complicity in mass-genocide continued, inexcusably, even after the war began.
IBM's contribution, and it alone, solely empowered the mass-murder of Jews and others at the level accomplished in The Holocaust. (Hitler actually awarded Watson an important Nazi medal in a public ceremony. You can read about Watson's and IBM's role in "IBM and the Holocaust": The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation" by Edwin Black and at Mr. Black's site at http://is.gd/Tg0fau .)
IBM's complicity in the Nazi Horror, like the support of Hitler and his thugs by many, famous Americans which I mention above does not even get a mention in Mr. Damon's book. For this and his other commissions, he loses 5 stars. But, the book is still helpful.
Blessings,
GaryFPatton
(gfp '42™ 2012-09-11)
This eliminates one's need to have to plough through Hitler's original, horrible and ranting drivel. (I once tried the latter and found it impossibly boring, even though as a trained historian, I'm used to reading boring books by terrible writers.)
This book is not boring. But, I did find it to be disturbing.
Words and ideas are powerful. They don't have to be right to be dangerous. This is true of books like Mein Kampf (My Struggle). It originally sold like hotcakes in Germany, eventually. But few actually read Hitler's "magnum opus" according to this author's analysis.
The Christian Bible makes clear in the short portion of the Book of Ephesians at http://diigo.com/0jl35 that the evil rampant in our world has a diabolical, not a human, source. That section kept coming to my mind as I read this book.
In its 86 well-crafted pages, Mr. Damon, the author of this analysis of Mein Kampf unfolds, possibly unknowingly, how sadistic, spiritual powers outside of the man chose, sculpted and empowered Adolf Hitler in a myriad of ways ...none of which were of Jesus, "God, The One & Only". The toxic drivel, however, was allowed by Him for His unfathomable reasons in the context of an evil-fill world.
The author clearly outlines how an unschooled, nothing of a dysfunctional house-painter was inspired by Satanic forces to nearly conquer all of Europe with his eye on the whole world ...but without the author actually saying so.
The roles in shaping Hitler's hatred of anti-Semitic Christians, like Martin Luther, the ex-Catholic Monk, Richard Wagner, and the U.S radio Priest, Charles E. Coughlin, plus anti-Christ-type Jews like Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx are appalling to learn about.
Many would give the book five stars. I do not because of two glaring omissions, in my opinion as a trained historian.
First, Mr. Damon makes no mention of the important and well-documented contributions of Islamo-fascist kindred-spirits in the Middle East and elsewhere, particularly the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, to the success of Hitler and the Nazis. Likewise, he makes no mention of Hitler's powerful Nazi apologists in the U.S., like Joseph Kennedy, John F.'s father and the family patriarch. Individuals like these were instrumental in Hitler's near success. Political-correctness sucks, eh?
Secondly, while Mr. Duncan discusses the unfolding of the Jewish holocaust, he also omits explaining that it was the advanced Hollerith punch-card technology supplied by IBM and its European subsidiaries, through the well-documented and knowing complicity of Thomas J. Watson Sr. and IBM's senior management. Their heinous complicity in mass-genocide continued, inexcusably, even after the war began.
IBM's contribution, and it alone, solely empowered the mass-murder of Jews and others at the level accomplished in The Holocaust. (Hitler actually awarded Watson an important Nazi medal in a public ceremony. You can read about Watson's and IBM's role in "IBM and the Holocaust": The Strategic Alliance Between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation" by Edwin Black and at Mr. Black's site at http://is.gd/Tg0fau .)
IBM's complicity in the Nazi Horror, like the support of Hitler and his thugs by many, famous Americans which I mention above does not even get a mention in Mr. Damon's book. For this and his other commissions, he loses 5 stars. But, the book is still helpful.
Blessings,
GaryFPatton
(gfp '42™ 2012-09-11)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews