German book to be republished after some decades

[Kyriakos]

A German research organisation is reportedly planning to re-publish a version of Adolf Hitler’s controversial book Mein Kampf after the copyright protecting it expires at the end of this year.

The Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ), based in Munich, will publish an annotated issue of the book, which details Hitler’s political views.

Copyright ownership of the original Mein Kampf, first published in 1925 and which translates as “my struggle”, was passed to the state of Bavaria following the end of World War II.

Hitler died in April 1945, with the war ending in September. His book is set to fall out of copyright as the ‘life pus 70 years’ term (copyright lasts for 70 years after the author’s death) is due to expire, although that term applies until the end of the relevant calendar year.

The state, which has not released or published the book since receiving the copyright, has said it opposes the dissemination of Nazi propaganda.

But by the start of next year, the copyright protecting the book will have already expired, leaving the door open for others to print and sell the book.

Most of IfZ’s re-published book will feature comments and annotations from researchers, while the rest of the publication will be made up of Hitler’s original text.

Last year, WIPR reported that Bavaria’s justice minister Winfried Bausback said that although the state could not prevent re-publication of the book after the copyright expires, it should be “at least” guaranteed that it is a scholarly work that provides a scientific and critical analysis in order to demystify the “horrible” text.

The book, which outlines Hitler’s plans for eastern conquests and his anti-Semitic views, is widely available abroad and has been translated into 16 languages, with several issues having been printed after 1945.

But the news of re-publication has attracted criticism.

Levi Salomon, a spokesman for the Berlin-based group Jewish Forum for Democracy and Against Anti-Semitism, told the Washington Post: “I am absolutely against the publication of Mein Kampf, even with annotations. Can you annotate the Devil? Can you annotate a person like Hitler?”

The IfZ did not respond to a request for comment.

http://www.worldipreview.com/news/me...ht-expiry-8004

While it is obvious that Germany has not dealt in any efficient way (making something taboo is never a solution) with its very recent past, i do doubt that this new development will easily or directly lead to bettering that situation.
It seems likely that in the near future it will just help groups like the Pegida there, despite unbanning a book being in essence a good decision.

Problem is not so much the book, cause it would appeal only to very problematic people. The main issue is symbolism tied to it. It would be a bad soundbyte by itself if it gets to be a 'best-seller' soon in its native land again, and i don't see an easy way to avoid friction all around.

BTW: pls allow Bild to include it with its newspaper

[Mangalore]

[QUOTE=Kyriakos;14406836]http://www.worldipreview.com/news/me...ht-expiry-8004

While it is obvious that Germany ...

Not very obvious at all, no. Just need to refer to German history class and German media for that as well as modern history where 68 movement in germany was also to a large extent about the generational clash of guilty parents with their authoritarian baggage and their children. The problem is most non Germans have far less knowledge of the Third Reich than most average Germans and talk smart.

You do know that there have been releases of annotated parts of "Mein Kampf" through entirety of the past decades, that the book is not technically banned, its German copyright was held by the bavarian state, the further banning is based on general laws of inciting hatred and antidemocratic propaganda and overall its a pretty crappy writing whose only relevance is that people actually bought into that incoherent blathering?

If you understand German I would refer you to Sedar Somuncu, a German Turkish comedian who had a program which entirely consisted of reading passages of Mein Kampf. It is a hoot.

It really won't help Pegida because regardless of my disdain to their postulates their xenophobia and ideological outlook is more sophisticated and varied than Mein Kampf in any state of intoxication. Neonazis will buy it but they would buy it outside germany for decades already... and it still doesn't improve its writing...


On the broader topic of the banning of Nazi iconography in Germany. It's not so much that any sane people would have much of a problem unbanning it per se. The problem is with the reason why you'd want to unban it. Beside the argument out of principle there is no good practical reason to unban it because the only people wanting to use it outside the current confines that already allow its usage have a worldview conflicting with the German democratic constitution as well as the wider ideas of universal human rights and the rule of law.

The ban is actually about the German constitution having a paragraph in it that any incitement and ideology against its democratic foundation is illegal by default. It's hard to get Nazi iconography on a footing where its political message doesn't include anti democratic totalitarinism so it becomes rather conclusive why it's banned. This paragraph arose from the Weimar republic and its inability to defend itself against populism and demagogues. It limits the constitutional tolerance to not include anything trying to replace itself with a different system not upholding the basic ideals considered universal.

[Aikanár]

"current events" they say ... "current" sometimes I wonder how something that is discussed for years in the German public all of a sudden becomes big news years later.

Spoiler for just a random google search for German sources on that topic: 

http://www.israelheute.com/Nachricht...6/Default.aspx

http://www.merkur-online.de/bayern/p...a-3268734.html

http://www.netz-gegen-nazis.de/artik...lich-sein-8901

http://www.welt.de/politik/deutschla...ein-Kampf.html

http://www.internet-law.de/2013/04/b...ein-kampf.html

Spoiler for Anne Will 02.05.2012: 

Anyways with regards to the slightly uninformed and trollish (:surprise) opening post:

http://www.worldipreview.com/news/me...ht-expiry-8004

While it is obvious that Germany has not dealt in any efficient way (making something taboo is never a solution) with its very recent past, i do doubt that this new development will easily or directly lead to bettering that situation.

As Mangalore has pointed out, you don't have an idea what you're talking about. The inter-war period of the 20's and 30's and the Thrid Reich can easily be considered the subjects most taught in history classes during school and have been a heavy focus in every contemporary history study path in the country.

As Mangalore has said, it was widely discussed in both the public and science in Germany following the '68 and was one of the roots for the existence of the so called '68. The standard question of a "What have you done under Hitler? Have you been a Nazi?" is a brand of the '68 in Germany.

With regards to the book itself, it's not banned in Germany, it is not illegal to possess it, it is not illegal to read it, it is not even illegal to read it to somebody else, even in a public performance, as long as the reader comments on what he has read to the public. The only thing that is illegal is to publish it - which is about to change - and to buy or sell it in Germany.

When I was a student we simply had a trip to London and bought it in a second-hand bookstore and brought it back, no problem at all.

It's also readily available in lots of University Bibliotheca for scientific use and research. And other commented editions, as Mangalore already pointed out, have been published over the years, too.

So no, it's neither tabooed nor did Germany fail do reprocess their history. From a scientific point of view I'd argue that there are very, very view nations, if any, that have reprocessed their darkest hours of history in a way it was and is still done in Germany with regards to the Third Reich.

It seems likely that in the near future it will just help groups like the Pegida there, despite unbanning a book being in essence a good decision.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no supporter of PEGIDA, as I've demonstrate in its thread, but this sentence of yours displays that you haven't understood what PEGIDA is or the different goals of the amalgam of ideas of the different groups who make up the conglomerate called PEGIDA.

Problem is not so much the book, cause it would appeal only to very problematic people. The main issue is symbolism tied to it. It would be a bad soundbyte by itself if it gets to be a 'best-seller' soon in its native land again, and i don't see an easy way to avoid friction all around.

BTW: pls allow Bild to include it with its newspaper

Really? I don't think so. If it was to become a best seller (it already is the most unread best seller of the world anyways, followed by the bible of course), the worst thing that could happen is that people do actually force themselves through the boredom of reading it. There's no mystic bad magic to this book that might magically turn all its readers in Nazis instantly. Its an incredible dull and boring awfully written book that reveals a lot of the incredibly twisted and evil thoughts of its dictating dictator.

And for the publishing by Bild am Sonntag, that's a nice idea, too

[Kyriakos]

[...]
And for the publishing by Bild am Sonntag, that's a nice idea, too

You call me trollish, but see that i still agree with you there ;_;

Joking Well, my OP did include a 'minor' bit of tongue-in-cheek remark there, but it was meant as fun

[Aikanár]

You call me trollish,

Your OP, not you

but see that i still agree with you there ;_;

Absolutely, I like that idea

Joking Well, my OP did include a 'minor' bit of tongue-in-cheek remark there, but it was meant as fun

I know, I wouldn't have responded if it was otherwise.

[Dracula]

Actuallly it's a bad idea. They have to modernize the publishing. Like games are sold in a box with something else. Could put "Mein Kampf" in a pack with "Der Ewige Jude" film or something else not well known from the time. Allthough both are quite lacking in information. Though in the movie one can see the jews at around 30s in Poland, which is a kind of historical source even for them.

[Aikanár]

Actuallly it's a bad idea. They have to modernize the publishing. Like games are sold in a box with something else. Could put "Mein Kampf" in a pack with "Der Ewige Jude" film or something else not well known from the time. Allthough both are quite lacking in information. Though in the movie one can see the jews at around 30s in Poland, which is a kind of historical source even for them.

Why would they have to modernize the publishing?

[Condottiere 40K]

1110
The real danger is if an uptodate abridged edition was published, in that Hitler's rantings were polished and presented in a way to appeal to a modern audience, seemingly addressing current immigrant and other political issues.

[Gaidin]

1110
The real danger is if an uptodate abridged edition was published, in that Hitler's rantings were polished and presented in a way to appeal to a modern audience, seemingly addressing current immigrant and other political issues.

You mean like, with annotations from researchers?

[Odenat]

Well, i read the book. It's not forbidden here. It's kinda boring and does not have a mystical power to turn those who read to Nazis. A modern state must trust its citizens.

[Condottiere 40K]

1386
No, I mean polished version edited by adherents, who'll put it in a modern context.

[Gaidin]

1386
No, I mean polished version edited by adherents, who'll put it in a modern context.

Last thing you'll have to worry about unless you're suddenly panicking about neo-nazis having more than 10% of the vote and growing again. You see, for something like that to actually stick in the population, it has to actually get past the researchers and into enough of the population.

[Condottiere 40K]

1433
This would be post neo-nazism, and a better example might be the multiple times the bible has been revised to reflect the prevailing social and political realities.

[Gaidin]

1433
This would be post neo-nazism, and a better example might be the multiple times the bible has been revised to reflect the prevailing social and political realities.

Pfft. All that needs to be said about your fears of MK along that line of thought.

[Condottiere 40K]

1455Human nature would indicate that mo
Human nature would indicate that most ideologies and historical figures will be rehabilitated if it suits any particular political agenda.

[Stario]

Sounds like an interesting read; I 'd get it.

[Gaidin]

Sounds like an interesting read; I 'd get it.

It's not, really. It's pretty damn boring, at least the bits and pieces you get to read as a part of other people's research. Hitler was a good speechwriter and a good speaker, at least in his heyday, but he was a horrible writer. He was a fascinating historical figure to choose an utterly horrible word for the description. And he's a little to fresh of a wound for releasing this with annotations of researchers to have the effect people are scared of. You'd need another hundred years for him to be "wow" kind of like looking back on all those invasions of Europe is now.

[Emperor Arcturus Mengsk]

Well, at some point Hitler will be seen as just another historical figure, like Attila... it's just too fresh at the moment.

[Gaidin]

Well, at some point Hitler will be seen as just another historical figure, like Attila... it's just too fresh at the moment.

That's why releasing it now right after the copyright is a good thing. Get it out, get people over the hump, let it be a historical book on the shelf. You do it a hundred years from now, he's Attila that we more read about than viscerally understand even if we're still 3-4 generations after.

[Edelfred]

That's why releasing it now right after the copyright is a good thing. Get it out, get people over the hump, let it be a historical book on the shelf. You do it a hundred years from now, he's Attila that we more read about than viscerally understand even if we're still 3-4 generations after.

There are people ,who can kill the Jews nowdays .They can see legality of this book as Hitler's hate for the Jews was right or justified .