100 years after the book that brought war over Europe

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And as its title rightly suggests, this book is about struggle. “In the eternal struggle, humanity became great”, Hitler writes. “Eternal peace will be her end.” According to the National-Socialist leader, struggle is a natural part of life. In it, the weak will lose from the strong. According to Hitler, this principle must be applied to society. He argued that it was wrong to have fewer children because that would “hinder selection”, which forced mankind to save “every wretched being”.

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To understand Hitler’s ideas and frustrations, it is important to understand the background of National Socialism, which can be traced to Germany's humiliation after the First World War, in which Hitler himself had fought. Hitler was determined to build a new state for the German people that could never lose a war again. In 1923, he tried to grab power but failed. In jail, he started writing Mein Kampf.

“Nations that make mongrels [bastards] of their people, or allow their people to be turned into mongrels, sin against the Will of Eternal Providence”

Races

Even though Hitler was born in Austria, he had left his country of origin because he believed that too many different peoples lived there. He was convinced that mixing races would lead to weakening. “Nations that make mongrels [bastards] of their people, or allow their people to be turned into mongrels, sin against the Will of Eternal Providence”, he says.

“The Jew merely follows the call of his individual egotism.”

That was also the reason why he believed that it was crucial to remove every Jew from Germany. Jews live all over the world, Hitler pointed out, and, therefore, they taunted every nationalism: “The Jew merely follows the call of his individual egotism. That is why the Jewish State, which ought to be a vital organization to serve the purpose of preserving or increasing the race, has absolutely no territorial boundaries.”

Already in 1923, he said to a journalist that it was best to kill all Jews to save Germany. But, he added, that was socially unacceptable, so removal was the second-best option.

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Another reason Hitler hated the Jews was the fact that he saw them as freeloaders who profited from the common, hardworking German. Facts showed that Jews were never active in the production industry but worked as bankers, for example.

“German youth, do not forget that you are a German," and "Remember, little girl, that one day you must be a German mother.”

To many, it may be surprising that Hitler was a socialist, as many Jews were active in the international socialist movements. However, Hitler’s socialism was different as it had a national basis. In Mein Kampf, he sets out a clear view on the idealistic economy that puts the work of common people in the centre.

Marriage and prostitution

It is undeniable that Mein Kampf contains several quotes Christians can agree with. For example, Hitler glorifies marriage and criticises prostitution. For example, he writes: “German youth, do not forget that you are a German”, and “Remember, little girl, that one day you must be a German mother.”

“Marriage is not an end in itself but must serve the greater end, which is that of increasing and maintaining the human species and the race. This is its only meaning and purpose.”

That all seems nice, until you read a few lines further, what marriage is meant for: creating a great and powerful nation. “Marriage is not an end in itself but must serve the greater end, which is that of increasing and maintaining the human species and the race. This is its only meaning and purpose.” The Kingdom of Heaven does not exist in Hitler's world; it is all on this earth and in powerful states.

Christianity

Hitler does mention God in his book, but he does not work from a Christian worldview. The Creator only matters to him if He can serve the great Aryan race.

In an earlier book, Adolf Hitler. Sein Leben und seine Reden, his view on Christianity becomes clearer. It was published in 1923 as a biography. Jesus was not Someone Who suffered but a fighter, he says. “In unbounded love, as a Christian and a human being, I read the passage that recounts how the Lord finally pulled himself together and reached for the whip to whip the usurers, the rat and viper brood out of the temple! His colossal struggle for this world, against the Jewish poison, I recognise today (...).”

Today, we would probably point out that many of Hitler’s statements back then were purely populistic. However, at the time, they greatly influenced the hearts and minds of the people. And we all know what happened next.

This article is the first part of a series on Mein Kampf