After his failed Beer Hall Putsch (1923), Adolf Hitler was arrested on November 11 and soon after found guilty of high treason and sentenced to five years imprisonment. The term would be reduced, but nonetheless he hand some time on his hands. So what did he do? He wrote a manifesto outlining exactly what he hoped to achieve… too bad no one read it and those that did, did not believe the little crazy guy from Austria was a threat. Germany was practically a third world country after the ravages of war (WWI), and Hitler and his Nazis just a radical expression of desperation. The world ignored him. But within 10 years the National Socialist Party controlled Germany, and Europe’s fate was sealed. The result of his imprisonment was his book, Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”) and was published on July 18, 1925 (that’s today, 83 years ago). I have looked at an original 1925 copy and frankly, though it is in German and I could not read it, it brought a cold chill down my spine.
We need to use the Way Back Machine and put poor Adolf out of his misery in 1925…
My topic spreadsheet had “Mein Kampf published” as the subject for July 18th. But, after reading your succinct narrative, I’m glad to have taken the day off.
To the point, and nicely done.
Regards,
Joel
Today’s History Lesson