"Mein Kampf" A book and the history of its impact

Hitler's confessional pamphlet "Mein Kampf" was published 100 years ago. This book, which was distributed millions of times, is an important source on the history of the author and National Socialism. "It is the most comprehensive and in some ways also the most intimate testimony of a dictator whose policies and crimes changed the world. The effects can still be felt to this day. Mein Kampf was "the clearest and most detailed exposition" of what Hitler was thinking and planning, according to Ian Kershaw. [...] Hitler's book is considered an autobiography, an ideological confession, a racist diatribe, a tactical guide to action, but also a work of art, a stain, a political issue, a scandal, a laughing stock and a public nuisance. If such attributions are always tied to times or positions, there is agreement in one respect. Mein Kampf remains a powerful, mythically overloaded symbol." (Hitler, Mein Kampf, Critical Edition, p. 9f, Institut für Zeitgeschichte 2026)

Prof. Niemann will explain how the book came about in the context of the time, explain biographical and ideological choices and trace the history of its impact up to the present day.