In 1925, Adolf Hitler wrote a book that would forever change not only the history of Germany, but the history of Europe. This book became the manifesto of the Holocaust and Hitler’s reasoning for everything he did while he was in power. The title of the book is Mein Kampf which in English is translated to “My Struggle”. Mein Kampf is commonly known as Hitler’s justification and plan to wipe out the entire Jewish race.
His irrational thoughts about Jewish people are seen throughout the text. Throughout Hitler’s book he displays his over whelming feelings of antisemitism and Aryan superiority. Hitler, in order to justify his hatred of the Jewish race uses a warped sense of nature, Jewish characteristics, and the belief that Jewish people pose a severe threat to the Aryans and the culture that they have created. Chapter eleven of Mein Kampf titled, Race and Nation, Hitler uses several different examples of nature and why the Aryan race is superior to the Jewish race.
He also goes onto say that it is against nature for races such as these two to crossbreed. One example of this is, “Every animal mates only with a member of the same species. The titmouse seeks the titmouse, the finch the finch, the stroke the stork, the field mouse the filed mouse, the dormouse the dormouse, the wolf the she-wold, etc. “(Hitler, 284). He then goes on to say the it is only under, “unusual circumstances” that this is changed (Hitler, 284). However, crossbreeding Hitler believes, is limited by nature and that the fertility of the bastard offspring is compromised.
Nature, according to Hitler is also the reason why inferior races, such as Jewish people, are subjected to harsh living environments. Stating on page 286, “Nature does just this by subjecting the weaker part to such severe living conditions they by them alone the number is limited, and by not permitting the remainder to increase promiscuously, but making a new ruthless choice accruing to the strength and health,” Hitler uses nature to justify his feelings of antisemitism. Additionally, Hitler uses examples from other parts of the world to back up his beliefs saying that, “North America, hose population consists in by far the largest part of Germanic elements who mixed but little with the lower colored peoples, show a different humanity and culture from Central and South America,” and he then goes on the say that because Latin immigrants breaded with indigenous people, the Germanic people who are more pure are the leaders of the continent (Hitler, 286). As a result of cross breeding, Hitler believes that there will be physical and intellectual regression which will cause sickness.
Using half truths about nature, Hitler is able to justify his belief of Aryan superiority. Furthermore, Hitler uses characteristics of Jewish people to justify his beliefs. By Attacking the characteristics of Jewish people Hitler is able to find another way that the Aryan race is superior to others; especially the Jews. Hitler believes that if were not for Aryan people, then Jews would not be intelligent. He states this on page 300, “The mental qualities of the Jews have been schooled in the course for many centuries.
Today he passes as ‘smart,’ and this in a certain sense he has been at all times. But his intelligence is not the result of his own development, but of visual instruction through foreigners,” After commenting on the intellect of the Jewish people, Hitler then goes on to talk about what would happen if Jews were alone in this world. He believes that they would be filthy and they would try to get ahead by killing each other. In his eyes, Jews have no sense of brotherhood and they only come together long enough to conquer a common enemy (Hitler, 302).
Jews also lack a sense of culture and as opposed to developing one of their own, because they “lack those qualities which distinguish the races that are creative and hence culturally blessed” (Hitler, 303). In other words, Jewish people are not capable of creating their own culture. Therefore, they take the cultures of other people and ruin them. Additionally, they never were able to possess a state with territorial limits which made them “nomads” at first (Hitler, 303-304).
Then Hitler remembers that the Aryans that settled the American continent were also nomads at first, but the difference is that the, “Aryans fought for their livelihood as trappers, always on the move, so that their existence was completely like that of the nomads. But as soon as their increasing number and better implements permitted the to clear the wild soil and make a stand against the natives” (Hitler, 304). Hitler then comes to that the conclusion that the word “nomad” is too good of a word to describe a Jew.
A parasite is better word to describe a Jewish person because he was never a nomad, but something that traveled in the body of other people and the Jew is always seeking a new feeding ground for his race. Along with being an uncultured parasite, Jewish people (according to Hitler) are also liars. To Hitler, “Existence impels the Jew to lie, and to lie perpetually, just as it compels the inhabitants on the northern countries to wear warm clothing” (Hitler, 305). Similarly, the more intelligent a Jew is, the better he is at deceiving people.
Jewish people will always remain Jews, they will never be able to assimilate into a culture or country because they have none; and for these reasons Hitler believes they are a direct threat to the Aryans. Hitler strongly believes that Jews are direct threat to the Aryan people for many reasons on of which it that they will always be Jews no matter how many other languages they are able to speak or how much they know about a culture. An example of this is stated, ” A man can change his language without any trouble – that is, he can use another language; but in his new language he will express the old ideas; his inner nature has not changed.
This is best shown by the Jew who can speak a thousand languages and nevertheless remains a Jew” (Hitler, 312). He also goes on to speak about the Jews plan to rise from the ghetto and get full possession of civil rights. The financial domination of the Jews is also noted along with the fact that the power of the princes is weakening; and as a result of these two factors, Hitler believes that the Jews, “dream of world domination tangibly approaching” (Hitler, 313). Knowing the capabilities of the Jews frightens Hitler because he know that once they are able to gain control of the economy they will be able to manage it.
The next move the Jew will make will be, “To strengthen his political position he tries to tear down the racial and civil barriers which for a time continue to restrain him at every step” (Hitler, 314-315). Hitler also fears that Jews will defile pure blood Aryans in order to pollute the race. Because Jews are intellectual and good with money, Hitler strongly believes that they pose a growing threat to the Aryans and eventually the world. Fearful that the Jews will overthrow Aryan people in Europe Hitler knows that something must be done to stop them. Ultimatley, Hitler made an exceptional attempt at executing his goal; Jewish extermination.
He thought of Jewish people as a parasite and treated them like one. As a result of the Holocaust six million non Aryans were killed, including almost every Jewish person in Europe. Hitler believed that in order to protect his race. There are a lot of similarities and differences between Mein Kampf and “Manifesto to the Governments and Peoples of the Christian Nations Threatened by Judaism”: The First Anti-Jewish Congress in Dresden. One difference that sticks out is that in Mein Kampf, Hitler says that the Jews only band together in order to defeat a common enemy, but in the other reading it says that Jews stick together very closely.
Consequently, Hitler and the other reading both call Jewish people parasites and they both agree that Jews have become too involved and successful in society. Both texts also suggest that the assimilation of the Jew into any form of christian culture is unheard of because they Jews have no sense of culture. Hitler uses several half truths about nature and Jewish character traits to make it seem like they pose a direct threat the Aryan people. He preached to his fellow Aryans about his beliefs and what they need to do to exterminate their parasite.
