Most Readers Support Publication of Annotated "Mein Kampf"

The following comments reflect the views of DW-WORLD.DE readers. Not all reader comments have been published. DW-WORLD.DE reserves the right to edit for length and appropriateness of content.

The republication in Germany of "Mein Kampf" with the addition of annotations would not be a bad thing, given that the book is freely available from places like Amazon.com. Thus, it would be reasonable to suspect that anyone who wants a copy either already one or has access to an electronic copy. -- Charles Smyth, Great Britain

I think the republication of "Mein Kampf" with commentaries would be of great historical value. I am an amateur historian and already own a paperback copy of the original book but would like to see the commentaries. -- Philip McRill, US

Yes, I think the publishing of "Mein Kampf" should be permitted as any other work of historical value. In fact, the more people who get to read about it, the lower the chances of a repeat of the Holocaust. Also, as a matter of freedom, everyone should be able to have access to material like this so they can make up their own minds. -- Luciana Hannibal, Uruguay

"Mein Kampf" should be left in its original version. Why question the understanding and judgment of the reader? No alterations or distortions have been proposed for the writings of Marx, Lenin or Trotsky. -- Michael Kaponya, US

History belongs to the past and I believe that new generation is not responsible for what the past generation has done. The contents of "Mein Kampf" can elucidate many vague points regarding Hitler's ideology and his mode of thinking. Although the Jewish community is sensitive to relevant issues, scientific criticism and academic investigation is completely independent of religious attitudes. -- Erik Younas, Canada

The book has been essentially banned in Germany since 1945.

I do not see the publication of an annotated version of "Mein Kampf" to be a problem. Speaking as someone who has read the book in its entirety, it is very hard to access, even to the most eloquent of readers. Some of the points made my Hitler contradict others and at times Hitler himself even seems unsure of what he is fighting for. "Mein Kampf," whichever way you look at it, is a key text in history, and it is necessary to the understanding of some of the worst crimes ever realized. An annotated, scholarly version of the book is a good idea. I feel right-wing groups will find it hard to use the text for propaganda purposes. "Mein Kampf" is merely 700 pages of ranting and Hitler arguing with his own ideals. An annotated version will be better for all concerned rather than letting the words of the book seep into the wrong hands without academic analysis. -- Matthew Retallick, Great Britain

I am happy to read that a "top figure" of the Jewish Community is in favor of having Hitler's book republished with a detailed commentary. I hope that the German government is strong enough to allow this to happen. Nothing is gained by keeping it off the shelf. Once the book is written, it will find its way to the public. -- Doris Barrett-Heinz, Canada

I think that it is better not to get into the ideologies that caused so much destruction to Europe -- like Nazism and Communism -- and that it would be better not to publish those books at all. Rather it would be preferable to look forward and to publish books that will do people some good and help them to enrich their minds and lives in a practical and real sense rather than making misleading promises that only make things worse. I think that people in Germany should get more into management and business literature and to explore those areas more. -- Phil Roslin, Canada