Yes, it’s a bit ironic that a Jewish person is reading Mein Kampf while sitting in Germany.
But one of my core philosophies is -
There is always something to learn -
Especially from those we most bitterly disagree with.
And fact of the matter is, Hitler “won” in the sense that - despite all the racist, heinous shit he published in Mein Kampf - he won over enough people in Germany that he was able to get elected and be reasonably popular. The rest of the world also didn’t hate Hitler. At least, not until he actually made good on his promises.
In this way, he is actually a more authentic and genuine leader than most politicians alive today. Those who were shocked he took things “too far” just weren’t paying attention.
To quote ChatGPT:
In 1936, Lloyd George met Hitler and later described him in somewhat favorable terms: He reportedly called Hitler "a remarkable man" and admired his ability to lead Germany out of its post-World War I economic troubles.
This was part of a broader sentiment among some in Europe who viewed Hitler as a bulwark against communism, without fully grasping the scope of his ambitions and ideology.
So how was it that, despite being deeply committed to a fundamentally racist view of the world, Hitler still came to power?
The scariest parts of Mein Kampf are not the racist parts. Those parts are infuriating, yes - because this guy literally spelled out exactly what he was going to do when he gained power, and everyone just looked the other way and supported him anyways. But they are not the parts that were hardest for me to read.
No, the hardest thing about reading Mein Kampf was how much of his writing makes sense.
He describes with bone-chilling accuracy how he plans to grow the Nazi party. How he leverages his gift for spoken word and mass psychology to enact change. How clearly he sees his path to power. How those in his way are too blinded by “the way things are” to move against him.
Even more terrifying -
How many of the preconditions he lays out exist today.
“Never again” doesn’t have quite the same power to it when it’s so easy to imagine these techniques still being used.
And given the rise of extremism around the world -
I’m quite sure they already are.
The only way to arm ourselves against these techniques is to understand them - not to turn a blind eye to them.
Moreover, the only way to beat extremism is to beat them at their own game. People gain meaning from rallying around a common cause. If those who seek to preserve peace do not create this message, those who seek to spark violence will be more than happy to step into the power vacuum. Mein Kampf is just one example of this trend.
There’s no intrinsic reason why extremists are better at crafting emotionally resonant, unifying propaganda. Moderates can do it too - if we focus on the most important issues and stop fighting over the fringes. If we come down from our ivory towers and talk in a way everyone can understand. And if we stop ignoring that even the most evil people to have lived still have something to teach us.
These are the lessons I learned by reading Mein Kampf.