Mein Kampf

Hitler was arrested and tried for high treason in February/March 1924.  By the end of the trial Hitler had established himself as a national figure but he was nevertheless found guilty.  However, he was only sentenced to five years in Landsberg prison because of the right-wing sympathies of the judiciary – in fact he only served nine months.  During that time he dictated his book, Mein Kampf (My Struggle), a rambling, long ‘spoken book’ in which he expressed his ideas on history, politics, race and the future of Germany.

Lebensraum(living space)

Germans need more land to live and work in.  They will get this extra land by taking over countries east of Germany – Poland and Russia, for example.  They will use force to get this land if the eastern countries do not give it up.

Race

Human beings are divided into races.  Some races are better than others.  The best races are ‘pure’ ones which have not interbred with others.  The Germans, who belong to the ‘Aryan’ race must keep themselves pure in order to become the ‘master race’.

Anti-semitism

Jews, or Semites as Hitler called them, are the biggest threat to the purity of the Germans.  They are also involved in a great conspiracy to take control of the world.  They helped to bring about Germany’s defeat in the Great War.  Jews must therefore be destroyed.