Published: 23 Jan 2014 07:53 GMT+01:00
Updated: 23 Jan 2014 07:53 GMT+01:00
Bavaria signalled on Wednesday it would not seek to prevent the publication of an annotated version of Adolf Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf” in an apparent about-face.
- Square reverts to Hitler name on Google Maps (10 Jan 14)
- Town reverses Hitler citizenship vote (19 Dec 13)
- Berlin shops ‘smash glass’ to mark pogrom (01 Nov 13)
Amid a debate over academic freedom and a back and forth over whether to pursue the project, Bavaria indicated that it would not try to stop a historical institute from bringing out a version of the book with scholars’ commentary.
But the southern state stressed in a statement that it would seek to prevent any other full or partial publication of the 1924 book in which Hitler railed against the “Jewish peril”.
Bavaria holds the rights to “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle) because Hitler was officially a resident of Munich when he died, but those rights expire at the end of 2015.
Since World War II, the state has blocked any reprints of the book but two years ago announced plans to publish in early 2016 an annotated version for academic purposes and to help “demystify” the text.
However that seemed in doubt after the Bavarian state government changed course in a surprise move in December, insisting that the “seditious” book must stay off the market after complaints from Holocaust survivors.
Germany’s Central Council of Jews has welcomed the prospect of an annotated “Mein Kampf”.
Several Bavarian legislators complained over the decision to torpedo the academic edition, a project the state parliament had supported, and which had already cost €500,000 in state funding.
But Bavaria said in its statement Wednesday that the institute’s academic freedom would remain “untouched” and it could bring the annotated version out in its own right.
“The freedom of science to confront the topics which, in its view, are necessary is thereby not restricted,” Bavarian state minister for education Ludwig Spaenle said in the statement.
Hitler started writing “Mein Kampf” in prison after his failed putsch of 1923. After his rise to power, millions of copies were published. From 1936, the Nazi state gave a copy to all newlyweds as a wedding gift.
READ MORE: Berlin square reverts to Hitler name on Google Maps
For more stories about Germany, join us on
Facebook
and Twitter
AFP (news@thelocal.de)
Seven German soldiers were badly injured on Wednesday night when a car drove into them while they were marching down a country road. It is the second accident to affect the area in a week.
READ () »
Bavaria signalled on Wednesday it would not seek to prevent the publication of an annotated version of Adolf Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf” in an apparent about-face.
READ () »
Germany’s foreign minister on Wednesday said the responsibility for the “humanitarian disaster” in Syria laid with the country’s government and reminded a peace conference of what happened in World War I when democracy and diplomacy failed.
READ () »
A Bavarian teacher found himself in the middle of a manhunt on Monday, after Berlin police released his picture as a key suspect in an elaborate bank break-in. He had nothing to do with the €10-million raid.
READ () »
Munich authorities have dished out fines of €200 each to dozens of demonstrators who peacefully blocked neo-Nazi rallies two years ago. Those fined told The Local they would not pay the penalty.
READ () »
Three Germans were among 40 people killed when Pakistani jets and helicopters bombarded suspected Taliban hideouts in a northwestern tribal district, a senior security source said on Wednesday.
READ () »
The German army has released new guidelines to soldiers about their appearance. Tattoos of naked women, piercings and bushy beards have all been booted out.
READ () »
It has no royal family, Eiffel Tower or Big Ben, but that does not stop Germany being home to some of the tackiest souvenirs lining Europe’s tourist trail.
READ () »
German authorities knew about the theft of the digital identities of 16 million internet users in December, but kept it quiet as they claim they needed time to make “necessary preparations”, it emerged on Wednesday.
READ () »
The unidentified flying object which grounded flights at Bremen airport earlier in January is believed to be a model plane, an initial police investigation revealed on Tuesday.
READ () »