July 18
Hitler Publishes First Volume of Mein Kampf
Adolf Hitler dictated the first volume of his autobiographical manifesto while imprisoned for treason, setting forth the racial theories and territorial ambitions that would later shape Nazi policy.
Summary
Following the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, Adolf Hitler was imprisoned in Landsberg Prison where he dictated his political manifesto to associates including Rudolf Hess. On July 18, 1925, the first volume of Mein Kampf (My Struggle) was published by a small Munich press, outlining Hitler's antisemitic ideology, his vision for German expansion, and critiques of the Weimar Republic and Marxism. The book combined autobiography with political program, arguing for racial purity and the need for Lebensraum in the East. Initial sales were modest, but it gained traction among Nazi supporters and was later required reading in Germany after 1933. The publication marked an early step in codifying the ideas that would drive Nazi policy.
Context
In the years after World War I, Germany’s Weimar Republic faced persistent economic hardship, political fragmentation, and widespread resentment over the Treaty of Versailles. Extremist groups on both the left and right gained followers by promising national revival and blaming the republic’s leaders for the country’s troubles. The National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or NSDAP, emerged in Bavaria as one such movement, drawing support from veterans, nationalists, and those hostile to the new democratic order.
What Happened
On November 8–9, 1923, Adolf Hitler and associates attempted to seize power in Munich through the Beer Hall Putsch. The coup failed, and Hitler was arrested and tried for high treason. In February 1924 he received a five-year sentence but served only about nine months in the relatively lenient conditions of Landsberg Prison. There he dictated the manuscript that became the first volume of Mein Kampf to Rudolf Hess and a small circle of aides, drawing on earlier notes and conversations. The text combined personal narrative with political argument, attacking the Weimar system, Marxism, and Jews while advocating German expansion eastward.
Aftermath
The completed manuscript was prepared for publication by the NSDAP’s own publishing house, Franz Eher Verlag, under Max Amann. The first volume appeared on July 18, 1925, under the shortened title Mein Kampf. Sales in the initial year remained modest, totaling roughly nine thousand copies, and the book circulated mainly among party loyalists. Hitler continued work on a second volume after his release, which appeared in 1926.
Legacy
After the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, Mein Kampf became required reading in schools and was distributed widely, eventually selling millions of copies. Its explicit calls for racial hierarchy and Lebensraum supplied the ideological justification for later laws, foreign conquest, and persecution. Historians continue to consult the book as a primary source revealing the origins and consistency of Hitler’s worldview rather than as a reliable autobiography.
Why It Matters
Mein Kampf served as a foundational text for the Nazi movement, articulating the worldview that justified later aggression, persecution, and the Holocaust. Its ideas influenced German foreign policy and domestic laws throughout the 1930s and 1940s. The book remains studied today as a primary source documenting the origins of 20th-century totalitarian ideology and its consequences.
Related Questions
What was the original working title of the book?
Hitler’s working title was the lengthy “Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice,” later shortened by the publisher.
Where did Hitler write most of the first volume?
He dictated it while held in Landsberg Prison in Bavaria following the failed 1923 putsch.
How many copies sold in the first year?
Approximately 9,473 copies were sold in 1925, a modest figure before the book became far more widely distributed after 1933.
Who helped Hitler prepare the manuscript?
Rudolf Hess served as the primary scribe and editor, with early transcription also involving Emil Maurice.
What publishing house issued the first edition?
Franz Eher Verlag, the official publishing arm of the Nazi Party, released the book under Max Amann’s direction.
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Sources
- Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” is published, HISTORY. Accessed 2026-07-02.
- July 18 - On This Day, OnThisDay.com. Accessed 2026-07-02.