Hitler's Speeches, 1922-1939: Volume 2A

Norman Baynes’s The Speeches of Adolf Hitler, April 1922 – August 1939 is a two-volume scholarly compilation that presents selected excerpts from Adolf Hitler’s public addresses, organized thematically rather than chronologically. Published in 1942 under the auspices of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the work was intended to provide English-speaking audiences—particularly policymakers, historians, and scholars—with direct access to Hitler’s rhetoric prior to the outbreak of World War II. Baynes, a British historian, undertook the task of editing and translating representative passages from Hitler’s speeches, drawing from official German sources and authorized English translations where available. He arranged the material by subject, covering topics such as the formation of the National Socialist Party, the SA and SS, the concept of legality, the role of youth and women, the purge of Ernst Röhm, and Hitler’s views on religion, law, culture, and foreign policy. Volume II focuses specifically on Hitler’s international rhetoric, including his justifications for territorial expansion and critiques of the Versailles Treaty. The editor’s approach is deliberately restrained: Baynes refrains from commentary or interpretation, allowing Hitler’s words to stand on their own. This editorial neutrality was designed to facilitate critical analysis rather than persuasion. However, the foreword acknowledges the moral gravity of the material, describing it as a record of the ideological poison that shaped National Socialist Germany’s worldview. The compilation does not present complete speeches but rather curated excerpts that illustrate recurring themes and strategic messaging. Baynes’s work remains a significant resource for understanding the evolution of Hitler’s public discourse and the ideological architecture of the Third Reich in the years leading up to war.