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Whether or not Mein Kampf was influenced by orientalist Paul de Lagarde, a critic of his era, is an open question. Hitler was probably familiar with Lagarde’s most important völkisch ideas, which were frequently discussed in the early 20th century. However, Lagarde’s influence is difficult to determine since explicit references to his work are lacking. It was only after Hitler’s “takeover” that he seems to have studied Lagarde’s Deutsche Schriften (German Writings) in depth.