Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
- Downloads：5002
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-04 00:21:52
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Christopher R. Browning
- ISBN：0062303023
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Mariah Andrus
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Scariest book I've ever read ngl Scariest book I've ever read ngl 。。。more
Cole Lancaster
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Interesting book on the humanity of inhumanity。 Not only regarding the feelings for those who participated in acts of violence， but the regime considered the negative feelings these acts created in the troops。 Somehow， the idea upper echelon members understood some soldiers would be revulsed makes the government seem more evil。
Josh Maddox
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What a punishing book。 Browning takes a deep look at the transformation of the titular Ordinary Men of Germany into the brutal executioners of the Third Reich， arguing that their behavior was not aberrant， but a normal part of human nature。 The evidence he presents supports the argument well。
Daniel
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Probably one of the most horrifying books I have ever read but also completely necessary。 Humans have the impressive ability to look back on events in history and question the actions of those involved， both perpetrator and victim （'Why did they not say no？' 'Why did they not resist？'）。 Browning in his work seeks to understand the role of the perpetrator and examines Reserve Police Battalion 101 to understand how men came to commit horrific acts of murder and genocide。 Through this book it exami Probably one of the most horrifying books I have ever read but also completely necessary。 Humans have the impressive ability to look back on events in history and question the actions of those involved， both perpetrator and victim （'Why did they not say no？' 'Why did they not resist？'）。 Browning in his work seeks to understand the role of the perpetrator and examines Reserve Police Battalion 101 to understand how men came to commit horrific acts of murder and genocide。 Through this book it examines how these men， who for the most part were not fanatics or ideologues， came to commit some of the most brutal acts known to humanity in the name of the Nazi regime。 Browning forces us to face the uncomfortable truth that 'normal' people will nearly always go along and actively participate in these cruel actions。 He shows that the holocaust， like many other acts of genocide throughout history， was not committed by a small cadre of zealots and the meek acquiescence of the masses but rather the contrary。 That the 'ordinary men' of the populace go along with it， whether it be through coercion， ideology， indifference， rationalisation， wholesale support， or any other host of reasons these 'ordinary men' with families and lives pre-war come to commit acts of mass murder that stain human history， and for the most part are able to return to normal life and continue on， explaining away their behaviour。 This is a book with a stark message， showing how any seemingly normal person， any normal populace， can easily fall to acts of wanton cruelty and at the same time soothe their conscious。 It is a book that must be read to truly understand the horrific nature of the holocaust and the cruel nature of man generally。 。。。more
RE
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This is an impressive and important historical analysis。 It is more academic than popular history （use of footnotes， detailed analyses， each chapter reads more like an essay than a continuous narrative， and so on）。 Regardless， the writing style is clear and the content is heavily contextualized - and so it is possible for any reader to understand。The book attempts to answer the question: why would ordinary men， plucked mostly from German society and without any history of violence， commit such h This is an impressive and important historical analysis。 It is more academic than popular history （use of footnotes， detailed analyses， each chapter reads more like an essay than a continuous narrative， and so on）。 Regardless， the writing style is clear and the content is heavily contextualized - and so it is possible for any reader to understand。The book attempts to answer the question: why would ordinary men， plucked mostly from German society and without any history of violence， commit such horrendous crimes as the massacres of Jews around Poland between 1942-43？I think the author comes to some astounding conclusions。 Through his analysis of these later court documents， it becomes clear that a mixture of deference to authority， conformity to group norms， gradual brutalization， and a perceived lack of choice each had a role to play。 Interestingly， the author challenges the idea that antisemitism itself can completely explain the actions of the Police Battalion。 This was later challenged by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen， which itself led to a robust academic discussion on the motives and functionings of the Holocaust。 All of this to say that this book attempts to grapple with important questions and definitely succeeds in beginning the conversation with substantive contributions。 The book contains a short history of the order police， the role of the order police in the Final Solution， the specific formation of Police Battalion 101， their actions between 1942-43， and an analysis of the interplay between the identities of Germans， Poles， and Jews。My specific edition contained the original afterword and 1998 afterward that was written in response to Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's book "Hitler's Willing Executioners"。 It also contained the 25th-anniversary afterword that takes stock of the various historical analyses completed since the book's publication in 1992。 I have seen some reviews complaining about these afterwords， as they are more focused on historiography and less on the actual history of Police Battalion 101。 If you are not interested in this discussion you can simply stop at the original afterword。This is likely a book that I will return to throughout my life。 It is powerful， informative， thought-provoking， and an iconic piece of Holocaust historiography。 。。。more
Fred Baerkircher
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It's an interesting attempt at exploring how ordinary people can turn into the sorts of men who commit mass atrocities。 It's very responsible - heavily supported by citations and including sometimes contradictory testimony from the post-war trials of these men。Ultimately， I felt it lacked the sort of clarity it seems to have been seeking， and I suspect that's largely because of the dearth of contemporary first-hand accounts。 War crimes aren't the sort of thing participants are likely to be eager It's an interesting attempt at exploring how ordinary people can turn into the sorts of men who commit mass atrocities。 It's very responsible - heavily supported by citations and including sometimes contradictory testimony from the post-war trials of these men。Ultimately， I felt it lacked the sort of clarity it seems to have been seeking， and I suspect that's largely because of the dearth of contemporary first-hand accounts。 War crimes aren't the sort of thing participants are likely to be eager to talk about。 。。。more
Mark
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This is a fantastic accounting of an evil set of events that has many facets to understand in any depth。 Recognizing the evil results is not too difficult。 To understand how "ordinary men" （and women） took part in wicked actions toward Jews （and Poles， etc。） requires a far larger and more complicated set of explanations。 My hat's off to this extraordinary effort at meaningful explanations that combined may begin to provide exceptional insights。 You will not enjoy this if you need constant entert This is a fantastic accounting of an evil set of events that has many facets to understand in any depth。 Recognizing the evil results is not too difficult。 To understand how "ordinary men" （and women） took part in wicked actions toward Jews （and Poles， etc。） requires a far larger and more complicated set of explanations。 My hat's off to this extraordinary effort at meaningful explanations that combined may begin to provide exceptional insights。 You will not enjoy this if you need constant entertainment， and/or feel-good stories。 This is （rightfully） highly disturbing， yet that is what's required to understand incidences that involved unprecedented levels of brutality， killing， purposeful and tacit participation in evil， and more。 For those who want to really understand better and can deal with the true darker side of humanity， I highly recommend this。 。。。more
Michael Wiggins
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This is a well-researched book that explores why and how unexceptional men can be induced to exceptionally horrendous acts。 I notice it doesn't discuss the concept of evil very much， which might be a considerable blind spot。 Otherwise， a student of World War II or atrocities will find the book very interesting， if disturbing。 By the way， this is probably not the book one should read around Christmas。 That was a mistake on my part。 This is a well-researched book that explores why and how unexceptional men can be induced to exceptionally horrendous acts。 I notice it doesn't discuss the concept of evil very much， which might be a considerable blind spot。 Otherwise， a student of World War II or atrocities will find the book very interesting， if disturbing。 By the way， this is probably not the book one should read around Christmas。 That was a mistake on my part。 。。。more
Sarah George
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2。5Pros:Browning uses historical accounts/testimonies from perpetrators of the final solution to make a strong argument that the difference between members of the Nazi regime and the average joe is pretty much nil。The chapters are short and fluff-less so it’s a fast read。The afterword and 25 years later addition were highlights of the book for me because I got to see Browning engage pretty spicily with historians who disagree with him。 Always entertaining to watch academics obliquely call other 2。5Pros:Browning uses historical accounts/testimonies from perpetrators of the final solution to make a strong argument that the difference between members of the Nazi regime and the average joe is pretty much nil。The chapters are short and fluff-less so it’s a fast read。The afterword and 25 years later addition were highlights of the book for me because I got to see Browning engage pretty spicily with historians who disagree with him。 Always entertaining to watch academics obliquely call other academics wrong/incompetent Cons:I’ve read a few books on the Holocaust/ Nazi Germany and this one is at the bottom of the list as far as my personal enjoyment and edification。Other than a few harrowing moments， I didn’t come away from this with much perhaps because Browning’s central contention that all people have the capacity to become cold blooded killers is one I already agree with—I didn’t need a 300 page book to tell me that。 Psalm 51:5 kinda beat him to the punch on that front。 。。。more
Evan
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This novel is faced paced。 You learn all the significant material about how battalion 101 operated， as well as how the men reacted to the mass killings of Jews， and the steps required for （ordinary men） to develop into savages。 Many atrocities are recorded meticulously to demonstrate， In the most depth possible， the impact these events had among the men of police battalion 101 and the Jewish community。 Remarkably thoroughly researched， as well as being mostly easy to read。 The last 100 pages wor This novel is faced paced。 You learn all the significant material about how battalion 101 operated， as well as how the men reacted to the mass killings of Jews， and the steps required for （ordinary men） to develop into savages。 Many atrocities are recorded meticulously to demonstrate， In the most depth possible， the impact these events had among the men of police battalion 101 and the Jewish community。 Remarkably thoroughly researched， as well as being mostly easy to read。 The last 100 pages work through the hypotheses for why the battalion would have been capable of taking part in theses killings， and the defenses the men gave out to explain their actions。 This novel is one of a kind。 。。。more
Joshua
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Generally viewed as an essential entry in the holocaust record， Browning's book is a grim and downright chilling account of how ordinary men became willing participants in Hitler's Final Solution。 Given the content， it would be hard to say that I "enjoyed" Ordinary Men， but I am glad I read it。 It's important to be reminded of what people are capable of when subjected to peer pressure， a steady stream of dehumanizing propaganda， and horrific orders from authority figures。 This book's strength is Generally viewed as an essential entry in the holocaust record， Browning's book is a grim and downright chilling account of how ordinary men became willing participants in Hitler's Final Solution。 Given the content， it would be hard to say that I "enjoyed" Ordinary Men， but I am glad I read it。 It's important to be reminded of what people are capable of when subjected to peer pressure， a steady stream of dehumanizing propaganda， and horrific orders from authority figures。 This book's strength is the historical analysis and examination of personal accounts of Police Battalion 101 members。 In my （unpopular） opinion， its weakness is Browning's amateur psychoanalysis of the Final Solution's "ordinary men。" With no empirical data or applicable generalizable studies， Browning's examination of the possible psychological explanations for Battalion 101 is interesting but ultimately pure speculation。 。。。more
Linnea
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After reading this take a glass of wine and hug a friend， you'll need it After reading this take a glass of wine and hug a friend， you'll need it 。。。more
Aaron Sanstrum
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interesting book。 super detailed information bordering on data。 focuses on a part of the final solution that I've seen some of but didn't realize that things were this bad。 interesting book。 super detailed information bordering on data。 focuses on a part of the final solution that I've seen some of but didn't realize that things were this bad。 。。。more
Benjamin
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The detailed descriptions of brutality and violence are gut-wrenching， but the later reflections on what could possibly have driven ordinary men to commit genocidal atrocities are timeless。
Ahmad Alzahrani
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great and horrifying
Gabs
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This book is'phard to read and savage in its conclusions。 Human beings are easily persuaded to lose all empathy and become cruel and murderous sadists。 Then return to an ordinary life and forget the horrors they have taken part in。 This book is'phard to read and savage in its conclusions。 Human beings are easily persuaded to lose all empathy and become cruel and murderous sadists。 Then return to an ordinary life and forget the horrors they have taken part in。 。。。more
Louisa Crichton
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When doing some work for uni this book was mentioned。 I got it and even though I have been aware and taight about the murder of jews I never knew this。 This book brings the reality back and the level of understanding of how normal people committed the most horrodous crimes。
Adam
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Really good book。 It looks at how regular reserve policemen could be turned into a force that hunted jews， executed thousands and gathered thousands more up for shipping to concentration camps。 It's a sad story。 But one we will repeat if we are not careful。 Not with jews， but something else。 Vaccines， immigration， social policy，etc。 This is a book to learn from。 Read again some day。 Really good book。 It looks at how regular reserve policemen could be turned into a force that hunted jews， executed thousands and gathered thousands more up for shipping to concentration camps。 It's a sad story。 But one we will repeat if we are not careful。 Not with jews， but something else。 Vaccines， immigration， social policy，etc。 This is a book to learn from。 Read again some day。 。。。more
Thomasso
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Excellent book， esp。 the later editions because here the author clearly and convincingly discusses the main points of difference with Goldhagen's 'willing executioners' which is partly based on the same historical material。 Excellent book， esp。 the later editions because here the author clearly and convincingly discusses the main points of difference with Goldhagen's 'willing executioners' which is partly based on the same historical material。 。。。more
Tami Robinson
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This was a difficult read but I think an essential piece of Holocaust literature。 It reads like a research paper or doctoral thesis so if that’s not your thing…move on。 I found myself having to take breaks because of the heavy content but I’m glad I finished this。 I’ve heard this book described as ‘changing the way history is looked at’ and I agree。 Worth a read for history buffs。
Remus Rimbu
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An amazing analysis of human behavior and human nature。 Terrifying implications if main thesis turns out to be true！
Becky J
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Interesting， depressing read。 Enjoyed the academic smackdown in the epilogue。
Bob Mayer
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This is a chilling account of a reserve unit responsible for atrocities and how ‘ordinary’ men acted when given leeway。 A must-read in today’s angry climate。 You don't think your neighbors can commit atrocities？ Those of us who've deployed to war zones have seen it happen and it could happen here。 This is a chilling account of a reserve unit responsible for atrocities and how ‘ordinary’ men acted when given leeway。 A must-read in today’s angry climate。 You don't think your neighbors can commit atrocities？ Those of us who've deployed to war zones have seen it happen and it could happen here。 。。。more
Evan
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"The fundamental problem is not to explain why ordinary Germans， as members of a people utterly different from us and shaped by a culture that permitted them to think and act in no other way than to want to be genocidal executioners， eagerly killed Jews when the opportunity offered。 The fundamental problem is to explain why ordinary men--shaped by a culture that had its own particularities but was nonetheless within the mainstream of western， Christian， and Enlightenment traditions--under specif "The fundamental problem is not to explain why ordinary Germans， as members of a people utterly different from us and shaped by a culture that permitted them to think and act in no other way than to want to be genocidal executioners， eagerly killed Jews when the opportunity offered。 The fundamental problem is to explain why ordinary men--shaped by a culture that had its own particularities but was nonetheless within the mainstream of western， Christian， and Enlightenment traditions--under specific circumstances willingly carried out the most extreme genocide in human history。" 。。。more
Vendea
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Listened to the audio book of this。 I think I had a reprinted version with a second afterword that addressed some of the scholarly criticism the first edition received。 Overall I think it was very well written。 I especially appreciated the analysis of motivations at the end， and the comparison with other leading historians and authors theories on the determining factors in the behavior of these men。
Tiffany Wacaser
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Browning examines how ordinary men became Holocaust executioners， revealing just how difficult it can be to stand up against the group。 Chilling， heart-wrenching， and difficult。
Michael
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I'm wary of appearing to resort to hyperbole， but this book is truly life changing。 The hard reality of the events confronts our glossed notions of mankind （and ourselves）， brutally shattering any silly notions that "surely I/we could never do X。" Alarming trends in today's society further call for understanding the themes of this book。 I'm wary of appearing to resort to hyperbole， but this book is truly life changing。 The hard reality of the events confronts our glossed notions of mankind （and ourselves）， brutally shattering any silly notions that "surely I/we could never do X。" Alarming trends in today's society further call for understanding the themes of this book。 。。。more
Kennard
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Rillingen lopen over je lijf tijdens het lezen maar wel hele interessante studie van normale mannen die in bizarre omstandigheden bizarre dingen doen。
Tyrfingur Kiyomizu
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If you seek a greater understanding of how the Holocaust could happen I suggest this book as a starting point。 Especially， if like myself， you simply couldn't accept the trite explanation heard from civilians and veterans alike。。。。。 "the SS did everything and we knew nothing"。A seminal work。 If you seek a greater understanding of how the Holocaust could happen I suggest this book as a starting point。 Especially， if like myself， you simply couldn't accept the trite explanation heard from civilians and veterans alike。。。。。 "the SS did everything and we knew nothing"。A seminal work。 。。。more
Kartikey Singh
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