Ordinary Men
Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
by Christopher R. Browning · first published 1992
61% recommend39% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Chilling account of how ordinary middle-aged police reservists with little Nazi ideology became mass murderers of Jews; suits readers who want to understand how normal people follow appalling orders.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Christopher R. Browning’s shocking account of how a unit of average middle-aged Germans became the cold-blooded murderers of tens of thousands of Jews. Ordinary Men is the true story of Reserve Police Battalion 101 of the German Order Police, which was responsible for mass shootings as well as round-ups of Jewish people for deportation to Nazi death camps in Poland in 1942. Browning argues that most of the men of RPB 101 were not fanatical Nazis but, rather, ordinary middle-aged, working-class men who committed these atrocities out of a mixture of motives, including the group dynamics of
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If you haven't read Ordinary Men (https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Soluti...) by Christopher Browning I think you would like it, the book is about who follows appalling orders, why they do, and what does (and doesn't)…
on “Reading Grossman's “Stalingrad” and ”Life and Fate”” ↗…example for Arendt's main idea of evil's banality in certain people and groups, but the idea is far from being invalidated. One book I strongly recommend that reinforces the idea in the modern age is "Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland" by Christopher Browning. His thoroughly researched book describes the basic nature of most of the members of Nazi death squads in the eastern…
on “Not Belonging to the World: Hannah Arendt Holds Firm” ↗I also recommend a couple of books on this subject: - Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning - Into that Darkness by Gitta Sereny Into that Darkness is the most depressing book I've ever read. It is essentially an interview with Franz Stangl, one of the commandants of…
on “The Life of an Auschwitz Guard” ↗You should read Ordinary Men [1] sometime. All humans have the capacity for evil which is why we must stay vigilant. From the description: Browning argues that most of the men of RPB 101 were not fanatical Nazis but, rather, ordinary…
on “Chinese military entering Shenzen, just across the border with Hong Kong” ↗Rubicon by Tom Holland - https://www.amazon.com/Rubicon-Tom-Holland/dp/1400078970 Christopher Browning, Ordinary Germans Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution - https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Soluti... Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth https://www.amazon.com/Zealot-Life-Times-Jesus-Nazareth/dp/0... The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates - https://www.amazon.com/Poison-King-Legend-Mithradates-Deadli...…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite history books?” ↗I recommend reading book - Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland. Well researched (based on testimonials) and well written. Some men get used to the job, some enjoyed it, some kept refusing. > Twelve…
on “Germans Who Refused to Execute Civilians During World War II (1988) [pdf]” ↗If you are interested in the topic read - Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland > Christopher R. Browning’s shocking account of how a unit of average middle-aged Germans became the cold-blooded murderers of tens of thousands…
on “Weizsäcker's speech on 40th anniversary of WW2's end (1985)” ↗This reminds me of the book Ordinary Men, people overestimate their goodness, but put in the right (wrong) situation we can become monsters. https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Soluti...
on “The world should think better about catastrophic and existential risks” ↗…concerns about freedom of speech to the gas chambers. I don’t say this to exaggerate — I really think that’s how things spun out of control in Germany. There’s a somewhat terrifying book on said topic: Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland. A book review reads: “[this is] a shocking account of how a unit of average middle-aged Germans became the cold-blooded murderers of tens…
on “ Facebook took our election ad money then bulk-deleted our pages” ↗> I think I'd rather some people be vaccinated without their consent Read the book "Ordinary men" (by Christopher R. Browning). Normal people, like you and me, had "very good" reason to do what they did when they did it.
on “Germany locks down unvaccinated people, as leaders plan to make shots compulsory” ↗…The point was to show how easy it is to get caught up in such movements (all of us are susceptible). There’s a good book that shares this story from an ordinary german citizen: https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Soluti...
on “The Third Wave (Experiment)” ↗No, mostly it just reminds us that ordinary people are mostly evil. At best they’re purely self–interested. There’s no dissent there. There’s a good book called “Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland” by Christopher Browning which explores this. The Reserve Police Battalions were created by Germany to police captured territory, but they…
on “The dark side of account bans” ↗> I don’t think they want to be doing these things some of them are being ordered to do, and I think that continuing to do bad things is how fascists are able to take hold. Check out "Ordinary Men" by Christopher R. Browning.
on “A German ISP changed their DNS to block my website” ↗…bookshelf with a swastika on it!"), nobody wants to read about Nazi's... but this book is about why such ideologies are so attractive, and why ought be avoided. Read this book, but if the topic interests you Ordinary Men by Chris Rush expands much further on this topic, following a geriatric brigade of conscripted laymen "Nazis." ¢¢
on “They Thought They Were Free (1955)” ↗…read "The World Until Yesterday" by Jared Diamond, "The Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind", "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl, "Tribe" by Sebastian by Junger and " Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland". One problem with TFA, male Bonobos exist and do not act like male Chimps. Why? Furthermore, human females are not that different from…
on “A new book argues that violence laid the foundation for virtue” ↗