The shocking account of how a unit of average middle-aged Germans became the cold-blooded murderers of tens of thousands of Jews.
Ordinary Men
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Shocking as it is, this book--a crucial source of original research used for the bestseller Hitler's Willing Executioners--gives evidence to suggest the opposite conclusion: that the sad-sack German draftees who perpetrated much of the Holocaust were not expressing some uniquely Germanic evil, but that they were average men comparable to the run of humanity, twisted by historical forces into inhuman shapes. Browning, a thorough historian who lets no one off the moral hook nor fails to weigh any contributing factor--cowardice, ideological indoctrination, loyalty to the battalion, and reluctance to force the others to bear more than their share of what each viewed as an excruciating duty--interviewed hundreds of the killers, who simply could not explain how they had sunken into savagery under Hitler. A good book to read along with Ron Rosenbaum's comparably excellent study Explaining Hitler. --Tim Appelo
From Publishers Weekly
Browning reconstructs how a German reserve police battalion composed of "ordinary men," middle-aged, working class people, killed tens of thousands of Jews during WW II.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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IN THE VERY EARLY HOURS OF JULY 13, 1942, THE MEN OF Reserve Police Battalion 101 were roused from their bunks in the large brick school building that served as their barracks in the Polish town of Bilgoraj. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
IN THE VERY EARLY HOURS OF JULY 13, 1942, THE MEN OF Reserve Police Battalion 101 were roused from their bunks in the large brick school building that served as their barracks in the Polish town of Bilgoraj. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Although this book was an assigned reading for a college class, its honest portrayal of how regular men can be transformed into compassionless automatons captivated us. While one is usually quick to condemn Hitler's Germany and assume the moral high ground, this book made us stop and wonder what our actions would have been under the same circumstances. The way Browning described the drunken games the battalion would play to alleviate the horror of what they were doing is shocking and yet poignant. The decisions that the men were asked to make are foreign to our society. Nevertheless, every reader can understand the pressures that they faced. It is a story of courage and cowardice, of guilt and amorality; one which the reader is not likely to forget. Browning deftly brings to the surface issues that the reader would not have otherwise considered. It is a rewarding read for the casual reader and the history buff alike.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Browning's book, "Ordinary Men", on the role of the Reserve Police Battalion in the Nazi resettlement of Eastern Europe is disturbing in its content and analytical in its search for answers to why ordinary men could be so wicked. This study, by far, trumps anything Jonathan Littel provides in his sensational novel, "The Kindly Ones". Browning goes to great lengths to examine the lives of a number of men in this battalion who participated in the mass shootings and deportations of Jews living in numerous Polish ghettos like Lukow and Miedzyrzec. His extensive investigation of the facts seems to point in the direction of the power and influence of the direct order. While there was the occasional one who asked to be relieved of the order to execute defenceless innocents, most of the officers responded unquestionably. After all, all of the men in this minor military unit had sworn an oath of allegiance to Hitler when they joined up, and nothing was going to stand between them and their need to honor it as part of their misguided teutonic duty. The reader should be prepared to encounter a lot of dark and sordid detail in this book as it tries to plumb the bottom of one of the world's greatest mysteries: why the ordinary or commonplace people come to be associated with the forces of extreme evil. Overall, a well-written account of one of those defining moments in world history where the individual definitely had a clear but awful choice to make but sadly chose the wrong one.
Format:Hardcover
I have a large collection of books on WWII and the Holocaust. When we talk about people it pays to remember the culture in which they were brought up and the beliefs they held. There were brutal ghettos in Germany (especially Frankfort) long before the war.
There were also people in all the countries of the Reich that helped Jews despite the danger that sometimes killed them as well. They helped physically, which is easier to document, but also (and probably more important) by "misinterpreting", losing and delaying orders. Slowing the process where they could. Many of them will never be known, but their influence could be profound. This DOES NOT EXCUSE THE FIRST GROUP. But just as the terrorists of today, upbringing and religion in combination once again create unspeakable horrors.
So, my friend in Ontario, it is not IF such things can happen. The have and are, all over the world. And it is many times harder to fight cowards in masks who hide in the dark and rejoice in the suicide bombing that will send the bomber to heaven. Look at the records of the Japanese suicide pilots and the damage they caused beyond any "normal" attack while they died for the Emporer. Strongly held belief creates people who act far beyond what we may TRULY understand.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Analysis
Although our world has seen many events occur which defy explanation and simply boggle the mind, thus far none has matched the Holocaust in the intensity and sheer damage that it... Read more
Published on April 7 2004 by T. Kunikov
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Brutality
When the Second World War ended in Europe in May of 1945, some six million Jews had been killed in what the Nazis termed the Final Solution. Read more
Published on Dec 26 2003 by K Scheffler
4.0 out of 5 stars
The dark side of humanity
Browning's book came as a welcome relief after trudging through much of Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners. Read more
Published on Nov 17 2003 by James Ferguson
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Review of Ordinary Men
Based upon court records, Christopher R. Browning's historical account, Ordinary Men, provides a chilling description of how the middle-aged, working-class German men of Reserve... Read more
Published on Oct 19 2003 by The WW2 Seminar at the College of William and Mary
5.0 out of 5 stars
It could happen to any one of us...
This gripping work written by Christopher Browning should serve to educate all of us. It IS possible, under the right conditions that any one of us could contribute to the... Read more
Published on Oct 17 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing
A well research study, which seeks to raise disturbing questions regarding the actions of men. Should be compulsory reading.
Published on Jan 1 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Variables within a Death Squad.
...
Browning offers a good (and possibly the best-so far) historical interpretation of why ordinary men killed one-on-one during the Holocaust. Yet it is incomplete. Read more
Published on Sep 10 2002 by American_History_Rocks
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Monsters
Browning has written a very important book. He looks at the Reserve Police Battalion 101 from Hamburg made up of mostly middle-aged men mostly of artisans and working class... Read more
Published on July 29 2002 by Rodney J. Szasz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ordinary Men like me...
Browning reconstructs how a German reserve police battalion composed of ``ordinary men,'' middle-aged, working class people, killed tens of thousands of Jews during WW II.
Published on July 25 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
Men like us.
This is an excellent book. First of all, it is truly deep and impressive by virtue of avoiding the common guilt-clause, don't-you-feel-sorry-for-them tone. Read more
Published on May 2 2002
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