On Ordinary Men

In this book, Christopher Browning argues that men of Reserve Police Battalion were not necessarily indoctrinated into National Socialist ideology, and instead committed genocide as a result of mundane concerns—pride, career advancement, peer pressure, and sometimes racism without the rest of the baggage that comes with National Socialism. This has broader implications, as it suggests that the Holocaust was not the result of an “authoritarian personality” or National Socialism as an ideology, but personal exigencies. As such, anyone is capable of committing these same acts if given pressure. This perspective is further supported by numerous psychological tests, including Philip Zimbardo’s notorious prison experiment. As in the prison experiment, only about ~20% of the battalion refused to kill Jews. In spite of this, they were still complicit in that they helped to round them up, reward Polish informants, etc.

Overall, this is a harrowing work that needs reading. It seems more like common sense today, but Browning’s work offers anecdotes and analysis is deeper than simple surface-level narrative.