Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Book Review
Julia Johnson
Professor Nehil
History 100E
11.14.13
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Book Review Not only did the Holocaust present the murders against many Jews, but it acted as more of a testimony of murders committed against humanity in general. The Holocaust single-handedly wiped out a significant number of Jewish populations in Europe.1 The holocaust happened because numerous Germans believed that the Jews were to blame for the downfall of the German empire. It was a terrifying plan that transpired to deal with the unwanted Jews. Einzatsgruppen and Police detachments were employed by the government to carry out orders to contain the Jewish populations in ghettos or to eliminate them completely.2 Most people who have any understanding of what happened during the Holocaust know that Hitler is one to blame for the horribly inhumane acts; however the question of who is to blame for the Holocaust itself still exists today. It’s so hard to comprehend such cruelty could be behind just one person alone. Hitler may be the one to have planned this horrible milestone in history, but one question still remains: who were the people behind it? Christopher Browning’s is an American historian of the holocaust whose research focuses on the Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. He has written extensively about three issues: first, Nazi decision- and policy-making in regard to the origins of the Final Solution; second, the behavior and motives of various middle- and lower-echelon personnel involved in implementing Nazi Jewish policy; and thirdly, the use of survivor testimony to explore Jewish responses and survival strategies.3
In Christopher R. Browning’s book Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, Browning focuses on the men behind the Einzatsgruppen and Police detachments. I would say that his thesis is that despite how ordinary a man may seem, he is still capable of exterminating
Professor Nehil
History 100E
11.14.13
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Book Review Not only did the Holocaust present the murders against many Jews, but it acted as more of a testimony of murders committed against humanity in general. The Holocaust single-handedly wiped out a significant number of Jewish populations in Europe.1 The holocaust happened because numerous Germans believed that the Jews were to blame for the downfall of the German empire. It was a terrifying plan that transpired to deal with the unwanted Jews. Einzatsgruppen and Police detachments were employed by the government to carry out orders to contain the Jewish populations in ghettos or to eliminate them completely.2 Most people who have any understanding of what happened during the Holocaust know that Hitler is one to blame for the horribly inhumane acts; however the question of who is to blame for the Holocaust itself still exists today. It’s so hard to comprehend such cruelty could be behind just one person alone. Hitler may be the one to have planned this horrible milestone in history, but one question still remains: who were the people behind it? Christopher Browning’s is an American historian of the holocaust whose research focuses on the Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. He has written extensively about three issues: first, Nazi decision- and policy-making in regard to the origins of the Final Solution; second, the behavior and motives of various middle- and lower-echelon personnel involved in implementing Nazi Jewish policy; and thirdly, the use of survivor testimony to explore Jewish responses and survival strategies.3
In Christopher R. Browning’s book Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, Browning focuses on the men behind the Einzatsgruppen and Police detachments. I would say that his thesis is that despite how ordinary a man may seem, he is still capable of exterminating