Ordinary Men Essay - 935 Words

Christopher R. Browning’s â€Å"Ordinary Men† chronicles the rise and fall of the Reserve Police Battalion 101. The battalion was one of several units that took part in the Final Solution to the Jewish Question while in Poland. The men of Reserve Police Battalion 101, and other units were comprised of ordinary men, from ordinary backgrounds living under the Third Reich. Browning’s premise for the book is very unique, instead of focusing on number of victims, it examines the mindset of how ordinary men, became cold-hearted killers under Nazi Germany during World War II. Christopher Browning’s â€Å"Ordinary Men† presents a very strong case that the men who made up the Reserve Police Battalion 101 were indeed ordinary men from ordinary background, and†¦show more content†¦Functionalism versus intentionalism is an ongoing historical debate about the origins of the Holocaust. The two questions that the debate centers around on are; was there a master plan by Adolf Hitler for the holocaust? The intentionalist argument is that there was a ‘master plan’, while functionalist’s ague that there was not. The second question is whether the initiative for the Holocaust and the Final Solution come from Adolf Hitler himself, or from lower ranks in the Third Reich. Both side agree that Hitler was the supreme leader, and was responsible for encouraging the anti-Semitism during the Holocaust, but intentionalists believe that the initiative for the final solution came from above, while functionalists argue that it came from the lower ranks within the bureaucracy. Before World War II, few of the members who made up Police Battalion 101 were not soldiers, officer, but came from simple backgrounds such as businessmen, dockworkers, machine operators, teachers, truck drivers, etc. Only a small percentage of the Police Battalion 101 was even part of the Nazi party prior to World War II. As the Final Solution in Poland went on, and more and more Jews were being massacred every day, many members of the battalion began to question themselves, and if what they were doing was wrong. The few soldiers who refused shooting were labeled as weak, and traitors to Germany, this wasShow MoreRelatedEssay on Ordinary Men1126 Words   |  5 PagesThere are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are faced to deal with (William Halsey). The same can be said about volatile men. This is the quote Christopher R. Browning thought of when he named this book. The men of the 101st battalion were rarely faced with decisions. Even if it had been proposed by Trapp the morning of Jozefow that any of the older men who did not feel up to the task that lay before them could step out (Browning, chapter 7, pg. 57), heRead More Ordinary Men by Browning Essay1630 Words   |  7 PagesOrdinary Men by Browning The men of Reserve Police Battalion 101 were just ordinary men, from a variety of backgrounds, education, and age. It would appear that they were not selected by any force other than random chance. Their backgrounds and upbringing, however, did little to prepare these men for the horrors they were to witness and participate in. The group was made up of both citizens and career policemen. Major Wilhelm Trapp, a career policeman and World War I veteran headed the battalionRead MoreBrownings Ordinary Men Essay1066 Words   |  5 PagesThere are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are faced to deal with (William Halsey). The same can be said about volatile men. This is the quote Christopher R. Browning thought of when he named this book. The men of the 101st battalion were rarely faced with decisions. Even if it had been proposed by Trapp the morning of Jozefow that any of the older men who did not feel up to the task that lay before them could step out (Browning, chapter 7, pg. 57), heRead MoreEssay Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning1256 Words   |  6 PagesOrdinary Men by Christopher Browning I. Ordinary Men is the disconcerting examination of how a typical unit of middle-aged reserve policemen became active participants in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Polish Jews. Reserve Police Battalion 101 was made up of approximately 500 men most from working and lower-middle-class neighborhoods in Hamburg Germany. They were police reservists, not trained in combat, some of whom worked with and had been friendly with Jews before the war. Read MoreOrdinary Men Book Review Essay976 Words   |  4 PagesOrdinary Men Christopher Browning describes how the Reserve Police Battalion 101, like the rest of German society, was immersed in a flood of racist and anti-Semitic propaganda. Browning describes how the Order Police provided indoctrination both in basic training and as an ongoing practice within each unit. Many of the members were not prepared for the killing of Jews. The author examines the reasons some of the police members did not shoot. The physiological effect of isolation, rejection, andRead MoreOrdinary Men b Christopher Browning Essay1632 Words   |  7 Pages In the book Ordinary Men, Christopher Browning tackles the question of why German citizens engaged in nefarious behavior that led to the deaths of millions of Jewish and other minorities throughout Europe. The question of what drove Germans to commit acts of genocide has been investigated by numerous historians, but unfortunately, no overarching answer for the crimes has yet been decided upon. However, certain theories are more popular than others. Daniel Goldhagen in his book, Hitler’s WillingRead MoreWomen And Women Anti Suffragists874 Words   |  4 Pages There were men and women anti-suffragists who opposed female enfranchisement to actually preserve the norms of American femininity. It is essential to note that individuals who held this anti-suffrage position were neither members of the aristocrat-class nor were they economically unfortunate. They were ordinary men and women who believed that traditional beliefs and values regarding female was at risk because of the suffrage movement. During this particular time period, woman were involvedRead MoreThe Expectations Of Morality And Actions972 Words   |  4 PagesConnor McAdoo HIST-111-B Olin 22 April 2017 Word Count: 918 Ordinary Men Essay As a society, we have certain expectations concerning morality and actions. When an individual’s behavior coincides with our societies’ expectations then they are deemed as ordinary because they are not an outlier. Though when the situation changes for individuals so do their actions and after an amount of time their new actions and behaviors become the norm. Even when the behavior fundamentally conflicts with theirRead MoreCritical Analytical Essay : Laurel Ulrich1626 Words   |  7 Pages Critical Analytical Essay Assignment In 2007, Laurel Ulrich, wrote Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History, from which there is an essay that speaks on history, and how women have been left out. She wrote this as a result of her newfound fame due to a phrase in her 1976 journal article; this phrase would ultimately give her 2007 article it’s name. In her essay, her goal is to write about the lack of women in history as a whole; she then illustrates the type of women who by a turn of fate makeRead MoreAnalysis Of I Want A Wife 851 Words   |  4 Pages Analysis: â€Å"I want a wife.† In this short essay by Judy Brady named, â€Å" I want a wife† is an ordinary essay which Brady examines the ideas of a mans’ perspective, of how women should behave, not just any women but as a wife. In the essay, wifes are said to not complain and treat their loved one the best way possible. The authors argument is saying a wife is like a robot, for example he says sarcastically, â€Å"I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife s duties