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Analysis Of Chapter Two Of Ordinary Men By Christopher R. Browning

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Christopher R. Browning begins chapter two of Ordinary Men with the following question: “How did a battalion of middle-aged reserve policemen find themselves facing the task of shooting some 1500 Jews in the Polish village of Józefów in the summer of 1942?” A variety of factors played a role in the process that took place in which the men from Reserve Police Battalion 101 transitioned from common citizens to cold-blooded killers. The factors that impacted the men’s decisions included Nazi manipulation and propaganda, their psychological states, and social pressures. Manipulation and propaganda were two techniques the Nazis used to achieve the Final Solution. Their use of propaganda built upon centuries of hatred and fear toward the Jews; …show more content…

The Nazis dehumanized the Jews and convinced many that the Jews caused everything that was going wrong, both socially and economically, within Germany and throughout the world. However, these techniques do not entirely explain why the men of Police Battalion 101 participated in the Jews’ mass executions. According to Browning, “the age of the men affected their susceptibility to indoctrination another way as well. Many of the Nazi perpetrators were very young men. They had been raised in a world in which Nazi values were the only ‘moral norms’ they knew. It could be argued that such young men, schooled and formed solely under the conditions of the Nazi dictatorship, simply did not know any better. Killing Jews did not conflict with the value system they had grown up with…” The men of Police Battalion 101 could not use Nazi …show more content…

Experiencing traumatizing situations repeatedly, especially events as despicable as those witnessed by the men of Police Battalion 101, causes psychological issues and the mind must protect itself to survive; one way that an individual’s mind prevents mental break-downs is through desensitization. After viewing numerous executions, it is likely that the men became desensitized to the killing process. Stanley Milgram’s electroshock study presents another possible explanation for the men’s behavior: following orders and obeying authority are ingrained within most individuals. If an individual in an authority position orders some to complete a task, it is difficult not to comply, especially when all or most your peers take part. Social factors strongly impact many aspects of a person’s behavior and affected the men’s decisions to murder the

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