A Review of Christopher R. Browning’s Book, Ordinary Men

I came across this text on Dr. Jordan B. Peterson’s reading list, which he has published on his website. I have previously listened to many of his academic psychology lectures via YouTube and upon stumbling across this work, I found the necessary desire to order it. Once I began reading, I was captivated instantly by the writing style, approach to the issue, and the academic methodology which was applied in the writing of this book. The basic premise of the text, is to provide both a psychological understanding of what drove normal individuals to commit horrific acts of genocide, while also providing a clear historical picture of events carried out by the 101 Police Battalion in Poland during the early 1940’s. (Click the link to read the full article.)
What makes this work unique is that the text is derived from a large group of first hand testimonies given by 210 men and which were gathered by war crime investigators during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Furthermore, the author dedicates a generous amount of time to providing a clear picture to the structure and function of the German police units which operated in both a foreign and domestic capacity throughout the Second World War. For this reason, the text is easily understandable for even those who do not have a prior depth of knowledge concerning World War II. The time-frame specifically focused on in this work, is 1940 to 1943 concerning the Final Solution in German occupied Poland. Through the retelling of the first-hand accounts provided by the policemen themselves, Christopher Browning plunges his readers back in history, to a time of universal conflict and skewed moral judgement. He meticulously examines the situational and environmental factors which drove these average men to commit atrocities which remain fresh in the minds of any person who so much as googles World War II. Browning differs from many others do to the fact that he does not simply commit bad actions to evil men, but rather explores the psychological theories which govern social development and institutionalized authority over individuals. In the final chapter,

Browning moves the discussion from one of history, to one of psychology, and furthermore he explores several prominent research finds carried out by landmark psychologist such as Phillip Zimbardo, and Stanley Milgram. He makes a strong case that although human biology is critical, environmental and cultural components also play a key in human development. The questions which this text wrestles with, are some of the most difficult questions which philosophers and theologians have asked themselves as far back as the ancient Greeks. Questions such as, “Is morality innate from birth?”, and “Does an individual retain the ability of free will under such circumstances as provided within the text, or does determinism dictate the choices of man?”. Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men, is a text which I found both enlightening and unsettling. I would highly endorse this literary work for all those who wish to either learn more about the Second World War or for those wishing to find an intriguing historical read which goes farther than just a basic reiteration of historical events.

"Evil that arises out of ordinary thinking and is committed by ordinary people is the norm, not the exception."

--Ervin Staub, Ordinary Men, pg. 167.