Louis Onoratini Unit 3 Post 1

“Banality of Evil”:

Eichmann simply joined the Nazi movement,
- Never particularly agreed with their evil doings but helped them along
- So can we really say that he wasn’t evil?
- Worse than bystander but not as bad as actual doer?
Different levels of evil?
Intentions of Eichmann did not seem in the wrong place
- Does that matter when millions died because of him?

The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt on the Normalization of Human Wickedness and Our Only Effective Antidote to It

If Eichmann truly wasn’t evil he would have gone against it
- “Never react to an evil in such a way as to augment it” – Simone Weil
- However, evil takes many forms
  - Not always recognizable at first glance

The Origins of Totalitarianism:

Understanding totalitarianism
- Hitlerianism in Germany
- Stalinism in the Soviet Union
  - End of totalitarianism is concentration camps in the eyes of Arendt
How does tyranny come to power?
- Through alienation of the others and strong demagogues
People with no party allegiance were swayed towards anti-system parties
- Wished to be represented in one way or another

Why Arendt Matters: Revisiting “The Origins of Totalitarianism”

Mass movements are key to totalitarianism
- Extremely strong loyalty in these
- Gives immense power to their leaders
  - I.e. Trump and his statement in Iowa in 2016
Arendt says “the road to totalitarian domination leads through many intermediate stages for which we can find numerous analogies and precedents.”
- Important always pay attention to the rise of populist demagogues

Adolf Eichmann:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Adolf-Eichmann

Born in Germany, lived in Austria and died by hanging in Israel
- He was convicted for his crimes during the Holocaust
He was a regular salesman before his nazi life, but lost his job during the Great Depression
- He joined in 1932 and rose through the ranks quite quickly
- Was put in charge of getting rid of Jews in Vienna and Prague
In 1942 he was relocated to Berlin and was put in charge of the final solution to the Jewish problem
- Mass execution
- Named Chief Executioner
After WWII he fled to the Middle East and then to Buenos Aires, Argentina
- There he was caught by the Israelites and brought to Israel to be judged
Didn’t consider himself to be an anti-semite
- Said he was just an obedient bureaucrat
- Said he had not violated any laws
- He professed his discomfort regarding the gas chambers, “I was horrified. My nerves aren’t strong enough. I can’t listen to such things—such things, without their affecting me”
Was he just part of something bigger than himself?
- Or simply a professional liar?
- Either way, his actions cannot be excused

Eichmann at his trial