- Adolf Eichmann was a traveling salesman before joining the Nazi party. He worked his way up the ranks easily and in 1942 was put in charge of transporting Jews to extermination camps under the “final solution” plan.
- Eichmann was captured in Argentina in 1960 and put to death by an Israeli court in 1962
- Hannah Arendt claims that Adolf Eichmann carried out evil acts without evil intentions. He was able to carry out evil acts because he could not put their impact into perspective.
- Banality of evil- people who are not entirely evil but commit evil acts because it is convenient to them. Average people doing evil things without acknowledging the nature of their acts.
- Arendt’s theory is highly criticized. Most say it doesn’t take human conscience and capacity to reason into consideration
- The Origins of Totalitarianism is split into 3 essays: Antisemitism, Imperialism, and Totalitarianism. Eichmann argues that totalitarianism distinguishes itself from other oppressive forms of government in that fear is used to suppress populations and not just political opponents. Regimes want to control every part of the lives of their citizens.
- Arendt details Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia in the novel
- Arendt had to flee from Germany and Nazi occupied France in 1933.
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