Eichman Banal Evil

The Corruption of the Ordain

Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil is a book about the Eichmann trials, written in Hannah Arendt's perspective. Hannah Arendt was a German-American political theorist, who was often labeled as a philosopher. During the trials she offered herself as a reporter for The New Yorker magazine. Arendt was a Jew, and an early refugee from Germany, making her uniquely qualified to cover the trial, but conversely created controversy among the Jewish community. Arendt received static from the public because she was a Jew defending the morals of a Nazi. Throughout the trial, Arendt composed her impressions of Eichmann and articulated her opinion of the defendant. Throughout the Report on the Banality of Evil, Arendt explores the allegations from a legal and moral perspective, claiming that Eichmann is not a monster or the radical evil, but rather, the "banal evil." Although Eichmann's actions were legally wrong, Arendt saw a moral indifference. She believed that the Eichmann's case posed a moral question, and the answer to it may not have been legally relevant

Adolf Eichmann was a German Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer. He was in charge of arranging the mass deportations of Jews to the extermination camps. After his capture, Nazi war criminal, Eichmann was taken to trial for the mass murders of the Jews. The attorney general in charge of the case signed a bill of indictment against Eichmann on 15 counts, including crimes against the Jewish people as well as crimes against humanity. The Nazi trials provoked international interest, which led to world news. Arendt attended the majority of Eichmann's district court sessions where she recorded what she witnessed and later formed her own testimonials.

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...ded from reality by these "winged words." The judge called Eichmann's language "empty talk."

Although Arendt observed murder as a crime legally, she believed that the Eichmann's case posed a moral question, and the answer to it may not have been legally relevant. Arendt tried to comprehend Eichmann's claim that he was only doing his job, and although she may not fully agree, she is the only one trying to understand. "Those who told Eichmann that he could have acted differently simply did not know, or had forgotten, how things had been." She questioned, "how can one load train after train of Jews to send them to extermination camps, with a clear conscience?" Arendt did not try to justify his actions, but she was the only one who tried to understand his perspective.

Eichmann is a case of the ordinary being corrupted. Eichmann thought of himself as an ordinary man.