Ordinary Men – Revised Edition

*Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland* (Revised Edition) by Christopher R. Browning is a seminal work of Holocaust history that examines the role of a reserve police battalion in the systematic murder of Jews during World War II. The book focuses on Reserve Police Battalion 101, a unit of middle-aged, working-class men from Hamburg, Germany, who were responsible for the mass killings of Jews in Poland, particularly during the infamous massacre at the village of Józefów in 1942. Browning investigates how these ordinary men, many of whom were not ideologically committed to Nazism, became perpetrators of genocide. Drawing on testimonies and trial records, Browning explores the psychological, social, and institutional factors that led these men to carry out atrocities, examining themes such as obedience, peer pressure, and the dehumanization of victims. The revised edition of the book includes updated analysis, new insights, and responses to critiques, solidifying *Ordinary Men* as a crucial text for understanding the dynamics of mass violence and the capacity for ordinary people to commit horrific acts under certain conditions. The book challenges the notion that only “evil” individuals are capable of such actions, offering a chilling examination of the mechanisms that allow ordinary people to become perpetrators of atrocities.