How Did "Ordinary Men" Become Murderers? 

I’ve seen herd mentality in young children. My son is disabled and all he ever wanted was to feel included and belong. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. I watched as these so called “ nice” kids all ganged up on him. Individually they can be okay but in a group with one bully and they all turn. Bullies are very sophisticated by the age of three. It’s fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I watched a 3 year old bully another 3 year old. She had two other kids working for her and would direct them on what to do and then pretend she had nothing to do with it!!

This is the book I always recommend as a read if someone wants to know how it is possible that people can turn to such extreme cruelty. I am very very grateful to the author!

Once again, thank you Prof Browning. What most people won’t ever accept, or acknowledge is that any one of us - ALL of us - are capable of killing.

In College, in specific classes, I often asked this question. Usually ( well, not usually)... everytime, the professor wouldn't say sht. The students stared- around in space. Later, we lived next door to a German descent woman and family. She was a young- girl, growing up in Nazi Germany. She wasn't Jewish. She said, you had to just accept what the government was doing. Like today.

One of the most sickening tragedies in the entire history of mankind. "NEVER AGAIN"!

Above all...how could they murder children and babies???

I was going to share that I could never do these kinds of things because of my values, faith and strong sense of right and wrong I learnt since childhood. Then I thought about times when I did things I knew to be wrong due to feelings, selfishness, anger etc. Now I'm not so sure...

Very interesting indeed. Prof. Browning is a very good speaker too. I actually have his book on my desk. Going to read it soon.

Listening to Professor Browning is always fascinating and inspiring. Ordinary people's herd mentality is terrifying. From my own experience, I can conclude a crowd is less intelligent than a herd of sheep (and it smells worst!). Although, I find "herd mentality" falls short in the attempt of the explanation of any kind of genocidal endeavor. I find it to be inhuman. There's a sadistic vector in it and it is societal!

Vielen Dank für diesen Beitrag. 👍🌹👍🌹👍🌹

The ordinary men suddenly enjoyed their power. Intoxicating.

It is so disturbing, God knows what those poor families mental state must have been in, being on the receiving end of this cruelty. Germany as a nation has a reputation for great efficiency. It chills me to the bone to say it, but they put this efficiency into a production line of cruelty, suffering, and destruction. And they did it with their conscience clear, as if they were trying to be the most efficient baked bean canning factory.

The first 20 were given a choice... only 1 opted out... and he was cursed out for his choice.

I read the book and for anyone unhindered by subjectivity will see in it how decent people can be coerced to commit terrible acts and to then reconcile these acts to become a new normal, just another day at work. Its the banality of it that's so chilling.

That same question could and should be asked about recent events?

This happen to a lot of countries,in rwanda genocide, or even the armenia genocide,a lot of killer were ordinary people.a lot of time the victim knew there killer.

Just finished reading this book. Good read.

what a book i recommend it,,, but having said that ,, the bottom line was that they were afraid for themselves, kill or be killed is the bottom line ...... FEAR.

It’s a good question. We could say “how did Jimmy Saville, and countless others get away with it?” People fear for their income, for their safety, for the safety of their family... so they go along with the evil.

I recommend David Grossman's book; "On Killing: The psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society."

Christopher R. Browning's book is amazing

I read often G.K Chesterton " Heresy" and Orthodoxy" He says only "The fall of Man is a reality , if you try to deny it, history becomes inexplicable" Holocaust was unique, but there have been the Khmer Rouge, there is North Korea and there has been M Duvalier of Haiti.Without a hard rooted ethic human beings are able to any cruelty. Read Hannah Ahrend!

I tend toward the theory put forth by Daniel goldhagen in his book hitlers willing executioners.

They were fooled into believing they did the “right” thing.

It would be interesting to know how many chose not to shoot? What would have happened if they ALL said we are not going to shoot? It’s very relevant today because so many young people in particular believe propaganda. Social media is controlling what they believe, and they haven’t been taught to think for themselves.

Power/Authority

They were brought up by individuals brutalised by war and suffering from PTSD. Not an excuse just a factor to consider.

Just watched the documentarty and it should be noted MOST of the men stepped aside. Unfotuntatley they hsd to live with with those that did for months and months and wete subjected to bullying

You do crazy things because you see others do it too and get away with it, and you don't want to be the odd one out in the group.

“We were men of the time” was a common response when asked about their generation’s participation in Nazi war crimes

This sounds like Telford Taylor's account of this behavior. "They did it because it became the thing to do."

If you study the Covid response and how people acted then you know exactly how these things can happen.

I've always been fascinated how normal people bought into the Nazi movement.

If you were 48 in 1942, you sure had been likely to experience fighting in WWI.

If you are interested, look at both the Milgram and Zimbardo studies ( which have both been replicated many times since the original work), and then tell me 'normal decent people' don't do these vile actions- Called sometimes ' banal evil'.

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It's a sad fact that we have to add the redundant adjective, "rational" to the concept "self-interest" or "selfishness". An irrational self-interest or an irrational selfishness is a contradiction, i.e., an oxymoron. But, since that fact is not commonly, instantly recognized, it is necessary. Additionally, I don't like to focus on the role (end) of govt. as most do. It's a distraction, a waste of time. I would focus on the means of govt. because "The means determines the end". Since the govt. means is taken for granted, not debated, not even identified, to skip it and go to the end of govt. causes a great deal of confusion. I would begin with criticism and rejection of the initiation of force, threat, which is the political paradigm all governments use. This overwhelms, impedes reason, rights, choice, which should be the first focus as the political paradigm. The worldwide political paradigm harms us, e.g., "The Most Dangerous Superstition" by Larken Rose, gives examples of how anti-life, inhuman, irrational, the worship of authority can be. Past societies practiced human sacrifices and forced them on all, no exceptions allowed, no respect for dissent, discussion that might eventually change the practice. People who disagreed were not even allowed to exist. They were murdered. Superstition together with coercion is not scientific. It's not rational to exclude ideas by violence, threats, fraud. But the initiation of force, threats, fraud, is accepted "on faith", i.e., superstitiously, as "orderly", "civilized", and the opposite, i.e., non-violence, reason, rights, choice, is claimed to be chaos, anarchy, and is stopped by force. This is species suicide. Eventually, if the custom "get alone, go along by obeying authority" continues, humanity will self-destruct.

He describes IDF to a T.

The quote - " History repeats itself" is so adept to today's circumstances where the same practical massacre is being carried out by Israelites (IDF) onto the Palestinians muslims . And the World Stands Watching 💔

Imagine this was an objective documentary ... Not put together by the winners of WW2 (Yad Vashem) ...

So interesting, so incomplete. Many questions, no answer. Here, at least.

Lockdown taught us there are many people who would have happily turned in Anne Frank. Human nature is predictable. Scarily so.

Gerard Menuhin : " Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil ".Bitte lesen : Professor Gerard Menuhin " Wahrheit sagen , Teufel jagen ". Жерар Менухин " Правду сказать ,чёрта прогнать " :

Fascinating and disturbing...

I think that the people most resistant to the Nazis were people who critically thought for themselves and people who were deeply religious such as devout Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses. Because the religious answer to a higher authority. The 5th Commandment by God commands "thy shalt not kill." This is why many righteous people were religious but not all.

A question to be asked in Russia of today. How was “Bucha” even possible?

Because they were afraid of poverty and death. People are still like that today. They will throw their own under a bus to save their pathetic lives.

😩🙏🏿

This is worse because they chose mediocrity . In France ordinary people became intoxicated with cruel zealous ollaboration

Group Think and tribalism is very strong, like a great title wave that washes practically everyone towards a certain action.

So you said nothing!,,

Most SS camp guards were the bottom of the bucket type. Drunks, criminals, and people that been at the lower end of society. Poor drunks always find someone to blame for all the problems

We Must Pray and Support God's Chosen People. This Shall Never Happen Again. We Shall Never Forget.

A nice uniform, a paycheck and a lil peer pressure

It still happens today ;look what Israel does in Gaza…

Please. Anti-Semitism was endemic in Germany and Europe in general. It would not have been that difficult a transition.

These were not "ordinary men" but demons placed in human guise at that time by the devil to commit evil depravities. Their eternal future is sealed to be cast into the flames of hell amongst other vile beasts from the dawn of history!

Sad to say, still today, we have the choice to choose life over death for our innocent unborn children.

Video does not answer the question ..................

How did ordinary men become murderers? It started with them believing they were on the right side of history. Sound familiar?

Same as mentioned in Hindus mythology that they are superior.

You're surprised that unsaved men who have little to no exposure to God would engage in sin? Y'all need to sit closer to your Bibles. Political positions are dictated by your theological choices folks.

Has man learned anything about History.

Easy they had black hearts. It was not the color of skin. They had a black heart. I'm not juish but my respect l have. It's not easy seeing them kill kids. Special kids like my son.

Yet another movie promoting the same old narrative about how many jews were killed by Nazis, during the war... completely ignoring the 11 millions other people killed by nazis, because apparently the jews claim that God told them they are 'the chosen ones' and anybody else that was killed, (homosexuals, communists, gypsies, disabled, rebellious clergy and germans, resistance fighters, prostitutes and alcoholics for example) is not worth mentioning. (It is BEYOND insulting to constantly dismiss the other victims that died a horrific death and only focus on the jews that died!)

But today they marry the Germans blending again. But it's what they do. Blue eyes green. But they were not in Holocaust it was there family tree. D.N.A. WILL EXPLAIN WHY? 😢

Only godless people can

That's easy. They learned from the socialists. They learned from the Bolsheviks.

Germany should be held liable even today for what they did.

Ask Hamas and Israel...

It depends on the MENTALITY of the country you were born into....