Ordinary Men Book Summary - Ordinary Men Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

Ordinary Men summary

Christopher R. Browning

Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

4.7 (25 ratings)
17 mins
Table of Contents

    Ordinary Men
    Summary of 8 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 8

    A Frightfully Unpleasant Task

    It was a hot July morning in 1942 when the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101 were awoken and summoned into the trucks awaiting them. They would soon be shuttled, atop a bumpy gravel road, to the Polish town of Józefów. 

    When the men clambered down from the vehicles, they were met with the sight of a typical Polish village: white houses, thatched straw roofs. They also saw their commander, Major Wilhelm Trapp –⁠ or “Papa Trapp,” as the men affectionately called the fifty-three-year-old.

    When Trapp began to speak, he didn’t do so with hate and anger in his voice. Instead, his words were choked, and his eyes were full of tears. On this day, he told them, the battalion would have to complete their first major action, and it would be a frightfully unpleasant task. Trapp did not like the assignment at all, yet it had come from the highest authorities. 

    What was the task? Well, as one policeman recalls Trapp saying, there were Jewish people in the village of Józefów involved with the “partisans” –⁠ members of the anti-German resistance. The battalion now needed to round them up and separate the young males, who would be taken to a work camp. The rest –⁠ including women, children, and the elderly –⁠ were to be shot on the spot. 

    Suddenly, a battalion of middle-aged, reserve policemen found themselves faced with a murderous task for which they were, by all appearances, unlikely candidates. How did this happen?

    Want to see all full key ideas from Ordinary Men?

    Key ideas in Ordinary Men

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    What is Ordinary Men about?

    Ordinary Men (1992) tells the disturbing tale of how a group of men went from “ordinary” to brutal, hardened killers executing the Nazi mission during the Holocaust. It examines in detail the evolution of these men’s attitudes, from the beginning when most experienced disgust at the gruesome tasks they were asked to carry out, through to the end when almost all had become accustomed to the cruelty and some even came to delight in it. Above all, it is a warning and a reminder of what humanity is capable of in its darkest moments.

    Who should read Ordinary Men?

    • World War II and Holocaust historians
    • Survivors of the Holocaust and their relatives and ancestors
    • Anyone who thinks themselves incapable of acts of cruelty

    About the Author

    Christopher R. Browning is the professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2006, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He won the National Jewish Book Award three times, including for Ordinary Men in addition to The Origins of the Final Solution and Remembering Survival.

    Categories with Ordinary Men

    Books like Ordinary Men

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    28 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial