Book SummaryEichmann in Jerusalem, by Hannah Arendt

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Eichmann in Jerusalem

Adolf Eichmann—the Nazi official who arranged the transportation of Jews to their systematic deaths in concentration camps—is often considered a sadistic mastermind. But, according to German-American historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt, Eichmann’s trial in Jerusalem reveals otherwise. In Eichmann in Jerusalem, Arendt argues that Eichmann was an unremarkable evildoer whose atrocities reveal the banality of evil—evil driven not by sadism, but by mundane motives and aims.

(Shortform note: The phrase “the banality of evil” led to widespread debate following Eichmann in Jerusalem’s publication, as readers disagreed about how to interpret the phrase and whether its portrayal of evil was accurate. But, in a lecture ten years after publication, Arendt tried to clear the air—she explained that the “banality of evil” meant that...

Eichmann in Jerusalem Summary The Historical Context

Before delving into Eichmann’s character, we’ll examine his role in the Nazis’ proposed “solutions” to the Jewish question—that is, the antisemitic question concerning the ideal treatment of Jews in Europe, whom the Germans viewed as a problem to be solved. We’ll see how Eichmann became considered an expert on the Jewish question in the first solution (convincing Jews to emigrate), how he brainstormed many logistical aspects of the second solution (deporting Jews to foreign lands), and how he was responsible for the transportation of Jews in the Nazis’ Final Solution (the systematic murder of Jews in concentration camps).

Eichmann’s Role in the First Solution

Arendt writes that from early 1933 until 1939, the Nazis worked on the first solution, which sought to convince the Jewish people to voluntarily relocate to Palestine. She reports that Eichmann played an essential advisory role as an alleged expert on Jewish emigration during this time.

According to Arendt, Eichmann’s role in the first solution began in 1932, when he joined the Schutzstaffel (SS), the Nazi Party’s primary paramilitary organization. By 1938, the Nazis recognized Eichmann as an authority on...

Eichmann in Jerusalem Summary The Perpetrator

Although we’ve seen that Eichmann undeniably committed atrocious crimes during the Holocaust, Arendt contends that he was nevertheless an unremarkable evildoer. In this section, we’ll examine Eichmann’s early life, which was rife with failure, as well as how he fortuitously stumbled into the role of “expert” on the Jewish question within the Nazi Party. We’ll also discuss how his evil actions were driven by mundane motivations: the desire for success, a sense of duty, and social conformity.

Eichmann’s Unremarkable Early Life

While many historians deem Eichmann one of the “masterminds” behind the Holocaust, Arendt instead argues that Eichmann was a failure for most of his life before joining the Nazi party.

According to Arendt, Eichmann showed no signs of giftedness in childhood. For example, of his five siblings, he was the only one who couldn’t complete high school in his small German hometown, Solingen. After failing to graduate from high school, Eichmann also failed to graduate from the vocational school he was placed in.

(Shortform note: Because of the structure of the German education system, Eichmann’s lack of intellectual giftedness at a young age probably...

Eichmann in Jerusalem Summary The Trial

Having delved into the nature of Eichmann’s character, Arendt then focuses on the trial itself. In this section, we’ll examine her reasons for thinking that the trial—although it delivered the correct verdict—was in many respects illegitimate. We’ll also explore her assessment of Eichmann’s final words.

The Illegitimacy of the Trial

Although Arendt spares no sympathy for Eichmann, whom she believes was blatantly guilty of the charges against him, she clarifies that the trial against him was deeply flawed. According to Arendt, Eichmann’s trial was primarily an attempt to educate the world about Jewish suffering in the Holocaust, rather than a dispassionate attempt to determine Eichmann’s guilt or innocence.

First, she points out that this view of the trial shouldn’t be controversial, since Israel’s then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion openly expressed his hopes for the trial—namely, to underscore how the Jewish suffering in the Holocaust fit into a larger narrative of Jewish oppression throughout history, and to show the ruthlessness of Israel’s enemies. Consequently, the prosecution in Eichmann’s trial called over 100 Jewish Holocaust survivors to the stand to...

Shortform Exercise: Reflect on Arendt’s Arguments About the Nature of Evil

Arendt writes that Eichmann’s evil actions were driven by mundane, everyday motivations rather than the sadistic desires of a madman. In this exercise, reflect on her arguments and apply them to contemporary forms of evil.

To what extent do you find Arendt’s arguments about the mundane nature of Eichmann’s atrocities convincing? Why?