Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil

In 1961, the Jerusalem District Court held a lengthy trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal and a key implementer of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question." Hannah Arendt wrote five reports on the trial for The New Yorker, later compiling them into a book. Eichmann in Jerusalem gives a detailed account of the trial that drew worldwide attention. Drawing on extensive historical sources, it also advances the concept of "the banality of evil." Evil does not always take the form of a raging demon. It can also be an ordinary, diligent, loyal civil servant. Eichmann's crimes, committed through thoughtlessness and blind obedience, cannot be excused on the grounds that he was "following orders" or acting on behalf of the state.