Abstract

Hannah Arendt’s portrayal of Holocaust perpetrators in Eichmann in Jerusalem has long been the object of sharp criticism and widespread distortion. This essay attempts to identify and refute some of the most common and pernicious distortions of Arendt’s views while also presenting a new reading of her understanding of Holocaust perpetrators. A comparison of Arendt’s views to those advanced in recent studies of Nazi perpetrators by David Cesarani, Bettina Stangneth, Michael Thad Allen, and Claudia Koonz reveals that they share many of Arendt’s ideas, even as they claim to have refuted her. Far from being refuted, her interpretation is consistent with the findings of the most recent historical research.