An Analysis Of Stanley Milgram s The Good Old Days

In his infamous 1961 experiment, Stanley Milgram showed that within practically all humans rests the potential to enact great violence upon others and that this latent tendency can be exploited by a figure of authority. In Ernst Klee’s The Good Old Days, his exhaustive and heart-wrenching exploration of first-hand accounts of Einsatzgruppen atrocities and the barbarities performed at Auschwitz further reveals the extent to which humanity’s intrinsic proclivity toward violence can be abused by the additional psychological weight of ideology, nationalism, and propaganda. This paper claims that through the high-command’s reaction to the Einsatzgruppen’s experiences, Klee’s selection of excerpts provides a better understanding of humanity’s frailties than Milgram’s experiment and it does so using the following three points: the relevance of recommendations that early Einsatzgruppen aktions be performed by local, non-German citizens, the rationale for the implementation of Gas-vans on the Eastern front, and the real reason behind Himmler’s eventual order that no punishment should be issued to those soldiers who would refuse liquidation assignments. An excerpt taken from Eastern Territories Commander, Johannes Blaskowitz’s report to HQ Schloss Spala on February 2, 1940 lays out several well-made arguments against German’s being directly involved in the extermination of thousands of Polish Jews and dissidents. Although all four points of his argumentShow MoreRelatedThe Scientific Field Of Psychology2425 Words   |  10 Pagesfarther ahead in the history of psychology, what we would today largely recognize as practices contemporary did not come about until even later point on the psychology timeline. Furthermore, contemporary psychology is dramatically different from modern day psychology, this is a science that has grown and evolved dramatically even over the past couple years. The farther back one follows the timeline of psychology history the darker and more barbarous the studies and practices conducted and/or implementedRead MoreOrganizational Behaviour Analysis28615 Words   |  115 PagesORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS: Notes and essays for the workshop to be held on 15th - 16th Novemeber 2007 at The Marriot Hotel Slough Berkshire SL3 8PT Dr. Lesley Prince, C.Psychol., AFBPsS University of Birmingham November 2007  © Dr. Lesley Prince 2007. Organisational Analysis: Notes and Essays Page i Page ii Please do not attempt to eat these notes. CONTENTS Introduction to the Workshop Topics And Themes The Nature and Scope of Organisation Theory Levels of Analysis The MetaphoricalRead MoreSoc Test9122 Words   |  37 Pagestheir needs, and characteristics. Molly is using _____ as a method of gathering data. Answer questionnaires experiments participant observation nonparticipant observation content analysis 10 points Question 10 In the classic experimental design, the _____ is exposed to the independent variable (treatment), while the control group is not. Answer independent group subject group Read MoreAn Analysis of Terrorism Essay9824 Words   |  40 PagesAn Analysis of Terrorism On September 11, 2001, every person was stunned with the earth shaking news that the World Trade Center (WTC), the highest building in the world was attacked by terrorist. This was done by hi-jacking two commercial airplanes which plowed the two famous sites. More than 5,000 American was feared dead. This was the most recent and most devastating terrorist act that brought terrorism into the timelight. Terrorism is a term of uncertain legal content. The term itselfRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturersRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesbuilt-in pretests and posttests, focus on what you need to learn and to review in order to succeed. Visit www.mymanagementlab.com to learn more. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT SKILLS EIGHTH EDITION David A. Whetten BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Kim S. Cameron UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore