Dr. Christopher Browning
Dr. Christopher R. Browning is an internationally renowned scholar of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. He was the Frank Porter Graham Professor of History at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill until his retirement in May 2014. Previously, he taught for 25 years at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. He is the author of eight books, including Ordinary Men. Additionally, he has published over 100 articles, chapters, and essays.
Dr. Browning served as an expert witness in “war crimes” trials in Australia, Canada, and Great Britain. He has also served as an expert witness in two “Holocaust denial” cases: the second Zündel trial in Toronto in 1988 and in David Irving’s libel suit against Deborah Lipstadt in London in 2000.
Critical Thinking Questions:
- Who does Dr. Browning say you must study if you want to understand the Holocaust? Why?
- What was the purpose of Starachowice labor camp? How did the camp change over the course of the war?
- What was the Zündel Trial? The Lipstadt Trial? Why are they significant?
Writing Prompts:
- Using part one of Dr. Browning’s interview, develop a short essay covering the following points. Who were the ordinary men of Police Battalion 101? What factors motivated them to carry-out the mass murder of the Jewish people in Jozefow, Poland? Why did they not simply refuse to participate in the murder? Why is it essential to study the perpetrators of the Holocaust?
- Using part three of Dr. Browning’s interview, develop a short essay in which you respond to his quote: “What the Holocaust has shown us that there are dark underside potentials to our progress.” What does he mean? Do you agree? Why or why not?