Hanna Arendt was a German-born Jewish political theorist and philosopher. When Hitler came to power in 1933, she was briefly detained by the Gestapo but managed to escape to Paris and lived there for several years. She and her husband managed leave Europe and make it to the United States in 1941.
She went on to teach at several universities in America and she wrote several books that dealt with the nature of evil, the role of individuals in a political system, and the conditions that give rise to totalitarianism.
“The ideal subject for a totalitarian regime is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but someone for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exists.” - Hanna Arendt
I was introduced to Arendt’s work from a quote of hers on Robert Malone’s sustack.
Here are a couple of Arendt’s books. (NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.)
"The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951): This book is one of Arendt's most famous and influential works. It analyzes the rise of totalitarian regimes in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, examining how ideologies can lead to oppressive, all-encompassing political systems that seek to control every aspect of life.
"Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil" (1963): Arendt covered the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a key figure in organizing the Holocaust, for "The New Yorker." In this work, she introduced the concept of the "banality of evil," arguing that Eichmann was not a fanatical monster but rather an ordinary bureaucrat who participated in horrific crimes because of a lack of critical thinking and moral reflection.
ARENDT "The Ideal Subject"