Hannah Arendt
German-Jewish philosopher and political theorist whose coverage of the Eichmann trial introduced 'the banality of evil.'
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was a German and American historian and philosopher, widely regarded as one of the most influential political theorists of the twentieth century. Her work addressed a broad range of subjects, but she is best known for her explorations of wealth, power, fame, evil, politics, direct democracy, authority, tradition, and totalitarianism. She remains a controversial figure due to her coverage of the trial of Adolf Eichmann, in which she sought to explain how ordinary individuals become participants in totalitarian systems—an analysis some critics viewed as an apologia—and for coining the phrase "the banality of evil." Her legacy is commemorated through journals, schools, scholarly and humanitarian prizes, think tanks, streets, stamps, and monuments.
Born Johanna Arendt to a Jewish family in Linden in 1906, she was raised in a secular, politically progressive household; her mother was a Social Democrat. After her father’s death when she was seven, Arendt was raised in Königsberg. She studied at the University of Marburg under Martin Heidegger, with whom she began a romantic affair while still his student. She earned her doctorate in philosophy at the University of Heidelberg in 1929, supervised by Karl Jaspers, with a dissertation on love and Saint Augustine.
In 1933, the Gestapo briefly imprisoned her for conducting illegal research on antisemitism. Upon release, she fled Germany for Paris, where she worked for Youth Aliyah, helping young Jews emigrate to Palestine. After Germany invaded France, she was detained as an alien but escaped and reached the United States in 1941. She became a writer, editor, and worker for Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, gaining American citizenship in 1950. Her reputation was established with *The Origins of Totalitarianism* (1951), followed by *The Human Condition* (1958), *Eichmann in Jerusalem* (1963), and *On Revolution* (1963). She taught at many American universities, declining tenure-track positions. She died of a heart attack in 1975, leaving *The Life of the Mind* unfinished.
- known_for
- The banality of evil, Eichmann in Jerusalem
Lore & Background
As the film opens, Eichmann has been captured in Argentina. It is revealed that he escaped there via the 'rat line' and with forged papers. Arendt, now a professor in New York, volunteers to write about the trial for The New Yorker and is given the assignment. Observing the trial, she is impressed by how ordinary and mediocre Eichmann appears. She had expected someone scary, a monster, and he does not seem to be that. In a cafe conversation in which the Faust story is raised it is mentioned that Eichmann is not in any way a Mephisto (the devil). Returning to New York, Arendt has massive piles of transcripts to go through. Her husband has a brain aneurysm, almost dying, and causing her further delay. She continues to struggle with how Eichmann rationalized his behavior through platitudes about bureaucratic loyalty, and that he was just doing his job. When her material is finally published, it immediately creates enormous controversy, resulting in angry phone calls and a falling out with her old friend, Hans Jonas. In a night out on the town with her friend, novelist Mary McCarthy, she insists that she is being misunderstood, and her critics who accuse her of 'defending' Eichmann have not read her work. McCarthy broaches the subject of Arendt's love relationship many years ago with philosopher Martin Heidegger, who had collaborated with the Nazis. Arendt finds herself shunned by many colleagues and former friends. The film closes with a final speech she gives before a group of students, in which she says this trial was about a new type of crime that had not previously existed. A court had to define Eichmann as a man on trial for his deeds. It was not a system or an ideology that was on trial, only a man. But Eichmann was a man who renounced all qualities of personhood, thus showing that great evil is committed by 'nobodies' without motives or intentions other than to follow orders unquestioningly, without thinking. This is what she calls 'the banality of evil.' The film also features portrayals of other prominent intellectuals, including philosopher Martin Heidegger, novelist Mary McCarthy, and The New Yorker editor William Shawn.
Reader's Guide
Hannah Arendt makes use of original film footage from the 1961 Eichmann trial, in black & white, as well as the real testimony of survivors and the prosecutor, Gideon Hausner. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 88% based on reviews from 66 critics, with a average rating of 6.8/10. The site's consensus reads: 'Led by a powerful performance from Barbara Sukowa, Hannah Arendt does a commendable job of dramatizing the life of a complex public figure.' On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69%, based on 17 critics, indicating 'generally favorable' reviews. A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: 'Hannah Arendt conveys the glamour, charisma and difficulty of a certain kind of German thought. Ms. Sukowa, compact and energetic and not overly concerned with impersonation, captures Arendt's fearsome cerebral power, as well as her warmth and, above all, the essential, unappeasable curiosity that drove her.... Its climax, in which Arendt defends herself against critics, matches some of the great courtroom scenes in cinema and provides a stirring reminder that the labor of figuring out the world is necessary, difficult and sometimes genuinely heroic.' Roger Berkowitz of The Paris Review wrote: 'To make a film about a thinker is a challenge; to do so in a way that is accessible and gripping is a triumph. Hannah Arendt herself might have been surprised to learn that after fifty years of deadening controversy, it is a film that promises to provoke the serious public debate she sought in publishing her book.'
Did You Know?
- The film uses original black & white footage from the 1961 Eichmann trial, including real testimony of survivors and prosecutor Gideon Hausner.
- Barbara Sukowa won the Lola Award for Best Actress and the film won the Silver Lola for Best Film at the 2013 Deutscher Filmpreis.
- The film opened theatrically in the United States on 29 May 2013, distributed by Zeitgeist Films.
- Arendt's articles for The New Yorker were published in 1963 as the book Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil.
- The film features portrayals of philosopher Martin Heidegger, novelist Mary McCarthy, and The New Yorker editor William Shawn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hannah Arendt?
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was a German-born American political theorist, historian, and philosopher who became one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. She is best remembered for her analysis of power, authority, and totalitarianism, as well as for coining the phrase 'the banality of evil.'
What does 'the banality of evil' actually mean?
Arendt used the expression to argue that monstrous political crimes can be carried out not by fanatical villains but by ordinary people who simply stop thinking critically and go along with the system. She introduced the idea in her 1963 report on the Adolf Eichmann trial, where she described him as a surprisingly unremarkable bureaucrat rather than a demonic figure.
What are Hannah Arendt's major books?
Her two most widely read works are The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951), a sweeping study of how fascist and communist regimes rose to power, and Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963), her account of the Nazi war criminal's trial in Israel. Both remain central texts in political philosophy and modern history.
Why was Arendt's coverage of the Eichmann trial so controversial?
Many readers, fellow scholars, and members of the Jewish community were furious that she refused to paint Eichmann as a uniquely evil monster, instead emphasizing his thoughtlessness and administrative mindset. The resulting backlash was so intense that it overshadowed the trial itself and turned 'the banality of evil' into one of the most debated phrases in intellectual history.
What field did Hannah Arendt work in?
Arendt moved across history, philosophy, and political theory, with a particular focus on questions of power, direct democratic action, authority, and the conditions that allow totalitarian movements to take hold. She is generally classified as a political theorist, though her work draws heavily on historical case studies and philosophical reflection.
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