Ordinary Killers. How the System Turns Ordinary People into Monsters

One aspect of the work of the famous German social psychologist H. Welzer is the study of the motivations of Nazi criminals of middle and lower ranks. It is often believed that the killers sought after by the era supposedly had an anthropological predisposition to evil deeds. However, the author of the book primarily focuses on social reasons — exploring the combination of historical, political, socio-psychological, and other factors that led to a change in the moral background in Germany and ultimately to the mass approval of the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis.

This socio-psychological study examines the formation of a willingness to kill in people. The author analyzes numerous documentary archival materials in search of an answer to the question of how mass killings can become routine work for previously normal individuals.

The book discusses episodes of genocide during World War II, as well as bloody events that occurred during military conflicts in Vietnam, Rwanda, and the Balkans.