Hannah Arendt was a prominent political theorist known for her works on power, evil, politics, and totalitarianism. Born in Germany, she fled Nazi persecution and settled in the US, where she became a respected writer and thinker.
Arendt discusses the American Revolution as a concrete example of a revolution that founded a new political space based on the constitution of liberty, where freedom could manifest as a worldly reality.
Arendt mentions the Paris Commune of 1871 as an example of a popular uprising that attempted to establish a new political order, reflecting the idea of creating a space where freedom could be realized.
Hannah Arendt was born on October 14, 1906, in Hanover, Germany.
Paul Arendt's health declined due to chronic syphilis, leading to his institutionalization in the Königsberg psychiatric hospital in 1911.
Hannah Arendt attended kindergarten in 1910, where her precocity impressed her teachers.
Paul Arendt passed away on October 30, 1913, when Hannah was seven years old, leaving her mother to raise her.
In August 1914, the Arendt family fled to Berlin due to the advancing Russian army during World War I. They stayed with Hannah's aunt and her children until returning to Königsberg when the threat subsided.
Arendt refers to the creation of Soviets during the Russian Revolution as a case where a new political space was being formed, emphasizing the importance of such revolutionary actions in confronting the challenge of beginning.
In 1920, Hannah's mother, Martha Cohn, married Martin Beerwald, providing Hannah with improved social and financial security.
Hannah Arendt was expelled from the Luise-Schule in 1922 at the age of 15 for leading a boycott of a teacher who insulted her.
In 1923, Hannah Arendt began a romantic relationship with the philosopher Martin Heidegger, who was significantly older and married at the time. This relationship had a profound impact on her intellectual development.
In 1924, Hannah Arendt began her studies at Marburg University under the mentorship of Martin Heidegger, which significantly shaped her philosophical perspectives.
In the summer of 1925, Hannah Arendt composed her sole autobiographical piece, Die Schatten (The Shadows), addressing it to Heidegger. The essay delves into her insecurities regarding her femininity and Jewishness, expressing feelings of alienation and longing for protection.
In the spring of 1926, Hannah Arendt attended lectures by Edmund Husserl at Freiburg University, further enriching her academic pursuits.
Heidegger's profound impact on Arendt's thought can be seen in their shared suspicion of the metaphysical tradition's move towards abstract contemplation and their emphasis on plurality and difference in worldly appearances.
In 1928, Hannah Arendt received a doctoral degree in philosophy from the University of Heidelberg. She was a prominent figure in the field of political science and philosophy.
In 1929, Hannah Arendt obtained her doctorate in philosophy at the University of Heidelberg with a dissertation entitled Love and Saint Augustine under the supervision of Karl Jaspers.
In 1931, Hannah Arendt and Stern returned to Berlin after their unsuccessful attempt to have Stern accepted for an academic appointment. They initially lived in the predominantly Jewish area of Bayerisches Viertel in Schöneberg.
Hannah Arendt published her first article on Judaism, titled Aufklärung und Judenfrage ('The Enlightenment and the Jewish Question'). This marked the beginning of her exploration of Jewish politics and assimilation.
Hannah Arendt published part of her biography of Rahel Varnhagen as 'Originale Assimilation: An Epilogue to the One Hundredth Anniversary of Rahel Varnhagen's Death'. She introduced the concept of Jew as Pariah in this work.
Hannah Arendt met Heinrich Blücher, a poet and Marxist philosopher, in Paris. Their relationship grew over time, eventually leading to marriage in 1940. Blücher's political activism influenced Arendt's own thinking and commitment to political action.
On January 16, 1940, Hannah Arendt married Heinrich Blücher, a Berlin proletarian and communist. Their marriage endured the challenges of war and displacement.
During WWII, Hannah Arendt, who was Jewish, fled the Nazi regime and eventually moved to America in 1941.
In 1944, Hannah Arendt started working on what would later become her first major political book, The Origins of Totalitarianism.
In 1945, Hannah Arendt stated that the problem of evil would be the fundamental question of postwar intellectual life in Europe.
In July 1946, Hannah Arendt left her position at the Commission on European Jewish Cultural Reconstruction to work as an editor at Schocken Books, which later published some of her works.
In 1948, Hannah Arendt became engaged with the campaign of Judah Magnes for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, advocating for a binational one-state solution.
In 1950, Hannah Arendt reestablished communication with Martin Heidegger. She later defended him in her essays and lectures, attributing his Nazi involvement to a 'mistake' made by a renowned philosopher.
In 1951, Hannah Arendt's seminal work 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' was published. This book explored the rise of totalitarian regimes and solidified Arendt's reputation as a prominent American intellectual.
In January 1952, Hannah Arendt became secretary to the Board of the Commission on European Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, while also pursuing her own intellectual activities.
In 1953, Hannah Arendt made history by becoming the first woman to be appointed as a professor at Princeton. Despite media attention on this exceptional achievement, Arendt did not want to be seen as an exception based on her gender or religion.
In 1955, Hannah Arendt published an edition of Hermann Broch's 'Dichten und Erkennen', which consisted of essays and was released by Rheinverlag in Zurich.
Arendt's work on Rahel Varnhagen was completed in 1938 but not published until 1957. This biography of a 19th-century Jewish socialite formed an important step in her analysis of Jewish history and the subjects of assimilation and emancipation.
The Human Condition, considered the most important philosophical work by the professor, was released in 1958.
In 1959, Hannah Arendt published 'Reflections on Little Rock,' a controversial piece discussing the emerging Black civil rights movement.
Hannah Arendt delivered a lecture on Freedom and Politics in 1960, which was later revised for the book Between Past and Future.
Hannah Arendt's report on the trial of a major Nazi perpetrator, where she introduced the controversial term 'banality of evil'.
Eichmann was hanged on May 31, 1962, nine months before the publication of Arendt's series 'Eichmann in Jerusalem'.
Philosopher Hannah Arendt's controversial account of the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann is first published in 'The New Yorker' in 1963.
The essay 'Personal Responsibility under Dictatorship' was published in The Listener on August 6, 1964.
A full interview with Hannah Arendt was conducted on October 28, 1964, providing insights into her life and work. The interview is available with English subtitles.
In 1965, a revised and enlarged edition of 'Eichmann in Jerusalem' was released by Viking Press.
In July 1967, Hannah Arendt comes to Freiburg and gives a lecture on Walter Benjamin.
In 1968, Hannah Arendt published 'Men in Dark Times,' adding to her body of work that delves into complex political and philosophical themes.
Heinrich Blücher, Arendt's husband, passed away on October 31, 1970, due to a massive heart attack, leaving Arendt devastated.
In April 1971, Hannah Arendt visits Martin Heidegger in Freiburg.
An opinion piece published in the New York Times on April 5, 1972, discussing the failures of Washington's 'Problem-Solvers'.
Brace Jovanovich published the third edition of a book with new prefaces in 1973.
In May 1974, Hannah Arendt suffered a near-fatal heart attack while lecturing in Scotland, which significantly impacted her health.
Hannah Arendt passed away on December 4, 1975, leaving behind a legacy of profound philosophical and political contributions.
Arendt's ashes were buried alongside her husband, Heinrich Blücher, at Bard College in May 1976.
A book titled 'Small Comforts for Hard Times: Humanists on Public Policy' edited by F. Stuber was published by Columbia University Press in 1977.
An interview with Roger Errera published in the New York Review of Books in October 1978.
The book 'Hannah Arendt: The Recovery of the' edited by M. Hill was published in 1979.
A lecture held in 1980 to commemorate the significance of ontology in epistemological research.
A book by B. Parekh published in 1981, focusing on Hannah Arendt's quest for a fresh political philosophy.
Background material and lecture notes related to Judging, left unfinished by Hannah Arendt, were published in 1982 under the title 'Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy'.
Arthur A. Cohen's novel 'An Admirable Woman' was published in 1983, inspired by the life of Hannah Arendt, portraying her intellectual allure and personal relationships.
In 1984, the book 'Hannah Arendt: Politics, Conscience, Evil' was published in Oxford by Martin Robertson, authored by Kateb. G. It delves into the political and ethical thoughts of Hannah Arendt.
In 1986, Richard J. Bernstein published a work that is related to the concept of vita activa and its three fundamental activities: labor, work, and action.
Hannah Arendt volunteered to cover the trial of Adolf Eichmann to understand the nature of radical evil. Contrary to expectations, she did not see a monstrous figure but a person with a disturbing inability to think critically.
A work by Seyla Benhabib that examines the concept of the public realm and its implications on the individual self.
The book 'Hannah Arendt: Thinking, Judging, Freedom' was published in 1989 in Sydney by Allen & Unwin, edited by Kaplan, G. and Kessler, C. It focuses on the philosophical ideas of Hannah Arendt.
In 1990, the book 'Visible Spaces: Hannah Arendt and the German-Jewish Experience' by D. Barnouw was published, focusing on Hannah Arendt and her experiences as a German-Jewish individual.
In 1992, D. Watson published a book titled 'Hannah Arendt' in London under the Fontana Press. The book likely explores the life and ideas of the influential political theorist Hannah Arendt.
The book 'The Political Thought of Hannah Arendt' by M. Gottsegen was published in 1993 by State University of New York Press.
Essays in Understanding 1930–1954 is a collection of essays by Hannah Arendt covering the period from 1930 to 1954. The essays provide insights into her thoughts on totalitarianism and exile, preceding her monumental work The Origins of Totalitarianism.
The book 'Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss: German Emigrés and American Political Thought after World War II' was published in 1995 in Cambridge by Cambridge University Press. It explores the intellectual exchange between Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss post World War II.
In 1996, the book 'The Reluctant Modernism of Hannah Arendt' by S. Benhabib was published, exploring the modernist aspects of Hannah Arendt's work.
The collaborative work 'Hannah Arendt and the Meaning of Politics' edited by C. Calhoun and J. McGowan was released in 1997, exploring Arendt's perspectives on politics.
In 1998, Walter Laqueur stated that Hannah Arendt is one of the most influential political philosophers of the 20th century, with a wide echo in various fields. Her legacy is considered cult-like.
Due to lingering criticism and controversy, none of Arendt's works, including 'Eichmann in Jerusalem', were translated into Hebrew until 1999.
Critics accused Hannah Arendt of wrongly portraying Eichmann as just a bureaucrat instead of a fanatically anti-Semitic individual. Arendt refuted the claim that Eichmann was merely following orders.
A book edited by J. Nedelsky and R. Beiner in 2001, exploring themes from the philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Hannah Arendt.
A book by Mary Dietz that explores the intersection of feminism, the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt, and politics.
In 2003, a collection of essays and lectures on moral topics by Hannah Arendt, titled 'Responsibility and Judgment', was published. These writings reflect her thoughts on ethics and responsibility in the post-World War II era.
Jerome Kohn wrote an introduction for a publication in 2005 by Schocken Books in New York.
A book by David Cesarani that provides a new perspective on the life, crimes, and trial of Adolf Eichmann, a key figure in the Holocaust.
The Jewish Writings is a collection of Hannah Arendt's writings on being Jewish, published in 2007. It offers insights into her thoughts and perspectives on Jewish identity.
The book 'Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics' was published in 2009. It delves into Hannah Arendt's perspectives on ethics and politics during difficult times.
The book 'Politics in Dark Times: Encounters with Hannah Arendt' was published in 2010. It explores encounters with the ideas and philosophy of Hannah Arendt during challenging times.
Critics continued to question Hannah Arendt's interpretation of Eichmann, arguing that she failed to recognize his true anti-Semitic nature and zeal in transporting Jews to their deaths.
The German film, Hannah Arendt, directed by Margarethe von Trotta and starring Barbara Sukowa, depicted the controversy over Arendt's coverage of the Eichmann trial and subsequent book. It highlighted the misunderstanding of her views on Eichmann and the Holocaust.
The book 'Wille und Passion. Der Liebesbegriff bei Heidegger und Arendt' by T. N. Tömmel was published in 2013, exploring the concept of love in the works of Heidegger and Arendt.
Scholars like Bettina Stangneth criticized Hannah Arendt for not acknowledging Eichmann's active role in the Holocaust and his disobedience of orders related to the 'Final Solution'.
In 2015, artist Wilfried Gerstel created an installation evoking the concept of resistance to dictatorship, inspired by Hannah Arendt's essay 'Personal Responsibility under Dictatorship' and her views on obedience.
In a 2016 review, journalist A. O. Scott described Hannah Arendt as a thinker of unmatched range and rigor, known for her work on Eichmann and the concept of 'the banality of evil'.
In 2017, a fascist bas-relief in Italy celebrating Mussolini was altered to display Hannah Arendt's original words on obedience in three official languages of the region, reflecting her philosophical stance.
Hannah Arendt's contributions are highlighted in The New York Review of Books, showcasing her impact on philosophy and political theory.
In the TV series Transatlantic, Hannah Arendt is portrayed by Alexa Karolinski. The series likely delves into Arendt's life, relationships, and intellectual contributions.