Arendt, Hannah

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German-born US political philosopher. Her concerns included totalitarianism, the nature of evil, and the erosion of public participation in the political process. Her works include Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963) and On Violence (1972).

In The Origins of Modern Totalitarianism (1951), she pointed out the similarities between Nazism and Soviet communism, and in her report of the trial of a leading Nazi war criminal, Eichmann in Jerusalem, she coined the phrase ‘the banality of evil’ to describe how bureaucratic efficiency can facilitate the acceptance of the most terrible deeds.

The arms show a Bible open at the Gospel of St John, a Trinitarian symbol. The white cross symbolizes faith. The arms appear on national and state flags. Effective date: 14 September 1863. >>