1936 Nazi Olympics
Andrew Bott
Mr. Fatz
World History
4 March 2013
Nazi Olympics The Olympics throughout history have been a monumental stepping stone into greatness. The Olympics have been recorded all the back into mythological times. The first Olympiad of the modern day was held in Athens, Greece in 1896 (Addis Pg.2). Since the modern Olympics, most countries have participated in or have heard of it. Every game is different but the most politically different games were the games of 1936, hosted in Berlin, Germany. After WWI much of Germany’s militia had been cut due to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The treaty ended WWI and stopped Germany from building up any sort of military force. In 1931 Germany was awarded the summer games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) two years before the rise of Nazi party (Addis Pg.1). The IOC decided that since Germany was rebuilding its reputation as a worthy country, they could host the games and start to get involved with the rest of the world after the Great War. Before masses of people flocked to Berlin, Germany had to calm down and stop discriminating on Jews so they could start with their political propaganda. Germany cleaned up its streets and strung up posters of the infamous Swastika known for peace and love (Bachrach Pg.32). One of the best forms of propaganda during the time was a movie called The Olympiad produced by Leni Riefenstahl which was a documentary of the 1936 Olympics. It is still too this day considered the best documentary record of an Olympics ever. Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party when it came into power in 1933. He personally didn’t like the idolization of the modern Olympiad. The real reason for hosting the Olympics and not canceling was to show off the “New Germany” as suggested by Minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels (Bachrach Pg.32-33). This was his chance to show the world his military and Aryan superiority (Encyclopedia Pg.1). At the 1936 Olympiad, a total of 49 countries,
Mr. Fatz
World History
4 March 2013
Nazi Olympics The Olympics throughout history have been a monumental stepping stone into greatness. The Olympics have been recorded all the back into mythological times. The first Olympiad of the modern day was held in Athens, Greece in 1896 (Addis Pg.2). Since the modern Olympics, most countries have participated in or have heard of it. Every game is different but the most politically different games were the games of 1936, hosted in Berlin, Germany. After WWI much of Germany’s militia had been cut due to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The treaty ended WWI and stopped Germany from building up any sort of military force. In 1931 Germany was awarded the summer games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) two years before the rise of Nazi party (Addis Pg.1). The IOC decided that since Germany was rebuilding its reputation as a worthy country, they could host the games and start to get involved with the rest of the world after the Great War. Before masses of people flocked to Berlin, Germany had to calm down and stop discriminating on Jews so they could start with their political propaganda. Germany cleaned up its streets and strung up posters of the infamous Swastika known for peace and love (Bachrach Pg.32). One of the best forms of propaganda during the time was a movie called The Olympiad produced by Leni Riefenstahl which was a documentary of the 1936 Olympics. It is still too this day considered the best documentary record of an Olympics ever. Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party when it came into power in 1933. He personally didn’t like the idolization of the modern Olympiad. The real reason for hosting the Olympics and not canceling was to show off the “New Germany” as suggested by Minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels (Bachrach Pg.32-33). This was his chance to show the world his military and Aryan superiority (Encyclopedia Pg.1). At the 1936 Olympiad, a total of 49 countries,