1936 Summer Olympics
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The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, were celebrated in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the games, with the International Olympic Committee choosing Berlin over Barcelona in April, 1931. Although the bid was won before the Nazi Party gained power in Germany, some figures in the government saw the Olympics as an opportunity to promote their Nazi ideology. Hitler had to be convinced by Joseph Goebbels to allow the games to take place in Germany. The preparation for the games started in the early 1930s. Hitler used the Olympics as a tool for propaganda. Film-maker Leni Riefenstahl, a favorite of Hitler, was commissioned by the International Olympic Committee to film the Games. The film, titled Olympia, originated many of the techniques now commonplace to the filming of sports. By allowing only the Aryan race to compete for Germany, Hitler further promoted his ideological belief of racial supremacy. Although Germany won most of the medals in the Olympics, other athletes, such as African-American athlete Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals, turned in great performances. Hitler removed signs stating "Jews not wanted" and similar slogans from main tourist attractions. Hitler wanted to clean up Berlin, the German Ministry of Interior authorized the chief of Berlin Police to arrest all gypsies and keep them in a special camp.[1] Nazi officials ordered that foreign visitors should not be subjected to the criminal strictures of anti-homosexual laws. Total ticket revenues were 7.5 million Reichsmarks, with a nominal profit of over 1 million marks. The official budget did not include outlays by either the city of Berlin (which issued an itemized report detailing its costs of 16.5 million marks) or the German national government (which did not make its costs public, but is estimated to have spent US$30 million in mostly capital outlays).[2]
Nazi influence on and use of sporting eventsHans von Tschammer und Osten, who was the head of the Reich Sports Office, played a major role in the structure and organisation of the Olympics. He believed in the use of sports to harden the German spirit and instill unity among the German youths. Von Tschammer also used sports as a "way to weed out the weak, Jewish, and other undesirables". [3] Many Jews and Gypsies were banned from participating in sporting events. The Hitler Youth also played a large part in the sporting events. The German leaders instilled a strong drive and work ethic into the youths. One way to accomplish this was through athletic achievement. Influence of Nazi IdeologyImage:Berlin1936 logo.gif
Event poster with German eagle.
The 1936 Olympics offered an opportunity for all countries to flaunt their cultures to the rest of the world. There, the pride of the athletes, flags of countries, and ideas clashed in a fusion of sport and culture. Germany also wanted to enjoy this opportunity, but the Nazi regime restricted it to "Aryan" Germans alone. Even at the Olympics, Nazi oppression was evident in the absence of certain "types" of Germans. Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister for Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda, stated, “German sport has only one task: to strengthen the character of the German people…”. Nazi officials ousted Jewish athletes from German Olympic teams, well funded sports clubs, and sport facilities. To mask the anti-Semitism, the “anti-Jewish rhetoric and activities” lessened, to raise public appeal. The objective of the Olympics was simply to make Germany ’s appeal reflect that of a humble and tolerant country, ironically opposite to its true ideals. Dispute over boycott of the Olympics in the U.S.During the 1936 summer Olympics, there were many different views on whether the games should be allowed or discontinued. Some of these people who voiced their opinions on the debate included the Americans Avery Brundage, Ernest Lee Jahncke, and Judge Jeremiah Mahoney. The United States considered boycotting as a nation since participating in the festivity might be considered as support for the Nazi Germany regime and its Anti-Semitic policies. However, others argued that the Olympic Games should not be a reflection of political views but strictly a contest of the greatest athletes. Avery Brundage, President of the American Olympic Committee was against the boycott stating that the Jewish athletes were being treated fairly and that the Games should go on. Brundage believed that politics had no place in sports and they should be considered two different entities during the controversial Olympics as he explains, “The very foundation of the modern Olympic revival will be undermined if individual countries are allowed to restrict participation by reason of class, creed, or race.”[4] Brundage was also known to have believed that there was a “Jewish-Communist conspiracy” that existed to keep the United States out of competing in the Games. Unlike Brundage, Jeremiah Mahoney was against the Olympics and supported a boycott against them. Mahoney, president of the Amateur Athletic Union, led newspaper editors and anti-Nazi groups to protest against an American team participating in the Berlin Olympics. Mahoney contested that discrimination went against Olympic rules and participation would mean support for Hitler’s Reich. African Americans and Jewish Americans also expressed their opinions for or against American participation. Most African American newspapers supported the Olympics. The Philadelphia Tribune and The Chicago Defender both agreed that Black victories would undermine Nazi views of Aryan supremacy. They believed it would spark more Black pride at home. American Jewish organizations opposed the Olympics. The American Jewish Congress and the Jewish Labor Committee staged rallies and supported the boycott of German goods to show their disdain for American participation.[5] Eventually, Avery Brundage won the debate, manipulating the Amateur Athletic Union to close a vote in favor of sending an American team to the Berlin Olympics, winning by two and a half votes. Mahoney’s efforts to incite a boycott of the Games in America failed and even President Roosevelt demanded participation of the United States in the Olympics, intending to keep the tradition of America being void of outside influence intact. The 1936 summer Olympics had the largest representation of nations participating than any other previous Olympics. These nations included the United States which, despite the debate, decided to send an Olympic team to Berlin, although some American competitors (including Milton Green and Norman Canners, both Jewish athletes) decided to abstain and boycott. Jesse OwensIt was a controversial issue in order for Jesse Owens to participate in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin because he was African American in a world where segregation and racial discrimination was prominent. Interestingly enough, Owens' general treatment in Germany was better than he had previously received in America, as he had no problem using public transportation or entering bars. Adolf Hitler was present during the Olympics and did not acknowledge any of the accomplishments of any Olympian. The Olympic Committee believed that Hitler should retain Olympic neutrality. The Olympic Committee stated that in order for him to remain neutral he should not congratulate any Olympic participants or congratulate them all; so it was not a personal act against Owens when he didn't shake his hand after his victories. In any case, the German crowds adored him, and he even forged a long-term friendship with German competitor Lutz Long.[6] Jesse Owens gained worldwide publicity for his accomplishments during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In the United States Owens was confronted with both social and economic gain along with various social benefits. Jesse Owens was truly a national hero, but it would be years yet before he and people of his ethnicity would be accorded equal status and rights as whites in America. Some have seen this as the "height of irony and hypocrisy". HighlightsImage:Olympic Fire in Berlin 1936.jpg
Olympic fire
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Olympic Stadium
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Swastika on the plane of Ernst Udet used for acrobatic shows held during the 1936 Summer Olympics (on display in the Polish Aviation Museum).
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