Games of the XI Olympiad

In 1931, the International Olympic Committee made a decision for the 1936 Summer Olympics to take  place in Berlin. Due to Germany’s  defeat  in WWI, it was seen as a peaceful gesture to award Berlin the honor of hosting the Olympics games, and as a way of welcoming them back into the world community.

  However in 1933, when the Nazi party leader Adolf Hitler become German chancellor, Germany began to change rapidly. The basic rights of German citizens began to be taken away. The power of the Nazi regime started to establishing the concentration camps, imprisoning political opponents, and persecuting Jews. Basically Nazi ideas were shaping  and controlling the whole of German life, even in the sports.

“In April 1933, an "Aryans only" policy was instituted in all German athletic organizations. "Non-Aryans"—Jews or individuals with Jewish parents and Roma (Gypsies)—were systematically excluded from German sports facilities and associations”(United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The atletlhes like Erich Seelig and Daniel Prenn were not allowed to compete in Olympics just for being Jewish.

This unjust treatment of Jew athletes has been heard around the world. Therefore three years before the game took place, a boycott movement was debated and argued upon between the U.S.,  England, France and some other countries. Diplomats believed that games would only help Hitler’s Nazi regime to spread nation wide. And joining the games in Berlin would mean that they are supporting the idea of discrimination against Jews. But then the U.S. itself had racist attitudes towards African-Americans, and discriminate towards black athletes. In the end,  the decision of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States voted for the U.S., to join the Olympics in Berlin. Afterwards other countries followed the U.S. and the boycott movement failed.

On August 1, 1936, when the 11th Olympic Games were opened by Adolf Hitler, his racist policies during the games were camouflaged. The anti-Jewish signs were ordered to be removed temporarily. The main purpose was to announce that Germany is peaceful and tolerant, which led most people to believe that Germany was changing positively. The New York Times stated that, “‘Games put Germans "back in the fold of nations,’ and even made them ‘more human again.’” (Berkes). Little did most people know that the games were the perfect opportunity for the Nazis to introduce their idea of the “Master Race” to the world.

Hitler tried hard to show the world the power of Aryan racial superiority during the games. By making sure that the games were broadcasted on televisions and radios. Perhaps it was partly some of his efforts that helped the Olympics to become broadcasted on radio in 28 different languages.

At the end of the Olympics, the world saw the victory of Jesse Owen, and African-American sprinter and long jumper. He won three individual events and a four gold medals. Jesse Owen was the opposite picture of the Aryan race, and he was what people remembered of the 1936’s Olympics, not Hitler’s idea of the “Master Race”.

Citation

"Berlin 1936." International Olympic Committee. N.p., 31 Jan. 2017. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

Berkes, Howard. "Nazi Olympics Tangled Politics and Sport." NPR. NPR, 7 June 2008. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

C N Trueman "The 1936 Berlin Olympics"historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 9 Mar 2015. 16 Aug 2016.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.