History 17/03/20 Olympics in Berlin in 1936: a sporting triumph of Hitler
In 2018, Minister of foreign Affairs of great Britain, Boris Johnson has compared the world Cup in Russia with the summer Olympic games-36 in Nazi Germany. In spite of diplomatic behaviour of the Minister, his statement is a good occasion to remember about the games held just three years before the outbreak of the Second world war.
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Germany has applied to host the Olympics 36 in the late 1920-ies. In addition to Berlin, the victory was claimed by another nine cities. One of them was Barcelona, where the German capital were competing in the final. Finally, in 1931, the international Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the verdict – the Games will be held in Berlin.
two years Later came to power the Nazis. They immediately raise the question of whether the competition. Adolph Hitler considered the Olympics as “a Jewish invention”. The German athletes, he said, should not compete together with the representatives of “inferior peoples”. Besides, in past Games in Los Angeles, Germany ranked only ninth place in the team event, and if so, then the sense to hold the Olympics there, thought the Fuhrer.
to Persuade Hitler was the Reich Minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels. It is suggested to use competition to improve the image of Nazi Germany abroad. In addition, he believed that the Games will help the development of sport, which in turn will have a positive impact on the health and fitness of soldiers. Fuhrer, focused on the war, found the idea of Goebbels tempting.
preparations for the Games, Hitler took personal control and ordered to allocate for these purposes more than 20 million Reichsmarks. Began the construction of the Olympic stadium on 86 thousand places, swimming pools, outdoor arena, village for the athletes of the 500 houses and other buildings.
Games with a touch of Nazism
But the Third Reich here, notallowed the opportunity to show their true selves. Soon, the IOC began receiving complaints about the persecution of Jews in Germany. They were expelled from sports clubs, expelled from the athletic Association. In addition, in 1935, were enacted the Nuremberg laws, which restricted the rights of “inferior races”. The IOC has threatened Berlin with deprivation of the status of the Olympic capital, and in Europe and the United States a movement for a boycott of the Games.
to understand the situation of the international Olympic Committee sent a German delegation. The Nazis carefully prepared: the guests were shown the facilities under construction, urban infrastructure, besides from the streets cleaned all the anti-Semitic propaganda and even organized the V meeting with athletes-Jews. The task was simple: to show that no harassment in Germany. From Berlin, the delegation came back impressed.
With a span
the Olympiad was held from 1 to 16 August. In licked to Shine a Berlin attended by more than four thousand athletes from 49 countries. To support the athletes arrived at about four million fans.
a couple of months before the start of the competitions out of town were evicted, beggars, Gypsies and women of easy virtue. Furthermore, Goebbels is strictly forbidden to publish anti-Semitic articles in Newspapers and magazines, and the streets were cleaned of posters with similar content.
attendees were expecting an amazing novelty: for the first time in the history of live broadcast of the Games. This was organized 33 telesalon, in which there were two TVs, transmit the image in real-time. In the days of the Olympics have been visited by over 150 thousand people, the queue there was no less than to the stadiums.
speaking of which, some athletes still join the boycott. But most went, not wanting to miss the chance provided every four years.
the Soviet athletes at the Olympic games was not. Relations between the USSR and Germany then was very tense: there was a civil war in Spain, where they were on different sides of the barricades.
Interestinge-the facts
the Main myth of the Olympic games was a story about a black American athlete Jesse Owens. It is believed that he had angered Hitler by taking four gold medals, therefore, the führer refused to shake his hand as the other winners.
However, things were somewhat different. Hitler really didn’t want to shake the hands of “non-Aryans”, so before the start of Owens stopped inviting each winner to his box.
on the first day of competition Olympic champion in the shot put was the German athlete Hans welke. The Germans were jubilant. In March 1943 the partisans in Belarus fired on a column of Verhmata. Officer killed – the same Hans welke.
the Nazis conducted a bloody campaign of retribution. The nearby village of Khatyn, in which, as did the Germans, sheltering partisans, was destroyed and its inhabitants burned alive.
Who won?
Germany won the confidence of the team, taking 33 gold, 26 silver and 30 bronze medals – a total of 89 medals. In second place is USA – 24 gold, 20 silver and 12 bronze medals, a total of 56 awards. Closes the three leaders of the Hungarians with 10 medals. Goebbels said that the results of Games was a clear proof of the superiority of the Aryan race.
the Fuehrer of the Olympics was delighted, so much so that he determined to conduct in Germany all Games in General. The Germans have applied for the winter competition which was to take place in early 1940. Officials of the IOC hesitated, but soon Berlin himself withdrew the application. And about the summer Olympics then there is no thought in Europe during the entire war raged.
Ivan Potapov
Source:
© Russian Seven
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