Berlin Olympics And Power Of Adolf Hitler

downloadDownload
  • Words 1352
  • Pages 3
Download PDF

The Olympics is an international sporting event. Berlin has rewarded the privilege of hosting the Olympics in 1931. Adolf Hitler rose to power as chancellor in 1933. In 1936, Germany hosted the Olympic games. Hitler and the Nazis used the worldwide sporting event to their advantage and showed their power over the world. Germany gained the privilege to compete in the Olympics before the Nazi rise to power in 1931. Before the event, many Jewish athletes chose to not compete at the game and almost all Jewish athletes in Germany were not allowed to compete. For example, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller were two such athletes. When the time came, no one took action and the games continued in Berlin as planned. 49 countries were represented, with 129 events from the 1st to the 16th in August of 1936. The Nazis would call this a success because they were able to prove their worth and power by removing antisemitic signs and propaganda, which included false news and signs about discrimination against Jews. Despite the harsh protest about Jews, the people didn’t respond to it because Hitler made sure there wasn’t a vast amount of protests. The outcome of hosting of Olympics in Germany was fairly positive because many visitors left thinking the country was efficient and clean (Everyday). Because Hitler gained his power in the passing of the Enabling Act, he used the Berlin Olympics to show the strength of his power. He did this by showing his idea of his and Germany’s superiority by discriminating against the Jews and using propaganda to deceive the people.

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, and died on April 30, 1945. When Hitler was growing up he registered to fight in the military, showing his bravery and loyalty to the country. Adolf Hitler led the extreme racist party and served as a chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 (Adolf). Most would say he is the most effective and powerful dictator due to how he took on his most crucial position at the time and his widespread control over the people. Showing his devotion to his country, it was clear he put his time, knowledge and effort into his own idea of a perfect and beneficial lifestyle, for not just him but also the people. Yet despite this, most disagreed on his decisions while being chancellor, still to this day.

Click to get a unique essay

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

Hitler gained his power in unusual ways and he then used the Berlin Olympics to show his idea of his superiority. He was able to rise to power when he passed a law called the Enabling Act. The Enabling Act is about Hitler’s cabinet being able to have freedom of their decisions and not having to go through the German parliament, which was the Reichstag (History Place). The Enabling Act was also called the ‘Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich.’ Before the votes for the Enabling Act, Hitler made a promise to the Reichstag saying, ‘The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures…The number of cases in which an internal necessity exists for having recourse to such a law is in itself a limited one.” Explain this quote and its significance

Along with this, as chancellor, he promised to end unemployment and pledged to make amends with France, Great Britain, and Soviet Russia (HistoryPlace). Add information on why he needed to make amends (what happened between the countries) In order for this all to be accomplished, the law had to pass, for which he needed approximately two-thirds majority. Once he persuaded the people of all his promises, the law was soon passed, meaning that Hitler would have a legal dictatorship in Germany to control the budget, approve treaties with foreign governments, etc. Once Adolf Hitler was dictator for the first time, his main focus was his hatred against the Jews (HistoryPlace).

“Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex” (Oxford). Hitler displayed to a great extent hatred and discrimination against the Jews. “The Jews in Europe have been victims of discrimination and persecution since the Middle Ages, often for religious reasons” (Hamann). Christians saw the Jews as an abnormality that had to be obliterated. Jews were occasionally forced to convert or they were not allowed to practice certain professions. Further, into the nineteenth century, religion played a less imperative role. Most say it was replaced by opinions about the differences between races and people. Hitler was a strong believer in antisemitism. Many would say antisemitism was at its highest peak between 1933 through 1936. The biggest peak in 1936 was the Olympics hosted in Germany. Hitler used the Olympics to show the world his idea of his and Germany’s superiority. He proclaimed this idea by only letting certain individuals compete. As the primary source states “[e]very one of us had to be a Super-Aryan. Only blue-eyed blonds were acceptable” (Smith). Two examples of athletes who were discriminated against were Daniel Prenn and Jesse Owens.

First is a Jewish athlete named Daniel Prenn, Germany’s top-ranked tennis player that was removed from Germany’s Davis cup team (Museum). The second is Jesse Owens, a black sprinter representing the United States who won the International Amateur Athlete Award and four Olympic gold medals for her dedication and athletic determination (Moore). Elaborate on what happened to them during the Olympics, how were they discriminated against. Hitler’s strong doctrine thinking that his race is superior at the time was covered up with propaganda that would deceive the people into thinking that his obstinate ideas were the best for the country, especially for the time period of the depression just coming to an end.

When the Olympics was the first to be televised, it showed Hitler and the Nazi’s superiority. “There were 28 viewing rooms were set up around Berlin, where 150,000 people are estimated to have seen the Olympics” (Early). The Nazis also used propaganda to get the people to believe Hitler is entitled. Germany successfully promoted the Olympics with colorful posters and magazine spreads. Athletic imagery drew a fine line between Nazi Germany and ancient Greece. These “portrayals” symbolized the Nazi racism that Germany is superior to any other culture especially “Aryan” (Berlin). Propaganda efforts continued well after the Olympics with the international release in 1938 of Olympia, the film of the games.

Works Cited

  1. ‘Adolf Hitler.’ Encyclopedia of World Biography Online, Gale, 1998. Gale In Context: World History, https://link-gale-com.bps.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/K1631003062/WHIC?u=berkeley&sid=WHIC&xid=ac9a0ba7. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
  2. Bachrach, Susan D. The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936. Little, Brown, 2000.
  3. Bryner, Jenna. ‘Hitler’s Rise: How a Homeless Artist Became a Murderous Tyrant.’ Live Science, 14 June 2018, www.livescience.com/54441-how-hitler-rose-to-power.html. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
  4. ‘Early Electronic Television.’ Early Electronic Television, www.earlytelevision.org/olympics_1936.html?utm_content=buffer0dcac&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
  5. ‘Everyday Life; Olympics.’ The Holocaust Explained, The Wiener Holocaust Library, www.theholocaustexplained.org/life-in-nazi-occupied-europe/controlling-everyday-life/olympics/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2020.
  6. The History Place. www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/enabling.htm.
  7. ‘Hitler’s Antisemitism. Why Did He Hate the Jews?’ Anne Frank House, www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/go-in-depth/why-did-hitler-hate-jews/.
  8. Moorhouse, Roger. ‘Rise of a dictator: How did Hitler Gain Power and Become the Führer of Germany?’ HistoryExtra, 30 Jan. 2020, www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/how-hitler-gain-power-become-dictator-fuhrer-nazi-germany/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2020.
  9. ‘The Nazi Berlin Olympics of 1936.’ United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org/exhibition/olympics/?content=nazi_propaganda&lang=en.
  10. ‘The Nazi Olympics Berlin 1936.’ United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-nazi-olympics-berlin-1936. Accessed 4 Feb. 2020.
  11. Nelson, Roger B. ‘Hitler’s Propaganda Machine.’ Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources, edited by K. Lee Lerner, et al., Gale, 2006, pp. 264-270. Gale In Context: World History, https://link-gale-com.bps.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX2687500109/WHIC?u=berkeley&sid=WHIC&xid=e5251784. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
  12. ‘Olympic Games of 1936.’ Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, edited by John Hartwell Moore, vol. 2, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 381-384. Gale In Context: World History, https://link-gale-com.bps.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/CX2831200291/WHIC?u=berkeley&sid=WHIC&xid=c2c7b454. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
  13. ‘Olympic Games of 1936.’ Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, edited by John Hartwell Moore, vol. 2, Detroit, Macmillan Reference USA, 2008, pp. 381-84. Gale In Context: World History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2831200291/WHIC?u=berkeley&sid=WHIC&xid=c2c7b454. Accessed 4 Feb. 2020.
  14. ‘The Rise of Adolf Hitler.’ The History Place, www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/dictator.htm. Accessed 12 Feb. 2020.
  15. Smith, Samuel D. ‘Ode to Peace or Prelude to War?’ Vanderbilt University, ir.vanderbilt.edu/bitstream/handle/1803/8358/Ode-to-Peace.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 10 Feb. 2020. I am using this source not with the thoughts of the student, but the quotes provided.

image

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.