Why Germany Won The 1930's Olympics?

Since 776 B.C, the Olympic games have preserved as one of the world’s greatest traditions. The Olympics remain one of the few ways the world comes together, and competes in friendly competition. However, Germany had a different idea when they received the honor of hosting the Summer Olympics in 1936. The Nazi Party hoped to show the world the greatness of their superior race (tall, lean, blue eyed men). The Nazi’s planned to exploit the Olympics to try and advertise their idea of a superior ethnicity. Jesse Owens disproved the Nazi’s theory by winning four gold medals, breaking two world records, and equaling another world record. Through politics, propaganda, pageantry, and actual sport, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party exploited the 1936 Summer Olympic Games to showcase the supremacy of the White Aryan men and Germany. Many problems began to occur when The IOC- International Olympic Committee announced that Berlin would host the 1936 Summer Olympics in 1931 (NPR.org). Every two years different cities across the world bid for an opportunity to host a future Olympics (Schaap 85). When the Olympic Committee announced that Berlin would host the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin,

Germany exploited the Olympics, and tried to use it for political purposes. Germany succeeded in winning the most gold medals beating out every other country. But Jesse Owens and other inferior raced athletes (to the Nazi’s opinion) proved that color has no importance when dealing with sports. Hitler’s plot failed, and resulted in more foreign pride. Two years after the Olympics ended, Germany invaded Poland sparking the beginning of World War 2. Today, many people recount the story of Jesse Owens excellence during the 1936 Summer Olympics. But to truly understand his greatness, one must know the story behind Germany’s