Berlin Olympics Flashcards
When were the Olympic Games awarded to Berlin?
-26 April 1931
What was Hitler’s aims for the Berlin Olympics?
-to glorify the regime not only for the German people but for millions of people across the world who would see Nazi Germany as a success
-they were trying to spread Nazi ideology themes without causing international upset
-many anti-Jewish posters were removed and newspapers were made to downplay their virulent messages
What did the Nazis do to present a positive message of the ‘new Germany’?
-42 million Reichsmarks were spend on the 325 acre Olympic sports complex
-a huge Olympic stadium was build of natural stone in a classical style due to the modernist plan being rejected
How many spectators could be seated in the Olympic stadium?
-it could seat 110,000 spectators and was the biggest stadium at the time
What radio preparations did the Nazis do for the Berlin Olympics?
-20 transmitting vans were put in the disposal of the foreign media along with 300 microphones
-radio broadcasts were given in 28 different languages
What TV preparations did the Nazis do for the Berlin Olympics?
-TV was in its early stages->the games prompted a significant technical development
-broadcasts of the games were made and seen by 150,000 in 28 public tv rooms in Berlin
What film preparations did the Nazis do for the Berlin Olympics? What film did they make?
-the Nazis promoted and financed filming by the director Leni Riefenstahl
-she brought 33 camera operators to the Olympics and show over a million reel of film
-it took 18 months to edit the material into a 4 hour film called Olympia
-it was released in 2 parts beginning in April 1939
How was Nazi ideology spread in the Berlin Olympics?
-the ideal of the tall, athletic, blue eyed Aryan race was further emphasised through the image of the athlete Seigfried Eifrig lighting the torch at the start of the games in the Olympic stadium
-however the Nazi dream was marred by the success of the black American athlete Jesse Owens who won 4 gold medals
How successful was the Berlin Olympics for Germany?
-major success for the Nazis-> gained praise for their excellent management and impressive spectacle->recognised by the US correspondent William Shirrer
How did the Berlin Olympics help the Nazi Party exert control?
-it gave them a chance to show Germany as a strong unified country and show how they’ve improved and show their strength
-it would also make Germans feel proud of their country and united so they would want to support the Nazis as it would’ve helped them recognise the changes they made
