“The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936″ Exhibit Opens at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Posted May 21st, 2008 at 2:00 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Olympics
A special exhibition is now on display at the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936 will run through August 17, 2008. The exhibition debuted at the Museum in 1996 in conjunction with the opening of the Atlanta Games, and is now returning to Washington, D.C., following a 10-year national tour to 16 cities. New artifacts have been added including an original torch from the 1936 torch run, and Gold medals won by Jesse Owens, John Woodruff and Ralph Metcalfe. The Museum’s website features an online version of the exhibition.
“Holocaust history offers a useful perspective for understanding the questions and challenges we face today,” says Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield. “This exhibition provides a fascinating backdrop to the contemporary Games.”
The 1936 Olympic Games were awarded to Berlin prior to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1933. Hitler originally eschewed the idea of hosting the Games, but soon realized that they could be exploited for propaganda purposes.
“Nazi Germany wanted to show the world that it was ready to re-join the community of nations after its defeat in World War I,” says exhibition curator Susan Bachrach. “Hosting the Olympics presented the Nazi leadership with an extraordinary opportunity to project the illusion of a peaceful, tolerant Germany under the guise of the Games’ spirit of international cooperation. That effort was largely successful, and the relatively young regime scored a major propaganda victory.”
However, as the world watched Nazi Germany’s re-militarization, extreme nationalism, rampant racism, and persecution of Jews, Roma, Sinti, political opponents and others, many expressed doubts about the appropriateness of holding the Games in Berlin. A widespread and passionate debate arose, especially in the United States, about boycotting the Games centering on the interplay between sports and politics.
Explore the online version of the exhibition at: http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/olympics/detail.php?tr=y&auid=3677663
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Tags: 1936 olympic games, adolf hitler, berlin 1936, holocaust, jesse owens, jews, john moodruff, nazi, nazi olympics, ralph metcalfe, sara j. bloomfield, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
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