Nazi games : the Olympics of 1936 / David Clay Large.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Large, David Clay.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Olympic Games--(11th : 1936 : Berlin, Germany).

Olympic Games.

Sports--Germany.

Sports.

National socialism and sports.

Sports and state--Germany.

Sports and state.

Germany.

Physical Description:

xiii, 401 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : W.W. Norton, [2007]

Summary:

Athletics and politics collide in a critical event for Nazi Germany and the contemporary world. The Olympic festival was a crucial part of the Nazi regime's mobilization of power. The torch relay--that staple of Olympic pageantry--first opened the summer games in 1936 in Berlin. Proposed by the Nazi Propaganda Ministry, the relay was to carry the symbolism of a new Germany across its route through southeastern and central Europe. Soon after, the Wehrmacht would march in jackboots over the same terrain. This book offers a blend of history and sport: it includes an account of the international effort to boycott the games, derailed by the American Olympic Committee. It also recounts the dazzling athletic feats of these Olympics, including Jesse Owens's four gold-medal performances, and the marathon victory of Korean runner Kitei Son, with the Rising Sun of imperial Japan on his bib.--From publisher description.

Contents:

Introduction : a bridge to the ancient Greeks?

"Faster, higher, stronger" : the modern Olympics from Athens to Amsterdam

Enter the Nazis

Boycott Berlin!

The winter games

On to Berlin

"Holy flame, burn" : the ceremonial games

"Darktown parade" : track and field

Of pools, mats, rings, and rough waters

Olympia

Epilogue : "the games must go on".

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 345-377) and index.

ISBN:

9780393058840

0393058840

OCLC:

77485879