The Consequences of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin

The issuing of the 1936 Olympics to Berlin during the era of Nazi Germany brought about major controversy among the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the world at large. By dismissing a boycott to the Olympics in Berlin, the power of Nazi rule was not only accepted, but augmented among the many nations who participated in the Summer Games. Many countries, most importantly the United States, had the opportunity to boycott the games, but on December 8th, 1935, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) denied the opposition to having the Games in Berlin by two and a half mere votes. As a result, many of Hitler’s Nazi and “pro Aryan” ideals were spread using the Olympic Games as the primary vehicle to shuttle its propaganda, which consequently affected many of the Nazi Party’s appalling actions in the future.

One of Hitler’s means of racial promotion was to only let Germans (Aryans) participate on the German National Team. Hitler and his party believed that anyone not Aryan, according to the Reich, was an “inferior” human. Additionally, even after the Games were over, tools such as Leni Riefenstahl’s film, Olympia, were used by the Nazi Party to further promote their radical ideals. Overall, Hitler’s regime pumped over twenty million Reichsmarks, equivalent to eight million U.S. dollars into the proliferation of Nazi propaganda. By being allowed to boast obviously bogus claims and ideals, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels was able to boost Nazi beliefs not only domestically, but on an international stage. Inevitably, had the IOC boycotted the Olympics and disallowed this extremist behavior, the Nazi Party’s future atrocities and gain in influence could have been curbed significantly.