Nazi games
Subtitle: the Olympics of 1936
By: David Clay Large
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Published: 2007
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 401
ISBN-13: 9780393058840
Subjects: National socialism and sports; Sports; Olympic Games (11th : 1936 : Berlin, Germany); Sports and state
Description: 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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 345-377) and index.
Table of contents: title: Faster, higher, stronger: the modern olympics from Athens to Amsterdam; title: Enter the Nazis; title: Boycott Berlin!; title: The winter games; title: On to Berlin; title: Holy flame, burn: the ceremonial games; title: Darktown parade: track and field; title: Of pools, mats, rings and rough waters; title: Olympia.