And the International Olympic Committee could not but respond to the wave of negative public opinion: to the chairman of the organizing committee of the Berlin Olympics Carla von Halta a corresponding official request was sent to the President of the IOC. Von Halt replied as follows:

If the anti-German press calls for bringing internal German affairs to the Olympic level, then this is deplorable and demonstrates an unfriendly attitude towards Germany in the worst possible way.<...>Germany is in the midst of a national revolution characterized by an exceptional, never before seen discipline. If there are isolated voices in Germany aimed at disrupting the Olympic Games, they come from circles that do not understand what the Olympic spirit is. These voices are not to be taken seriously.

However, the German side also did not sit idly by. After the IOC demarche, anti-Semite slogans and announcements were removed from Berlin streets. Signs "Jews Undesirable" were temporarily removed from places of public leisure, which will return in a few months; the tacit ban on Jews still remained in force. The recently retired Honorary President IOC Pierre de Coubertin. He was so fascinated by what he saw that he was going to bequeath to the Third Reich the rights to his books (more than 12 thousand pages of text) and made a vivid speech on the German state radio, in which, in particular, he called Hitler "one of the best creative spirits of our era" .

After the Paris conference of opponents of the Berlin Olympics and the subsequent actions of the United States, the IOC sent a special verification commission to Berlin. However, in the end, its members also did not see anything “that could harm the Olympic movement,” and the head of the commission, US NOC President Avery Brundage, made a public statement that the boycott was “an idea alien to the spirit of America, a conspiracy to politicize the Olympic games" and "Jews must understand that they cannot use the Games as a weapon in their fight against the National Socialists".

It is curious that the majority of black athletes in the United States were in favor of participating in the Berlin Games, believing that it was more reasonable to prove the usefulness of their race directly in the Olympic stadiums. They were not mistaken: for example, an African American became the star of the Olympics

A hallmark of many totalitarian regimes is increased attention to gloss and ceremonial. Ceremonies and holidays were of particular importance in Nazi Germany. Among all the solemn Nazi events, perhaps the most magnificent and spectacular was the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

Today, the historic Berlin stadium is perceived by many not so much as an arena for sports battles, but as a monumental reminder of the Nazi era. It was here, at the Olympiastadion, that Hitler held a grandiose propaganda campaign and, to the pompous music of Richard Wagner, opened the 1936 Summer Olympics in front of a 100,000-strong crowd.

The 1936 Berlin Olympics is probably the most controversial in the history of the Games. After the First World War, in 1920 and 1924, Germany was not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. However, this unfortunate fact did not bother Hitler much - he was convinced that it would be simply humiliating for German athletes to compete with "inferior non-Aryans". Bruno Matlitz, spokesman for the Nazi Party, confirmed this position in a letter to members of the German sports clubs, defining the Olympics as "overrun by French, Belgians, Poles and Negro Jews".

Despite such Nazi beliefs, on May 13, 1931, the International Olympic Committee granted Germany the right to host the 1936 Games. This move was explained by the fact that at that time Germany was not yet under Nazi rule, and the IOC decided that such a step would help to return Germany into the ranks of civilized countries. Problems arose after 1933, when Hitler's pronounced nationalist and anti-Jewish views became state policy.

Goebbels made every effort to convince the Fuhrer to reconsider his attitude towards the Olympic Games. He argued that the holding of the Olympics would show the world community the renewed power of Germany and provide the party with first-class propaganda material. In addition, the competition will allow the undoubtedly strong German team to demonstrate "Aryan" athleticism to other nations. The Fuhrer was smitten. The Fuhrer agreed. 20 million Reichsmarks were allocated for the Games, i.e. 8 million US dollars.

However, in 1934, serious disputes flared up in the world about the advisability of holding the Games in Berlin. They were especially stormy in the USA. Jewish, Catholic, religious and secular organizations united in their condemnation of the German Games. As IOC President Avery Brundage said in 1933:

"The very foundation of the modern revived Olympic movement would be undermined if individual countries were allowed to restrict participation in the Games on grounds of origin, creed or race."

Emblem of the Berlin Olympics.

To the guests who visited Berlin in 1936, it seemed that German anti-Semitism was just a myth. All anti-Jewish posters, brochures and books temporarily disappeared from the streets and stalls. German newspapers were prohibited from publishing anti-Semitic stories and articles for the duration of the Games. The inhabitants of Berlin were even ordered from June 30 to September 1 to refrain from negative public statements about the Jews. To create an impression of the liberalism of the Third Reich, even one half-Jewish woman (very incidentally of an "Aryan" appearance) was allowed to participate in the Games as part of the German team - fencing champion Helena Mayer.

The leadership and residents of Berlin showed generous hospitality towards the arriving athletes and guests. In particular, the consumption of eggs for Berliners has been temporarily cut so that guests can eat without restrictions. Laws against homosexuals were temporarily suspended. The entire city was lavishly decorated with swastikas and other Nazi symbols, giving it a festive and majestic air. Military mobilization was also hidden from prying eyes. Here is the Propaganda Ministry's instruction regarding the Olympic Village:

"The northern section of the Olympic Village, originally used by the Wehrmacht, should not be called barracks, it will now be called the "Northern section of the Olympic Village"

The world press was delighted. Only two or three of the most perceptive reporters were able to look behind the beautiful facade - but even they did not see the whole picture. In the northern suburbs of Berlin, the Oranienburg concentration camp was already filling up with Jews and other unwanted people.
The opening ceremony of the Games was well remembered by everyone who saw it. Cannons fired all over the city. Hitler personally released 20,000 carrier pigeons at the Sportpalast stadium. The Hindenburg zeppelin, almost 304 meters long, circled over the stadium with a giant Olympic flag in tow. In the middle of all this splendor, athletes from 49 countries of the world marched in front of the assembled crowds of spectators.

In general, the results of the XI Olympiad in Berlin were positive for the Reich. Huge investment in physical training and sports brought results: the German team received 33 gold medals, leaving all other teams far behind. The Nazis believed that the racial "superiority" of the Aryans found another confirmation.
Nevertheless, while many Nazi prejudices seemed to be confirmed, some of them came into clear conflict with reality. Half-Jewish fencer Helena Mayer took second place, while Jewish athletes from other countries won gold and silver medals. In a paramilitary sport like fencing, Jewish dominance was very unpleasant for the Nazi leaders. But invaluable contribution Mayer in Nazi propaganda more than compensated for this nuisance. Standing on the podium, she gave the Nazi salute in all form, and at the reception in honor of the Olympic medalists, she shook hands with Hitler. She was captured in her documentary "Olympia" and Leni Riefenstahl.
In general, the awards were distributed as follows.

No. Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Third Reich 33 26 30 89
2 USA 24 20 12 56
3 Hungary 10 1 5 16
4 Italy 8 9 5 22
5 Finland 7 6 6 19
6 France 7 6 6 19
7 Sweden 6 5 9 20
8 Japan 6 4 8 18
9 Netherlands 6 4 7 17

Olympic awards.

Project discussion.

This is what Berlin looked like in the year of the Games.

Erwin Kazmir, one of the best fencers in Germany.

From the history Olympic Movement - Dedicated to the Olympic Games in Sochi.

For the first time, the XI Olympic Games of 1936 in Berlin were used as a powerful ideological mouthpiece, the main image project of the Nazi IIIReich. Never before had the Olympics been held with such pomp - only 20 million Reichsmarks were spent on festive events - a record-breaking amount. About 4 million fans came to the games, radio reporters from 41 countries of the world worked in Berlin. 49 countries and 4066 athletes participated in the games; in addition to sports records, they set new record- by the number of participants. The former modesty of the Olympics was forever done away with.
Although the tradition of lighting the Olympic flame has existed since 1928, however, for the first time the fire was delivered to Berlin from the Greek Olympia by runners passing the torch like a baton - the Olympic torch relay began with the 1936 games.
For the first time the opening of the Olympics was televised in live- twenty-five large screens were installed in various places in Berlin, and people could freely watch the progress of the Olympic Games.

1. Games are questionable.
After the First World War, Germany was not allowed to participate in the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games. On May 13, 1931, the International Olympic Committee decided to hold the 1936 Games in Germany - such a step would help the country in crisis return to the bosom of civilization. However, in 1933, Hitler's Nazis came to power, and the following year, serious debate flared up in the world about the advisability of holding the Games in Berlin. They were especially stormy in the USA - Jewish and Catholic, secular and religious organizations - the main athletes of the future Olympics were categorically against it. However, in Germany itself, the Olympic Games were considered "flooded by the French, Belgians, Poles and Negro-Jews (!)". The fate of the Olympics was becoming uncertain. Back in 1932, the newspaper "People's Observer" (Völkischer Beobachter) in its comments on the 10th games of 1932 in Los Angeles wrote:
"Negroes have nothing to do at the Olympics [...] Today, unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a free person to challenge the palm of a forced black, a black man. This is an unprecedented insult and dishonor for Olympic idea, and the ancient Greeks would turn over in their graves if they knew what modern people have turned into their sacred national Games [...] The next Olympic Games will be held in 1936 in Berlin. We hope that those in positions of responsibility know what their duty is. Blacks should be excommunicated. We are waiting for this" .
Four years later, such "conversations in the ranks" in Germany ceased.

2. Preparation.
Hitler perfectly understood the opportunity to demonstrate to the world a new, revived and, most importantly, peace-loving Germany. The task was ambitious - to outshine all previous games both in terms of the scope of the competition and the number of participants and spectators. In addition to the German Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Propaganda were involved in organizing the Olympics, and a whole army of special emissaries was sent abroad to attract foreign tourists.
Large-scale construction work began. Based on the previously built sports complex"Olympia Park", erected before the First World War, when Germany was going to host the failed VI Olympic Games in 1916, a grandiose project for that time was developed. The plan included the construction of a stadium with a capacity of 86,000 seats, a separate hockey stadium, a riding arena, swimming pool, an open sports arena and an Olympic village with 140 cottages.

Not only the builders were preparing. The branches of the NSDAP, the German Ministry of the Interior and the Berlin police issued a mass of orders and directives, which prescribed from June 1 to September 15 to remove all anti-Semitic slogans, it was forbidden to use prisoners in work carried out near the roads. On July 16, 1936, an anti-gypsy raid took place, about 800 gypsies - residents of Berlin and its environs were arrested and placed in a special camp Marzahn (Berlin-Marzahn). We didn't forget about the burghers - "every owner of the house must keep the front garden in perfect order."
In Berlin, all signs of anti-Semitism completely disappeared, the members of the IOC audit committee were able to meet with Jewish athletes, who, of course, assured them of their complete freedom to play sports in the new Germany. Two weeks after the end of the games, everything will return to normal.

3. Construction.

Project development and construction Olympic Complex the architect Werner March was engaged ( Werner Julius March) between 1934 and 1936, the construction of the stadium alone cost 77 million marks. The original design of the stadium had a metal frame, but Hitler, who preferred other materials, succeeded in replacing the metal with natural stone, which gave the stadium an antique character. Here the “Theory of the Value of Ruins” by the Führer’s favorite architect Albert Speer played its role, according to which “modern buildings assembled from building structures [...] were ill-suited to become a “bridge of tradition”, which, according to Hitler’s plan, should be transferred to future generations: it is inconceivable that the rusting heaps of rubble would evoke the heroic enthusiasm that Hitler admired in the monuments of the past. [Therefore, it was necessary] to create such structures, the ruins of which through the centuries or (as we calculated) through the millennia would correspond to the Roman ruins " .
The theory was tested in the 45th - the stadium building survived.

4. Opening.


"On August 1, under the solemn ringing of the Olympic bell, Hitler opened the games surrounded by kings, princes, ministers and numerous guests of honor. When the former Olympic champion marfoner from Greece, Spyridon Louis, handed him an olive branch as a "symbol of love and peace," the choir sang a hymn written Richard Strauss and flocks of peace doves soared into the sky.In this picture of a reconciled planet, created by Hitler, the fact that some of the teams entering the stadium (including the French who had just been provocated), passing by the podium, threw up their hands in fascist salute, which they later, catching up points in terms of resistance, willingly announced the "Olympic salute."
Joachim Fest, "Hitler. Biography", book. 6, ch. 2.

5. Game statistics.
The Olympics lasted from 1 to 16 August 1936.
The number of athletes is 4066 (3738 men, 328 women). 129 sets of medals were played in 19 sports. The number of participating countries is 49. For the first time, Afghanistan, Bermuda, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Liechtenstein and Peru were represented - the USSR did not participate in the Olympic movement until 1952.

6. Awards.

7. Rewards are not for everyone.

The first two degrees were awarded for exceptional merits in the organization of the games, the 3rd for merits during their conduct. Both German and foreign citizens were allowed to be awarded.
The number of those awarded with the 1st and 2nd degree is 767 people, the 3rd - 3,364.

8. The book "Olympia 1936"

Album "Olympia" -1936", published in a circulation of 600 thousand copies (series "Z igaretten-Bilderdist published for propaganda purposes).
Most of the b/w photographs about the Olympics are from the album.

9. Leni Riefenstahl. "Olympia"
The Olympic competitions became the material for the creation of a documentary film masterpiece - the film by Leni Riefenstahl ( Leni Riefenstahl) "Olympia" (Olympia, 1938).

Film Awards:
1938 - State Prize of Germany;
1938 - The main prize of the Venice Film Festival (which was previously modestly called the "Mussolini Cup") for the best film; also prizes in Sweden and Greece;
1938 - gold medal Berlin Olympic Games 1936 from the International Olympic Committee (which Leni Riefenstahl received only in 2001, at the age of 99).
1948 - Gold medal of the Olympic Committee (and this is after the war);
1948 - Olympic Diploma of the International Film Festival in Lausanne;
1956 - Included in the top ten films of all time (I don't know why).

Nevertheless, I recommend to watch - you will not regret it.

10. Achievements.

The show shown at the Olympics"36 was a huge audience success. Germany celebrated victory at the XI Olympiad - German athletes won the most medals, German hospitality and brilliant organization received universal recognition from the guests. Many newspaper reports echoed the laudatory articles from the New York Times with might and main. , who noted that the games "returned Germany to the bosom of nations" and even made her "more human".
The bait was swallowed in full.

11. Mythology of the Olympics.
A legend stubbornly associated with the 1936 Olympics is that Hitler refused to shake hands with Jesse Owens, a black American athlete who won 4 gold medals. Some go even further, reporting that after his victory on the run, Hitler allegedly defiantly left Olympic Stadium. Alas, it is not. Everything is simple - before the procedure for awarding the winners in Olympic Committee Hitler was told that during the presentation of medals to the winners, he must either shake hands with everyone or no one. The Fuhrer chose the second option*.
________________________________________ _____________
*- from book Georges Bernage, "Berlin. 1945" , Heimdal, 2005

On the photos of the album Olympia -1936", pp. 17, 23, 26, 27 and 29 camera focused on black athletes.

12. "Defeat? No!"
The victories of African-American athletes have always been presented as a complete defeat of the bad Nazi racial ideology in front of the democracies of Western civilization (and this is with discrimination against blacks in the then America of the 30s). Like, the Olympic Games, according to the plan of the Nazi organizers, were supposed to pass under the sign of the superiority of the Aryan race and demonstrate to all honest people the correctness of their racial theories. Yes, pardon, in order to achieve this, you need to win ALL OLYMPIC MEDALS in all sports - no one set such a crazy task for the German national team.
Who is Jesse Owens!
The main task of the games is to demonstrate the advantages of totalitarianism against the backdrop of the crisis of the 30s, to get the souls of future collaborators-collaborators, to recruit a potential "fifth column" before the coming conquest of Europe, and if possible, the rest of the racially inferior world. The second goal is to attach a beautiful sports showcase to the huge arsenal of weapons that Germany has already turned into.
And both tasks were brilliantly accomplished.

13. XIIOlympic Games "40.
Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 - just three years later, the “hospitable” and “peace-loving” organizer of the Olympic Games unleashed the Second world war. The next Olympics was planned in Tokyo. Instead of the promised sports competitions, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese arranged Pearl Harbor for America.

14. Photos of the Olympics.

Original

Time spending: 2 - 9 August 1936
Number of disciplines: 29
Number of countries: 43
Number of athletes: 776
men: 678
women: 98
The youngest member: Ko Nakamura-Yoshino (Japan, age: 16, 104 days)
Oldest member: Percy Wyer (Canada, age: 52, 199 days)
Medal-winning countries: USA (25)
Athletes with medals: Jesse Owens USA (4)

The 1936 Olympics was a huge success for the audience: about 4 million fans came to it. Radio reporters from 41 countries worked in the German capital.
The opening of the Olympics was broadcast live on television for the first time, a full-length film was made documentary Leni Riefenstahl Olympia.

Every day a newsletter was issued and received by 3,690 newspapers and magazines on different continents. Another flight across the Atlantic by a German airship took place a day later to deliver photographs of the closing of the Olympic Games to the United States.

The opening ceremony of the Games continued the tradition of lighting the Olympic flame since 1928, and for the first time the flame was brought from Olympia by runners passing the torch like a baton. This marked the beginning of the tradition of the Olympic Torch Relay.

The games set a new record for the number of participants.

For the first time in the unofficial team standings, German athletes took the lead with 33 gold medals, 26 silver, 30 bronze.

Despite the success of the German team, the Olympics crossed out Nazi racial theories. For example, in track and field competitions, six first, three second and two third places were taken by black Americans, and the best athlete One of them was announced - the great sprinter of all time American Jesse Owens: he won the 100 and 200 m races, received the third "gold" in the 4x100 m relay, and the fourth - in the long jump (he is the first in history athletics overcame the line 8 m - 8 m 06 cm).
The Berlin Games were called "Jesse Owens Olympics".

In the high jump, the Americans again became winners. The first two places were taken by long-legged black athletes Cornelius Johnson and Dave Albritton. Johnson jumped 2.03 m, setting an Olympic record, Albritton was only 3 cm behind him. American Delos Thurber received the bronze medal.

The pole vault competitions were exciting. They lasted over 12 hours. Only late in the evening, under the spotlights (which was then a novelty), the name of the winner and the new Olympic record holder was finally announced: the American Earl Meadows jumped 4 m 35 cm. Suhei Nishida and Suoe Oe from Japan shared the second and third places with an equal result - 4 m 25 cm. The revival at the stadium caused the announcement that the athletes decided to share the medals, sawing them into halves.

Hitler's state policy towards the Jews almost put an end to the Games in Germany, but the Fuhrer decided that a demonstration of the power and fortitude of the Aryans would be good propaganda for his ideas. Adolf implicitly believed in the superiority of his athletes and allocated 20 million Reichsmarks to host the Olympics.

The world community has serious doubts about the appropriateness of competitions of this level in Germany. They argued that the very idea of ​​the Olympic Movement denies any restrictions on the participation of athletes on religious or racial grounds. But many athletes and politicians did not support the boycott.

In 1934, IOC officials visited Berlin, which, however, was thoroughly "cleaned" before this visit, removing all signs of anti-Semitism. The commission also talked to athletes of Jewish origin, who convinced the inspectors of their freedom. Although the IOC issued a positive verdict, a lot of athletes did not go to these Games.

Numerous guests who visited Berlin during the Olympics did not notice the manifestations of German anti-Semitism, so carefully Hitler hid all posters, leaflets, brochures of anti-Jewish content. There was even one athlete of Jewish origin in the Aryan team - fencing champion Helena Mayer.

The people of Berlin were hospitable towards foreign Olympic athletes. The city was decorated with Nazi symbols, and numerous military men were hidden from prying eyes. Representatives of the world press wrote rave reviews about the organization of the Games in Berlin. Even the most suspicious and insightful could not discern the whole truth, and yet at that time in one of the suburbs of the German capital the Oranienburg concentration camp was filling up.

The opening ceremony of the Olympics was pompous and on an unprecedented scale. The Fuhrer did his best and threw dust in the eyes of numerous guests of the capital. He personally released 20,000 snow-white doves at the stadium. A huge zeppelin with the Olympic flag was circling in the sky, cannons fired deafeningly. Athletes from 49 states marched in front of the stunned and joyful spectators.

Germany had the largest team - 348 athletes, 312 people put up the USA. Soviet Union did not participate in these Games.

The results of the XI Olympiad pleased Hitler. The German athletes got 33 gold, leaving the rest of the athletes far behind. The Fuhrer received confirmation of the "superiority" of the Aryans. But the Jewish fencer also succeeded and took second place, other athletes of Semitic origin won medals and performed successfully. This conflicted with Hitler's ideas and was a tangible fly in the ointment that spoiled his joy.

Shaken Nazi dogmas and the undoubted success of a black athlete from the United States - a specialist in running and jumping Jess Owens. The American team won 56 medals, and 14 of them were won by African Americans. Jess took three gold medals of the Berlin Olympics and became her real hero.

Hitler refused to congratulate Owens or any other dark-skinned athlete. The successes of this athlete were hushed up in the German press, only the Aryans were praised there. It is impossible to deny the success of the German Olympians - they were amazing!