Start Date
5-2-2013 10:30 AM
End Date
5-2-2013 11:45 AM
Disciplines
History
Abstract
When Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games on April 6, 1896, he not only established a tradition of athletic competition, but put forth an enduring goal of international unity and global peace. Rooted in the values of sportsmanship and respect, the Olympics have matured into a global showcase. The Games are no longer simply an athletic competition, but a universal stage where nations from across the globe display their progress and forward-thinking. Under a worldwide watchful eye, the hosting country faces a particularly difficult challenge -- the manner in which they handle the inevitable obstacles is under strict scrutiny from a multitude of nations. Sometimes, they crumble under the pressure. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler manipulated the world stage to promote Nazism. Severely condemned by their national counterparts, Germany was eager to regain hosting privileges and redeem their tarnished reputation. Thus, when the opportunity presented itself in 1972 with the Munich Olympics, the Munich Organizational Committee stopped at nothing to put on what they deemed, "the Happy Games." Curbing security measures that conflicted with their idealistic view, the Committee, led by Avery Brundage, blatantly ignored the opportunities for terrorism presented to them by analyst Georg Sieber. This essay explores the causes and consequences of what has come to been known as the "Munich Massacre."
Rights
© Copyright the author(s)
IN COPYRIGHT:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
DISCLAIMER:
The purpose of this statement is to help the public understand how this Item may be used. When there is a (non-standard) License or contract that governs re-use of the associated Item, this statement only summarizes the effects of some of its terms. It is not a License, and should not be used to license your Work. To license your own Work, use a License offered at https://creativecommons.org/
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/9458
Included in
Situation Twenty-One
When Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games on April 6, 1896, he not only established a tradition of athletic competition, but put forth an enduring goal of international unity and global peace. Rooted in the values of sportsmanship and respect, the Olympics have matured into a global showcase. The Games are no longer simply an athletic competition, but a universal stage where nations from across the globe display their progress and forward-thinking. Under a worldwide watchful eye, the hosting country faces a particularly difficult challenge -- the manner in which they handle the inevitable obstacles is under strict scrutiny from a multitude of nations. Sometimes, they crumble under the pressure. In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler manipulated the world stage to promote Nazism. Severely condemned by their national counterparts, Germany was eager to regain hosting privileges and redeem their tarnished reputation. Thus, when the opportunity presented itself in 1972 with the Munich Olympics, the Munich Organizational Committee stopped at nothing to put on what they deemed, "the Happy Games." Curbing security measures that conflicted with their idealistic view, the Committee, led by Avery Brundage, blatantly ignored the opportunities for terrorism presented to them by analyst Georg Sieber. This essay explores the causes and consequences of what has come to been known as the "Munich Massacre."