Bidspirit auction | The 1936 Olympic Games -

The 1936 Olympic Games - An Important Publication Issued in Berlin in Advance of the Opening of the Summer Olympics in Nazi Germany - Olympic Games 1936 - A finely produced booklet issued by the Organizing Committee in advance of the 11th Summer Olympic Games in Berlin and the 4th Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen - the extensive preparations and sporting infrastructure of Nazi Germany in advance of the Games. The publication was produced in Berlin ahead of the Games held in August 1936 and was intended for worldwide distribution. English. The front cover features an impressive dramatic full-color illustration designed by the German artist Ernst Würbel, depicting the arms of muscular athletes reaching upward toward a golden wreath of oak leaves against the background of the Olympic rings. The booklet is printed on high-quality paper and includes high-resolution black-and-white photographs documenting the progress of preparations in Germany and leading athletes from around the world - including athletes from the United States, France, Finland, and Japan, with references to African-American athletes such as Jesse Owens, Ralph Peacock, and others - as well as surveys describing the intensive preparations for the Games and articles by various authors, including Johannes Runge and Hans Borowik. Prominent in the booklet is extensive coverage of the ”Olympic Exhibition Caravan” - mobile DRL exhibition trucks accompanied by swastika flags that traveled throughout Germany to generate public support for the Games, alongside official ranking tables of world records in track and field, swimming, and weightlifting. The booklet was written in English with the aim of serving as ”soft propaganda” for foreign audiences and presenting the international community with a pastoral, progressive, and enlightened image of Nazi Germany, while concealing the racial laws, persecution of the Jews, and militarization taking place in the background during those years. The Berlin Olympics, held in 1936, was one of the most prominent international sporting events of the interwar period, at a time when Germany was already under the rule of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. The Games, held from August 1 to 16, 1936, were intended not only as a celebration of international sport but also as a platform for showcasing Germany's power, organization, and modernity to the world. The Nazi regime invested enormous resources in the construction of new facilities, foremost among them the impressive Olympic Stadium in Berlin, as well as in staging ceremonies and events designed to make a powerful impression on visitors and foreign delegations, along with countless Olympic souvenirs intended to glorify the achievements of the German Reich. 32 pages. 35 cm. Good condition.