Nazi Games: The Olympics of 1936

The year 1936 saw ""the Nazi's first big international show-their coming-out party on the world stage,"" when Berlin hosted the summer Olympics. In this comprehensive examination of the 1936 Olympic Games, historian Large explores everything from Berlin's bid to secure the games-amongst much political jockeying and threats of international boycott-to politicized training regimes, shocking mistreatment of Jewish and black athletes and, finally, the tense contest itself. What emerges is a captivating, chilling portrait of the Nazi propaganda machine, the international response to it and the swirl of global forces that would soon plunge the world back into war. Featuring highly detailed research drawn from a number of primary accounts (including ""fresh materials"" from the International Olympic Committee), this history may wade in a few steps deeper than some readers will care to go; still, as a unique look at both the Third Reich and the Olympics, this should hold great interest for aficionados of WWII and avid fans of the Games.