Research Proposal

Introduction

In this proposal, I will be explaining the connection between The Neo-Nazi party and their leader, Adolf Hitler use of pro-Aryan race propaganda and the cultural event of the 1936 Olympics. Germany used their media, to portray a similarity between the Aryan race and the people from ancient Greece. Through this the Germans produced several different propaganda pieces, leading up and through the 1936 Olympics. From this propaganda, the Nazi party produced many flyers and posters, that portrayed the Aryan superior to all other races. These posters and flyers are my primary sources I will be observing for my historical analysis paper.

Background

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party during the 1930s wanted to emphasize “Aryan” superiority and their physique. This is when German artists began to make sculptures of German athletes, with well-built muscles and heroic strength. As well as blonde hair and blue-eyes. This was all a front for the Nazi party, their real motives are their antisemitic agenda as well as their plans to take more territory throughout Europe.

As the Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler quickly turned the nation of Germany into a dictatorship, that would persecute the Jewish race. In the April of 1933, many German athletic organizations promoted a policy called, ‘Aryans only”. This policy banned all “Non-Aryans” especially Jewish people from using their German facilities. From this policy many famous Jewish athletes were not able to compete in the Olympics like, world-class high jumper, Gretel Bergmann and light heavyweight-champion, Erich Seeling. Only one “Non-Aryan” ended up representing Germany at the 1936 Olympics.

Cultural Event

I argue that the 1936 Olympics is a cultural event because, it is a practice that, countries all round the world take part in. Culturally this was very important to the German people, since their defeat of World War 1. After WW1 Germany as a community became very isolated. This is why Adolf Hitler’s idea of ethnocentrism, were accepted by many Germans. Once the Olympic games started in 1936 in Berlin, houses, monuments, and restaurants were all covered in Olympic and swastika flags. As well as “Pro-Aryan” propaganda flyers and posters. Lastly, it is so clear that Germany is pushing their ‘Non-Aryan” policy, that two weeks before the Olympics started police arrested nearly 800 people of Roma descent living in Berlin and all were sent to a camp Marzahn. This is why the 1936 Olympics were not just a huge cultural event for Germany, but for all the other races effected.

Media

Just before the start of the 1936 Olympics, Hans Schweitzer made a propaganda poster called “Mjolnir”. His poster displayed Hitler's belief of the Jewish people being inferior to the “Aryan’ race. On the poster Schweitzer draws an S.A. man standing next to a soldier, the writing under the picture states, “ The guarantee of the German military strength”. Because media is understood through medium, propaganda flyers and posters work great for this. These posters are able to engage a reader quickly, through brightly colored images as well as a couple of words throughout the poster.

Conclusion

The the link between the medium of propaganda posters and the 1936 Olympics is very obvious. The 1936 Olympics being a historical event is necessary to have primary sources to document the event.The posters act as a great primary source These primary sources can be found in magazines like the “Smashingmagnize” and the Holocaust encyclopedia.