Le sport en Allemagne nazie PDF

# Le sport en Allemagne nazie ## Introduction * Many similarities with Italy, with an organisation based on doctrine. * After WWI, the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) was founded to respond to the masses. * Hitler (1889-1945) became president of the party in April 1921. He was a...

# Le sport en Allemagne nazie ## Introduction * Many similarities with Italy, with an organisation based on doctrine. * After WWI, the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) was founded to respond to the masses. * Hitler (1889-1945) became president of the party in April 1921. He was a skilled orator who tapped into the public's fears and thus gained popularity for the party. * Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) was Hitler's propaganda minister. * He developed communication against all those considered enemies of Germany, including Jews, communists and democrats. * The Nazi party had a militia (SA) like the Fascist regime, which spread terror in Germany in order enforce Nazi doctrine. The SA acted with great violence. * Germany was dissatisfied after defeat in WWI. * In 1930, during parliamentary elections, the Nazi party, using fear as a propaganda tool, won 18% of the votes and came in second place in the Reichstag (parliament). * The elected parliament chose the president, but Hitler did not win the election. * In 1932, the Nazi party won more than 30% of the votes. Propaganda promoted Hitler as the last hope. Although the party never won a majority of the votes, everything was done to ensure Hitler was elected Chancellor. * In 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg. The election was legal, but there was pressure which could be observed on the night of the election, when the SA marched through Berlin, demonstrating the strength and violence of the regime. * This election marked the beginning of the hunt for Hitler’s opponents. * In winter 1933, the Nazis implemented policies of terror and propaganda. They burned down the Parliament and blamed it on their opponents, exploiting their mastery of communication. While Germany remained a democracy, elections were still held; the NSDAP won 43% of the vote. Hitler called for a dissolution of Parliament, leading to new elections. * In 1936, The Winter Olympics were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Nazi symbols began to appear in the landscape. The Berlin Olympics were held that year as well. * On September 1, 1939, Hitler's Germany invaded Poland, sparking WWII. Germany lost significant territory to Poland and was subsequently invaded. ## Sport and Nazi ideology * The organization of sport in Nazi Germany was based on specific principles. * George Mosse (1918-1999) focused on Germany and the Nazi regime. He highlighted the following points about National Socialism’s relationship to sport: * It cultivated fear. * It relied on German culture. * It exploited the feeling of national belonging (since Germany had been established relatively late as a nation). * Through its reliance on gymnastics (Turnen), it provided a foundation for nationalism and fostered a sense of national unity. * Sport was deeply integrated into the Nazi ideological system. ### Sources of Nazi Sporting Ideology #### The Health of the People * From 1920, Hitler had already incorporated physical activity into his political agenda. He saw sport as a countermeasure to the physical and moral decline of Germany, believing Germans to be a pure race. * He believed that sport strengthened the German people, thus promoting hygiene and health and counteracting those aspects of city life that he considered decadent. * He saw the German countryside as healthier than the cities. * German athletes, coaches and sporting administrators were seen as key figures in rebuilding Germany. #### Race and Superiority * The Nazi ideology was built on racist assumptions. The Nazis believed that race was a scientific concept, that races were inherently unequal and that these inequalities justified their policies. * The “New Man” in Nazi Germany was strong, muscular, sporty, persistent, able to control his passions (but violent for a just cause), brave, and self-sacrificing. * These traits were evident in many athletes, who were frequently seen as ideal examples. #### Anti-intellectualism * The Nazis disdained anything intellectual: studies, academics and intellectuals themselves. * They believed that the “intellectuals” did not understand the laws of nature and thus undermined German life. They blamed the country’s problems on intellectuals and instead valued primal instincts. * Sport was seen as a way to reinforce this anti-intellectualism. * Nazis burned books in university libraries that were counter to their ideology. ### Moral Principles of Nazi Sport #### Duty and Obedience * Sport was intended to elevate the Aryan race, combat intellectualism and promote public health. * Duty was a sacred mission that included defending the Aryan race against “inferior” people, especially Jews, and resisting foreign invaders. * Sport was seen as a form of duty, providing an outlet for defeating the enemy. * It was the regime's obligation to teach young people about their duty: the young generation would be educated in the racial ideology of Nazi Germany, making them responsible for the future of the nation, including the identification and defeat of the enemies of Germany. #### Sport as a Race Movement * The Nazi regime promoted sport among the entire population to promote physical and moral strength, in order to reinforce the Aryan race. * Sport was to be a vehicle for national unity and a celebration of major events. * This unity was elitist: it was built on the basis of German race and excluded those who belonged to other races. * Sport was to be a realm for the German community alone, excluding opponents of the Nazis. * Individual achievement was only valued within the context of community achievements: individual glory belonged to the community. * Nazi organizations awarded prizes to encourage individual dedication, thereby furthering their goals. * The Nazi concept of sport was based on rejection of mainstream sporting principles: * It rejected the ideals of modern sport, where everyone is equal and the best competitor wins. * It eschewed internationalism, believing that German athletes should compete only against other German athletes. * Lastly, it embraced a violent approach to sport: Nazi athletes were expected to fight against their ideological opponents. ## The Structure of the Nazi Sport Movement * All of the aforementioned ideological principles influenced the organization of sporting activity in Nazi Germany: ### The Organization of the Civilian Sport Movement * The direction of German sport was uncertain when Hitler came to power, as there was no consensus about the direction of the sport movement. * The first to assert control of the sports movement were the Nazis, who worked quickly to reorganize the sporting structure. * They put a leader in charge of sport (Reichssportfurher): Hans von Tschammer und Osten. He was an aristocrat and took a militaristic approach, establishing political oversight over all sporting organizations with the aim of transforming them into an enforcer of Nazi ideology. * Nazi officials were sent to sporting organizations to ensure that they adhered to Nazi doctrine, purging the ranks of Communists and Jews and ensuring that they obeyed the Fuhrerprinzip: a strict hierarchy that mandated unquestioning obedience. ### Reorganization * In May 1933, the Nazi government put out directives that called for the dissolution of major German sporting organizations: * The German Athletic Association (DRA), which had been affiliated with the Olympics. * The Socialist Federation of Germany (ZK), which had a more socialist political orientation. * Organizations affiliated with Christianity or Judaism were removed from all positions of power. ### A New Federation * The National Socialist German Workers' Party created a new organization, the German Federation for Physical Exercises (DRL) in 1934; it did not use the word “sport” in its name. * The name was changed in 1938 to the National Socialist Federations for Physical Exercises, which reflected the increasing radicalization of the Nazi government. ### Propaganda and Dictatorship in German Sporting Institutions * In order to solidify Nazi control, it was necessary to extend the regime’s influence beyond urban centers to rural areas. * Thus, the Office of the Reich Sport (Reichssportamt) was created in 1936 to foster the regime’s goals through sport. * The Reichssportamt's main goals were: * To promote and develop a unified German sports system that excluded all opposition. * To build up the German defense capabilities. * To enforce an authoritarian hierarchy in sports. * To enforce a single set of regulations for all institutions (uniforms, medals, chants). * To make sure that everything, from the level of local community to the national level, adhered to these principles. * To ruthlessly eliminate any Jews or communists. ### Common Practices in Nazi Sports * The Nazis sought to establish a uniform sports program in all the communities across the nation, with standardized practices and trained instructors who could spread the Nazi ethos. * In this way, sport was meant to become a way of life: it was to promote physical health, instill ideals of purity, and prepare Germans for combat. ## The Hitler Youth * Founded in 1926, the Hitler Youth became a state-controlled organization after the Nazi party seized power. * It included both mandatory and voluntary participation. * The program was designed to give young people two hours of physical exercise per week as well as instill a sense of national identity and loyalty through various group activities. * The Nazi sports program was meant to reinforce all the key elements of the Nazi ideology in the youth, and to promote a distinct “Hitler Youth” style of sporting practice, which included parades and other events that emphasized the power of the movement. ## Popular Sport: “Kraft durch Freude” * The “Strength Through Joy” ('Kraft durch Freude') movement started in 1934, in part as a way to emulate the similar movement in Italy. * It emphasized physical activity and organized sports (including team and individual sports) in the workplace as well as trips and tours to promote the beauty of Germany. * The movement, which was non-competitive, was intended to create a sense of national unity and to foster a sense of joy and pride in belonging to the German race. ## Militarization of Sports * The Nazi government’s efforts to militarize sports intensified after the Berlin Olympics of 1936. * It emphasized the training of German youth for war by sponsoring a range of activities, including air travel, sea travel, auto racing and communications technology. * The National Political Institutes for Leadership (Nationalpolitische Lehranstalten für die Führer - NAPOLA) were founded to promote the training of future Nazi leaders. Physical education played an important role in this education, beginning at an early age, when children entered these schools at around the age of ten. ## The Reich Sport Academy * The Reich Sport Academy for adults, founded in 1920, was closed down in 1933, as its objectives were at odds with the goals of Nazi ideology. * A new academy was founded in 1936, located at the site of the Berlin Olympics. Its main goal was to provide in-service training for teachers as well as continuing education for teachers of physical education and sport. * The Reich Sport Academy was presented as a symbol of the success of Nazi Germany, and part of its mission was to promote the Nazi ideology through sports. ## The Berlin Olympics (1936) * The Berlin Olympics, won by Berlin in 1931, were a complex event for the Nazis. The city was already in place to host the games from 1916, when WWII broke out. * The Nazis made a major commitment to these Games, as they saw them as an opportunity to showcase the strength and vitality of Nazi Germany and to prove their superiority over other nations. * They spent a great deal of money and effort to stage a spectacular event, which included a large, modern sports complex, a parade of athletes from different nations, and a series of special events. * The Nazis employed a sophisticated propaganda effort to portray a peaceful and sophisticated image of the nation, including images of the German people standing arm in arm with athletes and visitors from other countries. * Behind the scenes, however, the Nazis were determined to exert control over all aspects of the Olympics and use the games to spread their ideology. * The Nazis sought to exclude Jews from the games, but they were unable to execute this directive due to international concerns. They were also unable to completely suppress opposition to the regime from other nations. * Leni Riefenstahl, a filmmaker, was hired to document the games. Her film, Olympia, is a masterpiece of propaganda that glorified the Nazi regime, showing off the power of the Aryan race and highlighting its achievements in sports. It omitted the Nazi ideology, focusing instead on the pageantry and majesty of the games. This focus on beauty and spectacle hid the true nature of the regime. ## The Architecture of the Olympics * The architecture of the Olympic stadium reflected the dual goals of the Nazis: to present a modern and progressive vision of the German nation as well as to emphasize its ancient roots. * The stadium incorporated elements of ancient German architecture, including the names of Germanic tribes, and the entire complex was designed to be a symbol of national pride and power. * Hitler wanted the stadium to be built entirely of stone, but it was already under construction. The Nazis were determined to create a spectacle unlike anything seen before. ## Conclusion * Sports in Nazi Germany were essentially tools of the state, used to further both political and social goals, and to promote both the image of the nation and its ideology. * The Nazi government sought to use architecture and design to promote a specific vision of Germany. * Sport was used to promote these ideals, and the Nazi regime saw sport as a powerful tool for spreading propaganda internationally.