Gretel bergmann biography examples

Introduction
Germany From 1933 to 1936
Nazification of Sport
Indoctrination
Exclusion of Jews
Deciding Whether to Boycott
Blacks Battle Hypocrisy
IOC Accepts No Dissent
World Response
America Decides to Go
The Propaganda Games
The Games Begin
Olympics Aren’t For Jews
Hitler Triumphant

Introduction

Games to bedazzle many utländsk spectators and journalists with an image of a peaceful, tolerant Germany.

Having rejected a proposed boycott of the 1936 Olympics, the United States and other Western democracies missed the opportunity to take a stand that — some observers at the time claimed — might have given Hitler pause and bolstered international resistance to Nazi tyranny. With the conclusion of the Games, Germany’s expansionist policies and the persecution of Jews and other “enemies of the state” accelerated, culminating in World War II and the Holocaust.

Germany From 1933 to 1936

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ABOUT THIS LESSON

Introduction

This lesson explores the complexity of the 1936 Olympics hosted by Germany under Adolf Hitler’s rule. The lesson discusses athletes’ and countries’ debates over boycotting or participating in the Olympic Games. This lesson also explores Jesse Owens’ experience competing in track and field as an African American athlete beneath Jim Crow laws in the United States and under Nazi rule in Germany.

We have placed Student Handouts and Student Videos in the sidebar that are the core components of this lesson plan. Note that additional optional resources are also available in the sidebar.

Guiding Questions

• Why did the US and other nations decide to participate in the Olympic Games while other countries boycotted the games?
• What was at stake for African American and Jewish athletes during this time?

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Lesson Components

1. Warm Up (10 mins)
2. Historic Context (30 mins)
3. Optional: Virtual or in person site visit of the Holocaust Memorial Plaza (1.5 hours)
4. Re

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   Fearing an Olympic boycott, the International Olympic Committee extracted promises from the German authorities that there would be no restrictions on the participation of Jewish athletes. To showcase a German-Jewish athlete, the Nazis ordered Gretel Bergmann, who had moved to London, to return home to train, threatening her family in Germany would suffer if she did not comply.

   Bergmann was born in the small town of Laupheim, Germany. A gifted athlete, Bergmann competed in local track and field competitions from the age of ten. Bergmann excelled in the high jump, and was sent to a special sports school in southern Germany in 1931. However, when the Nazis took power, Bergmann was expelled from her sports club and school. She left Germany for the United Kingdom.

   Forced to return to Germany, Bergmann tied the German women’s national high jump record in 1936. As soon as German Olympic officials were confident that the Americans would participate in the Olympics, they sent Bergmann a le

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