One
of the most iconic traditions of the Olympic games is the torch relay
carrying the fire from Olympia to the site of the competition to
light the Olympic Flame. This bit of theater originated as a Nazi
propaganda stunt for the 1936 games in Berlin.
Adolf
Hitler originally was opposed to hosting the Olympics--he considered
them a decadent invention of "Jews and Freemasons."
However, he did love showmanship, and his myrmidon Joseph Goebbels,
Minister of Propaganda, convinced him in 1934 of the golden
opportunity the games would provide to demonstrate German
superiority. Hitler and Goebbels were thus very receptive to the
suggestion of Carl Diem, the secretary general of the organizing
committee for the games, that a 1500 mile (2400 kilometer)
torch relay from Greece to Germany would be the cat's meow.
Parenthetically,
although Diem was a Nazi, he lobbied to allow German Jews the
opportunity to compete in the Olympics. His efforts in this regard
were less than successful.
So,
whenever you watch the dramatic sequences of an Olympic torchbearer
bringing the fire to the games, just remember that you are being
subjected to a ritual inspired by the Third Reich.
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