Dbq About Olympics

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The olympics has always been thought of as a sort of international peace treaty for countries all around to have friendly competition and for the whole world to have something in common. Many factors shape how the Olympics turn out though, be it negative or positive. Country’s economies, political tensions and relationships, and human rights have a large role in shaping the Olympic event. The establishment and growth of the modern Olympic games corresponded with that of the feminist movement. In 1908, for example, near the beginning of both, two percent of women participated as athletes (Doc 2). This shows that although this number is relatively low, the feminist movement was beginning to take effect as women were indeed allowed to participate. In 1995, twenty nine percent of athletes were female, marking an increase in women’s rights (Doc. 8). However, it is clear that discrimination again female athletes largely shaped the event, as woman competitor Boulmerka felt much criticism for her participation. However, the fact that she is from Algeria, a conservative country, likely made her feel this criticism more extensively than female athletes from more liberal nations. A source from a woman athlete from a Western nation during this time could clear this up to see whether female discrimination was a more universal problem in the late 20th century. The Olympics was also shaped by political tensions of the time period. A 1936 British team captain commented on the cutthroat mentality of Nazi skiing competitors, who used any method possible to win and therefore show their superiority to other nations (Doc 3). However, as this Englishman’s autobiography was published in the 1950’s, his memory could’ve been tainted by WWII, which soon followed the event. Similarly, an American athlete in 1952 felt that competition was especially intense with athletes from the Soviet
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