Hitler was absolutely uninterested in the Olympic Games until he was persuaded that the event could push his Aryan agenda. This week's episode of iHeartRadio podcast Revisionist History, hosted by Malcolm Gladwell, dives into the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin which Hitler himself attended for the sole purpose of propaganda.
The podcast serves to highlight "overlooked" and "misunderstood" events that occurred throughout history. Per the summary:
"Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance."
In the latest episode, "Hitler’s Olympics Part 1: The Blue-Eyed Tornado," Gladwell sheds light on how Hitler's initial opposition to the games quickly switched to a propaganda tactic.
"Hitler himself was opposed to the Olympics until Joseph Gerbels said: 'No, we can use this. This will be good propaganda for us,' and so they began promoting the Olympics."
Gladwell continued:
"Hitler used the games to demonstrate his theories of Aryan supremacy, to rally the German people, to give legitimacy to the band of thugs he had gathered about him, to make the case that Germany was a true world power, and the United States went along with all of it."
To get the full scoop on Hitler's use of propaganda in the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, check out Revisionist History on iHeartRadio.