Class Year
2020
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Spring 2020
Department 1
History
Abstract
The crossroads at which Sports and Politics connect is the Summer Olympics. This is most evident is during the Olympics of the Cold War. Typically, sports history of the Cold War covers the clash between the United States and the Soviet Union. But examined further, Sports Politics in the Cold War was experienced by the other countries of the Eastern Bloc. Hungary’s Golden Team in Helsinki 1952, Bulgaria’s wrestlers in Rome 1960, East Germany’s success through drug use at Munich 1972, and Poland’s Pole Vaulters in Moscow 1980. Each case exemplifies the complex nature of sports politics, showing the connection of each country to the Stalinist model but also their independence from it through the actions of their athletes.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Sheldon, Samuel A., "Sport Under the Iron Curtain: Alliance, Defection, and Competition During the Cold War" (2020). Student Publications. 818.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/818
Comments
Written for HIST 319: Europe Since 1945.