The Olympics In The 1980s
Sports often are not regarded as something capable of altering a war but the way the United States and Soviet Union used the Olympics did just that. The Olympics in the early 1980s were used as a stage for politics. During the Winter Olympics in 1980 the U.S. faced off against the best hockey team ever, The Soviet Union, in a time when these two countries did not get along. Days before the U.S. won this game President Jimmy Carter announced the U.S. boycott of the Summer Olympic Games that year in Moscow. The Soviets dominated the competition with approximately sixty countries not being represented. This outraged the athletes of America as they felt they had been stripped of a medal. Later on in 1984 the Soviet Union decided not to participate
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and The Soviet Union after World War II a time period known as the Cold War began. A year prior to this the U.S. and Soviet Union fought as allies to defeat Germany. But as the war ended both countries wanted different types of government in Germany and were willing to fight for it. A long stretch of time known as the Cold War began and the Soviets and Americans were in a nuclear standoff which brought these two countries to Total War involving everything from daily life, except for war itself. Many important events came into play such as The Space Race, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the creation of Nato and the Warsaw Pact. An interview between President Nixon and Kruschev showed the two’s argument between Democracy and Communism and what helps the industrial …show more content…
In a time period with a stalemate such as the Cold War nobody knows what to think and any positive info feels like a triumph. The way the game against the Soviets affected them was by inspiring the people of the U.S. restoring their nationalism. The boycott in 1980 was “The most extensive diplomatic effort ever connected with an Olympic celebration and demonstrated unequivocally that nations saw the Olympics as an effective tool to try to influence the foreign policy of nations with opposing political ideologies.” Meaning the U.S. directly used the Olympics to try and change the Soviet Union’s mind on their affairs in Afghanistan. Although President Reagan understood The Soviet Union’s real reason for boycotting 1984 the people of the Soviet Union did not and the athletes were upset. The arguments eventually came to an end as the Soviet Union fell in 1991 when they were finally convinced by the U.S. that Democracy was the answer to their
and The Soviet Union after World War II a time period known as the Cold War began. A year prior to this the U.S. and Soviet Union fought as allies to defeat Germany. But as the war ended both countries wanted different types of government in Germany and were willing to fight for it. A long stretch of time known as the Cold War began and the Soviets and Americans were in a nuclear standoff which brought these two countries to Total War involving everything from daily life, except for war itself. Many important events came into play such as The Space Race, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the creation of Nato and the Warsaw Pact. An interview between President Nixon and Kruschev showed the two’s argument between Democracy and Communism and what helps the industrial …show more content…
In a time period with a stalemate such as the Cold War nobody knows what to think and any positive info feels like a triumph. The way the game against the Soviets affected them was by inspiring the people of the U.S. restoring their nationalism. The boycott in 1980 was “The most extensive diplomatic effort ever connected with an Olympic celebration and demonstrated unequivocally that nations saw the Olympics as an effective tool to try to influence the foreign policy of nations with opposing political ideologies.” Meaning the U.S. directly used the Olympics to try and change the Soviet Union’s mind on their affairs in Afghanistan. Although President Reagan understood The Soviet Union’s real reason for boycotting 1984 the people of the Soviet Union did not and the athletes were upset. The arguments eventually came to an end as the Soviet Union fell in 1991 when they were finally convinced by the U.S. that Democracy was the answer to their