Summary
Highlights
In the summer of 1936, Berlin hosted the Olympic Games, which Nazi Germany used to project a positive image and promote Aryan racial superiority. The darker side of Nazism was concealed, with outward signs of antisemitism hidden. However, Jewish American athletes, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, were controversially benched, leading to suspicions of political motives to avoid embarrassing Hitler. Jesse Owens's four gold medals notably defied Hitler's ideology of racial superiority. Despite Owens's success, Germany won the most medals, and Hitler used the Olympics as an international success to further his agenda.
In January 1937, Franklin Roosevelt began his second term, confronting the lingering Great Depression. To uplift the nation's spirits and unite them against economic hardship, he harnessed mass media. Government photographers, including Carl Mydans, captured impactful images of the Depression, widely circulated in new magazines like Life, which transformed how Americans perceived their world. Roosevelt also effectively used radio for his Fireside Chats, directly reaching citizens and building trust. Newsreels further reinforced national unity by showcasing government projects and national achievements.
In Germany, Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda, masterfully controlled and exploited mass media. Loudspeakers in public spaces and cheap radios made Hitler's voice accessible to every German. Propaganda films promoted a glorified image of a 'master race,' brainwashing citizens into believing in their inherent superiority and their 'God-given duty' to impose their will on others. This period saw book burnings of 'subversive' authors, the rise of the paramilitary Brown Shirts, and the establishment of concentration camps like Dachau for political opponents. Jews were systematically demonized and stripped of their rights through laws like the Nuremberg racial laws, leading to their segregation, boycotts of their businesses, and dismissal from public service.
In March 1938, Hitler annexed Austria, a move broadcast live on radio, astonishing many. Karla Stept, a Jewish woman in Vienna, witnessed the immediate and brutal persecution of Jews, including forced public humiliation. The escalating Nazi aggression in Europe, including its support for Franco in the Spanish Civil War, created widespread anxiety. The heavyweight boxing match between German Max Schmeling and American Joe Louis became a symbolic fight against fascism, with Louis's victory celebrated globally. In September 1938, Hitler demanded the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's efforts to secure peace led to the Munich Agreement, where the Sudetenland was given to Germany in exchange for Hitler's promise of no further territorial claims, a promise he soon broke.
The Nazi campaign against Jews intensified after the assassination of a German official in Paris by a young Jew. This event was used as a pretext for Kristallnacht, the 'Night of Broken Glass,' on November 10, 1938. Synagogues and shops were destroyed, and Jews were killed and arrested, making it clear that there was no future for them in Germany. While this event brought some awareness in America, deep-seated isolationism prevented substantial intervention. Despite a powerful symbol of racial justice in Marian Anderson's concert at the Lincoln Memorial, America's strict immigration quotas limited Jewish refugees. The tragic journey of the SS St. Louis, denied entry to Cuba and the United States, underscored the challenges faced by those seeking refuge. President Roosevelt, while sympathetic, prioritized arming Britain and France to counter Nazi aggression, believing it was the only way to insulate America from Europe's troubles.
In the summer of 1939, New York hosted the World's Fair, showcasing a 'World of Tomorrow' with technological advancements like television and futuristic transportation. However, Germany's absence and Hitler's own plans for the future cast a shadow. On the last day of August, the fair's lights symbolically dimmed as news broke of Germany's invasion of Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. Britain and France declared war, and the lights across Europe began to go out. The war in Europe spurred American patriotism, but the country remained officially neutral. Hitler's swift Blitzkrieg conquests of Western European nations, including France, demonstrated his military might. The U.S., under Roosevelt, began to aid Britain through programs like Lend-Lease, despite deep isolationist sentiments. A peacetime draft commenced in 1940, revealing America's ill-preparedness for war, but by 1941, the deadly conflict in Europe signaled that full American involvement was becoming inevitable for the survival of global freedom.