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olympic games from ancient greece to now
history of the olympics essay
history of the olympics essay
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The Modern Olympic Games were a product of their times. After France was embarrassingly defeated in the Franco-Prussian war in 1871, the French people were left with a feeling of inadequacy. These feelings of inadequacy became a driving force for Baron Pierre de Coubertin in his quest to revive the Olympic Games. During the dominant times of The Age of Imperialism, some of the more successful countries found a way to incorporate sports into their educational systems. The competitive values reinforced by sports led to a more competitive society. When Coubertin was examining the societies of more successful countries, he found this to be true and an idea began forming in his mind about how to solve France’s problems. This idea evolved into what is known today as the Olympic Games. What intellectual, geographical, and social factors led to the evolution of the games into both a political and athletic organization? The ideas that sports and competition are beneficial to “peaceful internationalism” reiterated by Coubertin formed the basic principles by which the International Olympic Committee was governed. The IOC’s decision on where to host the games …show more content…
Turnen combined many forms of exercise to create a nationalistic vibe in German schools. Even after the German unification, Turnen did not lose its nationalistic effect on German young men. As Coubertin was calling for a reform to French educational systems, he did not want to add a physical education that was unenjoyable like Turnen. Therefore, he looked elsewhere for the basis of the French physical education. The British educational system not only valued the physical results of sports, but also the other effects of sports being intertwined into the educational system. “[G]enerations of Englishmen believed in a vital connection between sports and life’s more serious contests” and Coubertin admired how sports built
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
The United States saw its territory more than double in the first three decades of the 19th century. Bursting with nationalist fervor, an insatiable desire for more land, and a rapidly increasing population, the western frontiers of the United States would not remain east of the Mississippi. The eventual spread of the American nation beyond the Mississippi into Native and French land, referred to as “Manifest Destiny” by John O’Sullivan, was rationalized as a realization of their God given duty. The Louisiana Purchase set the precedent for unrestricted westward expansion in America, and allowed for others to follow in his footsteps. Characterized by racist overtones, a lack of the “consent of the governed, and ethnic cleansing, there is no valid distinction between this American continental expansion and the international expansion sought by Europe in the late 19th and 20th centuries, and is clearly imperialist in nature.
The establishment of global empires greatly impacted the world as imperial powers tightened links between civilizations worldwide. Imperialism not only brought people together but it put divisions between them as well through the use of powerful tools and deadly weapons.
Imperialism in America At the turn of the century, America and the views of its people changed. Many different ideas were surfacing about issues that affected the country as a whole. The Republican Party, led by William McKinley, was concentrating on the expansion of the United States and looking to excel in power and commerce. The Democratic Party at this time was led by William Jennings Bryan, who was absorbed in a sponge of morality and was concerned with the rights of man.
Conquest and colonization has always played a role in the history of European powers. Throughout the centuries many different European empires have attempted to make their mark on multiple different continents. Some have found success, while others have failed. One case in particular, in which European nations could not quite find stability, was in North America. Factors such as the American Revolution, U.S. westward expansion, and the Monroe Doctrine pushed European nations out of North America. Afterwards, the late 19th century marked the beginning of New Imperialism. As New Imperialism began, Africa became important to European nations in their “Scramble for Africa”.
Is change a good thing? Traditions should be valued and cherished as they have been passed down from generation to generation with special significance of the origins of the past. However, refusing the need to change and ditch old traditions can lead to being complacent and leaving no room to grow and strive for better. In Roberts, The Penguin History of the Twentieth Century, we explore the idea that imperialism is much more than a mother country and its colonies, but rather a way of changing old traditions. We will explore this idea through the culture, technology, and politics of the United States and the Ottoman Empire in the twentieth century.
Imperialism is the policy of a state aiming at establishing control beyond its borders over people unwilling to except such control. Because of this unwillingness imperialist policy always involves the use of power against its victims. It has therefore often been considered morally reprehensive, and the term has been employed in international propaganda to discredit an opponent’s policy. In the Nineteenth Century America, this was conveyed as the awakening of economic and political values. Principally, the goal was to seize the market of raw materials for its cultural gains and to create dominion by appealing to a wide range of people. Even though the import business is an important source of capital and worldwide gain, it also is the main factor in separating classes of people from their moral and traditional values. For this purpose, the Anti-Imperialist was formed in 1899 to neutralize the economic and political views of the Imperialists. Even though Anti-Imperialists are against domination, American Imperialism was widely accepted because imperialists viewed expansionism and foreign trade as the solution to military empowerment, cultural superiority, and the accumulation of new markets.
Following World War II, the concrete nature of imperialism, or the subjection of people or groups based on a social, economical, or racial hierarchy, was seemingly in decline. For instance, India and Pakistan had both gained their independence from Britain in 1947 (p.761), and the French, though unwillingly, gave up their colonies in Vietnam (p.754), but with the development of the Cold War there became a need to ideologically separate the free “First World”, which was made up of western Europe and the United States, from the communist “Second World”, which was primarily made up by the Soviet Union. This separation unintentionally formed yet another hierarchy, and further perpetuated imperialistic notions. While the Soviets attempted to continue political imperialism in surrounding states to form a political and economic buffer from democratic nations, which due to globalization, or the mass integration of cultural and economic practices, would have been necessary to accomplish, many nations, such as the U.S., who subscribed to these democratic beliefs still counterintuitively practiced imperialism in their attempts to forcefully liberate communist nations based on the notion that their free way of life was superior to other’s communist status quo. Therefore, imperialism continued to surface through the dualist political line drawn by the Cold War, but also later through a need to stay competitive culturally and economically in a growing global community in states both subject to past colonizing nations, as well as the nations who relinquished their control over them.
After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.
What do you know about imperialism? Imperialism can be defined as a strategy for outspreading a country 's power and effect through diplomacy. Many people know it as a force to spread ideas or gain power. This is consequently how the West was named as mother nations. When studying this topic many focus on the West, including Europe and North America. When discussing Imperialism it is important to discuss how it is justified, how the West engaged in it, and the advantages and disadvantages.
Imperialism was a time period in which more developed nations colonized less developed nations. The developed nations took advantage of the less developed nations resources, people, lands, and much more. Many countries lost their freedom and independence due to imperialism, however, they also received new technologies and innovations.
Although there are many other important factors, the main cause of the rise of imperialism was most certainly economic. The Age of Empire, by Eric J. Hobsbawn, provides an interpretation of New Imperialism. Hobsbawn calls imperialism “a natural by-product of the international economy” (Sherman pg 177). He is basically saying that imperialism is dependent on the rivalries of competing industries, which continually drive the international economy. Hobsbawn also dictates the need for external markets. The Industrial Revolution created many products that needed markets, thus creating a need of colonies. Hobsbawn believed that the overproduction of the Industrial Revolution and the Great Depression could be solved. He also realized that many businessmen knew that they could make a large profit off of China’s large population. For example, if every one of the three hundred million Chinese purchased one box of tin-tacks the businessmen knew that there would be a huge profit, consequently increasing the desire for colonization of weaker countries.
There were two different time periods where Imperialism occurred. The first wave of imperialism, called the 'Old' Imperialism, lasted from around 1500 - 1800. The 'New' Imperialism lasted from around 1870 - 1914. The three main differences that we will discuss today are the differences in economics, politics, and the motive behind all of this.
Sports throughout history have shown close ties and relations to values and cultures of a society. Sports and competition have adapted and grown as the world and people have grown and developed. Sports are often seen as simple consequence of the industrial revolution. The Impact of increased urbanization, better communication and transportation, as well as more time and income for specialization, all led to the creation of sports. (szymanski). In essence As the public sphere grew so did the concept of sport. (Szymanski). Even the impact colonization had on spreading sports, shows the congruence between the development of society and development of modern sports. What make sports very unique is that they always bring about a sense of culture
Introduction Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are also displays of nationalism, commerce and politics. Well-known throughout the world the games have been used to promote understanding and friendship among nations, but have also been a hotbed of political disputes and boycotts. The Olympic games started thousands of years ago and lasted over a millennium.. The symbolic power of the Games lived on after their demise, and came to life again as the modern Olympic Games being revived in the last century. Both the modern and Ancient Olympics have close similarities in there purpose and in there problems.