About the Book

Munich 1972 tells the compelling story of the most controversial of all modern Olympiads within the turbulent context of simmering global tensions: the ongoing Cold War, political posturing between the two Germanys, seemingly endless warfare in Indochina, lingering recriminations surrounding decolonization in Africa, and, of course, the cauldron of religious and ethnic hatred known euphemistically as the "Middle East Conflict." It was, of course, this last conflict that spilled over so tragically into the Munich festival, which will forever be remembered for the murder of eleven Israeli Olympians by Palestinian terrorists: a grisly episode that ruined a much-anticipated coming-out party for newly democratic West Germany and for "new Munich" itself, the erstwhile "capital" of Hitler's Nazi movement. What began as a putatively "merry" celebration of peaceful play and beery bonhomie turned into a tragic milestone in the signature horror of our times: political and religious terror.Crucial as the "Munich Massacre" is to the story of the '72 Games, however, it is by no means the only story. There was plenty of high drama in the athletic competitions as well, which were themselves hardly free of unsportsmanlike acrimony. Controversies over biased judging, commercialization, political posturing, and (above all) doping helped to make this Olympic festival very much a mirror of its contentious times.Drawing on a wealth of contemporaneous sources, including recently opened files in the German and Olympic archives, eminent historian David Clay Large offers a comprehensive exploration of the 1972 festival. He interweaves the political drama surrounding the Games with the athletic spectacle in the arena of play, itself hardly free of political controversy. Writing with flair and an eye for telling detail, Large brings to life the stories of the indelible characters who epitomized the Games, ranging from the city itself to the visionaries who brought the Games to Munich against all odds to the athletes, obscure and famous alike. With the Olympic movement in constant danger of terrorist disruption, and with the fortieth anniversary of the 1972 tragedy upon us in 2012, the Munich story is more timely than ever.

Product Details

Media: Hardcover Book, 396 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Edition: Unknown

ISBN-10: 0742567397

Publication Date: Apr. 16th, 2012

ISBN-13: 9780742567399

Dimensions: 6.33 x 9.21 x 1.07 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.42 lbs

• Categories: German History Sports History