Olympic Game

Name: Jada Frazier

Course: World History

Date: 2015-11-01

                                             Olympic Game

Whereas World History may be considered to be a collection of stories from all over the world. It is more a narrative of how different cultures, traditions and events are interconnected and as such have affected the world in general. It is a panoramic view of world events offering insight into the varied situations. One of the things that is an integral part of world history is without a doubt, the Olympic Games. Originally played in Greece by different city states the Olympics were reinvented in the 20th century to involve the people of the world. The games came at a time when the world was quickly changing and countries and their peoples had become increasingly aware of the fact that they were not alone in the world. In the Hellenic times when waring states came to the games there were under truces that had been set up and the games were a means for the different states ironing out their differences (Learner.org).When speaking about the Olympic Games Pierre De Coubertin said:

‘’The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.’’ (Learner.org).

However the games in the 20th century became everything but that. They offered a platform for waring nations to assert their dominance in various and often frightening ways from Hitler’s Nazi stadia of the 1936 Olympics in which Jessie Owens a black American won several medals to the Afghani-Soviet Union conflict that caused the United States to withdraw from the 1980 games. The Olympic Games have become an indicator of the zeitgeist and has often been used as a platform for different states to air their grievances as well as perceived world powers to exhibit their dominance.

        The Olympics were without a doubt, and interesting time. The fact that all these athletes were able to congregate in one place at the time was spectacular. One of the things that made this congregation possible was the advances in communication and transport that had been made in the a hundred years previous. The athletes came to the games in planes, trains and cars exhibiting that technology had been adapted to bring the people of the world together (Learner.org). However the Olympics were just part of the beginning. During the 20th Century there have been a large number of technological advances that have brought people together not juts physically but also culturally. The music of Bob Marley appealed to people of the world and was able to do so because it travelled the world bringing with it cultural and political messages that appealed to a number of people. It is no wonder then that it was named the album of the 20th Century by a magazine that was published in America (Learner.org). The world has truly become a smaller place thanks to Technology No technological advancement has exhibited this better than the internet. This particular piece of ingenuity has managed to bring people of the world closer to each other faster. Every day the people of the world use the World Wide Web for everything from shopping to listening to music and work as well. However, before the internet there was television that was used to view world events as they occurred and one of the events that somehow managed to draw large audiences worldwide was The World Cup (Learner.org). This sporting event like the Olympics was used as a stage formation to exhibit their dominance (Learner.org).