Analysing The Political Effect Of The Olympics Politics Essay

Analysing The Political Effect Of The Olympics Politics Es governThe Olympic games are supposed to tie in the world they were created as a tool to help connect individual countries they are a way to put politics behind us and cope athletically however the summer Olympic games in 1980 and 1984, held in Moscow and Los Angeles respectively, showed that they could be utilize as leverage when one acres disagreed with another. The 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, the rimy War, and disagreements among attractorship of different countries played a role in the boycott of these Olympic Games. The tensions between the unify States and the Soviet summation as well as their boycott of the Olympic Games in the 1980s will be analyzed in this report.After World War II had come and gone a divergence arose between the United States and the Soviet Union. This conflict is believed to have lasted all the way into the early 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed. The war was passed down from leader to leader in each country. It was not a conventional war but instead was mostly fought with threats. separately country would use the media to condemn the other. It is unknown how pertinacious the war lasted. This is a huge debate among many historians (Cold War). The only post World War II super powers were the Soviet Union and the United States. Each country began investing time and money in the development of nuclear weapons. This led to what is known as a nuclear arms race. Each locating tried to develop more nuclear weapons than the other. This dangerous situation led to the each country using words to fight instead of weapons. They were afraid of the government issue if nuclear weapons were used (Cold War). As a result, tensions were high between the United States and the Soviet Union.The Soviet Union tried to make peace with the rest of easterly Europe even though they had been charged by some of the Eastern Europe nations in both World War I and World War II. They used their communist influence in liberating nations of Eastern Europe after World War I. As a result, the world began to see other communist nations in Eastern Europe. They hoped that this would protect their borders from future invasion (Cold War). This in like manner helped get in touch Eastern Europe and led to more nations supporting the Soviet Union.Afghanistan is a country in the Middle East just west of Pakistan. A country with more than 28 million people, as of a July 2009 estimate by the U.S. Department of State, its coat is just smaller than the state of Texas (Afghanistan). In 1979, after the Afghan Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin refused to cooperate with the Soviet Union on how to stabilize the government, the Soviets invaded Kabul. Once they get in the countrys capital they killed Hafizullah Amin and re step forwardd him by with a new man chosen by them as the new Prime Minister (Afghanistan). The new leader involve the Russian army to maintain control of the governmen t because the mostly Muslim Mujahedeen was fighting back. As a result of the Mujahedeens resistance the Soviets were only equal to keep control of the major cities while 75% of the country was controlled by the Mujahedeen (Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan).The United States, in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, denounced the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. They did not want the Soviet Union to spread communism any further than they already had in the rest of Eastern Europe. The U.S. back up the Mujahedeen in their efforts against the Soviet Union. They supplied them with money and various weapons, and also began to use the term freedom fighters to describe them. This was done in spite of the Soviets claiming that they did not invade Afghanistan but they were invited by the Prime Minister. They also said that they were there to support a legitimate government and the Mujahedeen were just terrorists (Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan).The invasion took place just months be fore the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. President Jimmy Carter informed the American people of the boycott in his January 23, 1980 State of the Union Address. Saudi Arabia was the startle to boycott the 1980 Olympic Games due to the invasion taking place on Islamic Land. They were backed up by many other countries including Canada, West Germany, Japan, the United States, and Israel. In total 60 other countries joined Saudi Arabia including the United States. Many cited the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as the main cause for their boycott. However, some did say that they did to not participate due to economic reasons (Tristham).Four years later the 1984 Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles. The Soviet Union issued a statement, chauvinistic sentiments and an anti-Soviet hysteria beingness whipped up in the United States. They decided to boycott the Olympics due to those reasons. Thirteen other Soviet Allies also choose to boycott the Los Angeles Olympics. Iran was the only country to boycott both the 1980 and 1984 Olympics (Olympic Boycott History). That same year the Soviet Union organized the Druzhba Games. Other countries, which boycotted the 1984 Olympics, participated in the event. The motto of these games was Sport, Friendship, Peace (Olympic Boycott History).The Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989. That same year the Berlin Wall collapsed, which marked an end to a communist Germany. Two years later the Soviet Union also collapsed and the United States was able to begin to establish good relations with Russia. Although much has changed between the United States and Russia it is not hard to see how the tension of a Cold War and a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to a boycott of the Olympics. The Olympics are a time to put the politics behind us and unite in sport. As shown in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games, this is not always the case.