East German Nation-Building and the Olympic Games: the GDR and German-German Sports Relations, 1949-1972

After the establishment of the GDR, the nation-building in East Germany paled into insignificance compared to the state-building, as the Republic authorities strived to be perceived as Germany's only national government. However, the regime needed legitimacy, and, in that context, the population was adopting national symbols, institutions and narratives, resulting in formation of national identity. The Olympic Games were a success for East German athletes, who at first were part of the United Team of Germany and then formed a separate East German team. That success had a strong impact on East Germans, not only driving national pride among them, but earning their loyalty to the SED government as well. After the construction of the Berlin Wall, the authorities of the GDR placed a premium on the nation-building agenda. The GDR was about to gain international recognition as a sovereign state, when the SED regime approached the 1972 Olympics, held in Munich, West Germany, with the "two states, one nation" doctrine replaced by the theory of two German nations: the socialist one and the capitalist one.