Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2016
Last exams 2025
The Olympic Boycotts (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
How did the Olympic Boycotts Cause the Second Cold War? - Timeline & Summary
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979) and Ronald Reagan's first term as president (1981-85) marks a period that historians refer to as the 'Second Cold War'. After a period of détente in the 1970s, the beginning of the 1980s saw a worsening of US-Soviet relations. The relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union became hostile. This is shown through the Olympic boycotts in the 1980s.
The US and Soviet boycotts impacted the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The USA boycotted to condemn the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union accused the US government of causing 'anti-Soviet hysteria'. They questioned the safety of Soviet athletes. The boycotts fit into this Second Cold War context. The USA and the Soviet Union openly discredited each other's political leadership. The boycotts brought politics into the Olympics. This went against the institution's aims for unity and friendship.
What Caused the US Boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games?
In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan
The US government believed that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was an attempt to spread communism in an anti-communist state
In January 1980, President Carter created the Carter Doctrine. This stated that:
The USA would use force to protect the Persian Gulf
Carter would impose economic sanctions on the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union were hosting the next Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980
The International Olympic Committee selected the Soviet Union to host the 1980 Olympics in 1974
This reflected the mood of détente
In reaction to the Soviet Union's actions in Afghanistan, the USA decided to boycott the 1980 Olympics
Over 60 nations joined the USA's boycott
The Impact of the 1980 Boycott on Cold War Relations
The US boycott of the 1980 Olympics heightened Cold War tensions
The US boycott showed the USA's reluctance to uphold the Olympic Values
The Olympic Values are 'excellence, respect and friendship'
The International Olympic Committee argued that politics should not influence the Olympic Games
The USA's actions brought politics into the Olympics
Some historians could argue that the Soviet Union went against the Olympic Values by invading Afghanistan
The boycott affected the reputation of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union wanted to use the Olympics as an opportunity to show the strength of communism to a worldwide audience
Many American networks cancelled their coverage of the Olympic Games. This affected the viewing figures of the Olympics in the West
The boycott showed the measures that the USA would take to stand up against the Soviet Union
The US government threatened the removal of passports for any US athletes who attempted to travel to Moscow for the Olympics
Other boycotting countries like Britain discouraged but did not ban athletes from participating in the Olympics
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A question could ask you to write a narrative account of the Second Cold War. This could include the Olympic boycotts. A common misconception that students have is that a narrative account is a story. A narrative account answer should follow CHRONOLINK:
Put the sequence of events in chronological order
Link each section of the narrative to the next event that occurred. You should use linkage terms such as: 'as a consequence', 'this led to' or 'because'
You should have three sections to your narrative. Each section should include specific knowledge about the events in the narrative. Your answer should include process words such as 'affected', 'increased' and 'worsened.' This allows you to move through the narrative and explain how key themes like tension developed through the chosen event.
The Soviet Union's Reaction: the Boycott of the 1984 Olympic Games
The US boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games had made the Moscow Olympics look substandard
Some of the best athletes in the world did not attend
This impacted how professional the events looked to the international audience
The lower viewing figures for the 1980 Olympics meant that the Soviet Union lost the opportunity to showcase communism to the world
The USA hosted the next Olympic Games in 1984
The host city was Los Angeles
The Soviet Union organised their own boycott of the Los Angeles Olympics
15 communist nations joined the Soviet Union in boycotting the 1984 Olympics
The Soviet Union announced a statement as to the reason behind the boycott
It claimed that the boycott protected Soviet athletes from protest and physical harm from the US audience
The Impact of the 1984 Boycott on Cold War Relations
The Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympics worsened US-Soviet relations
The USA saw that there was no clear reason for the Soviet boycott
It made the Soviet Union look vengeful and petty to the Western world
The boycott gave the USA an opportunity to showcase its talents
Uncontested, the USA won 83 gold medals
Worked Example
Explain the importance of the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics for US-Soviet relations
8 marks
Partial answer:
The US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics worsened US-Soviet relations. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. In protest of the event, the USA along with over 60 other nations boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics. This worsened US-Soviet relations as the protest limited the impact of the Soviet Olympics on the West. The Soviet Union hoped to gain a worldwide audience to demonstrate the strength of communism. As many Western and Islamic athletes did not compete, many television companies did not broadcast the Moscow Olympics to their audience. This worsened US-Soviet relations as the Soviet Union became more hostile to the USA. When the Olympics were held in Los Angeles in 1984, the Soviet Union organised their own boycott of the event.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This style of question in the exam paper would be worth 8 marks. An examiner would expect you to write two paragraphs analysing the importance of an event on a wider theme like US-Soviet relations. A good response to this style of question would have:
A logical structure of paragraphs. Within each paragraph, each sentence should link to the next. This will build a strong argument as to why the event is important to the wider theme
Specific own knowledge linked to the event, showing in-depth knowledge of the period
A clear explanation as to why the event was important to a wider theme. In the example above, you can see the phrase 'this worsened US-Soviet relations' is used frequently. This helps to keep the response focused on the question
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