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Munich Massacre

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Munich Massacre
RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Name: Nick Karvountzis Date: 10/5/09
Topic: 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre

Area of Investigation:
Outline the main historical debates, perspectives or interpretations you will be discussing

Discuss the role that West-German authorities played during the 1972 Munich Olympic crisis, specifically addressing their preparation prior to Black September’s terrorist, as well as their consequent actions and decisions made during the crisis. Primarily, assess whether criticisms of the West-German authorities’ handling and preparation of the 1972 Munich Massacre are valid, and thus justifiable.

Focus Inquiry Question:
Discuss and assess the preparations and actions taken by West-German authorities in response to 1972 Munich Massacre

Synopsis of Main Argument or Hypothesis

One of primary historical debates surrounding the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre is the validity of harsh criticisms regarding West-German authorities’ handling and preparation of the terrorist situation. Especially in recent years as new evidence has surfaced, there has been much scrutinization of their actions, tactics, organization and even integrity throughout the whole ordeal. This essay will, in chronological order, describe and examine these plausible ‘errors’ and hence, resolve whether harsh criticisms directed at West-German authorities are justifiable. Furthermore, Since the topic is relevantly recent and differing ‘schools of thought’ are yet to be firmly established, evidence will be validated through the incorporation of differing sociocultural points of views: predominantly German, Western and Israeli perspectives. Therefore, this essay will explore how several crucial West-German errors, as well as inadequate preparation before the Games, ultimately undermined any chance of successfully rescuing Israeli athletes — thus, justifying harsh criticisms

Description of Preliminary Research and Research Intentions
Main Areas or Issues you plan to discuss in my essay

This


Bibliography: Reeve, Simon. One Day In September: The Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, 2001, Faber and Faber, New York Klein, Aaron J Jonas, George. Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Team, 2006, Harper Perennial, London Serge, Groussard Calahan, Alexander B. Countering Terrorism: The Israeli Response to the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre and the Development of Independent Covert Action Teams, 1995 (scholarly thesis) Wolff, Alexander National Geographic. Seconds From Disaster: Munich Massacre, 2006, DVD, Darlow Smithson Productions Macdonald, Kevin Spielberg, Munich, 2005, DVD Kimor, Yarin N/A, http://www.hfienberg.com/kesher/2002_09_01_kesher_archive.html, 2002, Kesher Talk: Munich Massacre N/A, http://www.keshertalk.com/archives/eretz_yisrael/_israel_vs_the_world/_munich_massacre/, 2008 Wikipedia Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre, 2009, Munich Massacre SOURCE ANALYSIS National Geographic, Seconds From Disaster: Munich Massacre (2006) I found this secondary source to be extremely useful throughout my historical investigation Simon Reeve, One Day In September: The Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre (2001) Simon Reeve’s text was one of the most extensively researched and accurate resources that I encountered Aaron J. Klein, Striking Back: The 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and Israel 's Deadly Response (2006) Klein’s novel was extremely useful as it provided a clear and concise Israeli view on the situation
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