CHAPTER 1 Uneasy Times Every four years athletes from all over the world compete in the Winter Olympics The Olympics are held in a different country each time People forget about their political differences during the Olympics Everyone comes together to cheer for their teams Athletes from more than 200 countries compete for medals There were only 16 events at the very first Winter Olympics in 1924 One of them was ice hockey Ice hockey is a game played in three 20-minute periods on an ice rink Players use curved sticks to hit a puck into a small goal One of the most exciting hockey games ever played was at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid New York 4 21st century skills library
The threat of war with Russia created a general feeling of gloom in America during the late 1970s The 1960s and 1970s were a stressful time for Americans The United States and Russia then called the USSR were not getting along They had been fighting about who was more powerful since the end of World War II 1939 1945 This conflict was called the Cold War The Cold War was not an actual war It started as a disagreement over which kind of government was better The United States believed in capitalism and Russia preferred communism The United States and Russia both wanted to be the most powerful country in the world The leaders of the two countries tried to get other world leaders on their side 5 Sports Unite Us
The Kremlin in Moscow’s Red Square has long represented Russian power and authority Russia threatened to use bombs and weapons to gain power The American people were very worried about their safety They were afraid that Russia would use nuclear weapons and start a war President Jimmy Carter was very frustrated with Russia He decided to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow Russia However Russia still went to the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid New York Russia saw the Olympic Games as a way to show their strength and power The Olympics was not supposed to be political However both Russia and the United States could not ignore their Cold War rivalry during the games 6 21st century skills library
This was especially true during the Olympic ice hockey event which Russia had dominated since 1954 Russia saw everything even ice hockey as a way to promote communism The United States viewed Russia as a bad guy both in politics and in sports So the people of both countries had good reasons for watching the game between the two teams on February 22 1980 Capitalism and Communism Communism is a type of government A communist government controls the country’s resources The government is supposed to provide enough money food and clothing for everyone Capitalism is also a type of government Capitalism involves a free market and less government control That means citizens in a capitalist country earn and spend their own money They buy the things they need such as food and clothes 7 Sports Unite Us
