German physical culture from Gutsmuths to the National Socialist – An apolitical master or a political servant?

Authors

• Jyrki Kaarttinen Turun kaupunki

Abstract

The history of physical training and sport is long and varied. Historically, physical training and sport have had many different meanings and definitions, for individuals, society and the state. On the one hand, the emphasis has been on the notion that sport has an ideal, but does not have an ideology, or that it is a play of the soul using the body as an instrument. Its purpose in this sense would be to promote the common good, and the well-being of individuals and nations, while providing at the same time entertainment and leisure activity. On the other hand, physical and sporting activities have been coupled with economic interests, and also used for political purposes. It has been said that sport and politics cannot be separated since sport has always been and has remained a social phenomenon. However, the use of physical training and sport as a political instrument has been a particular feature of totalitarian states, a good example of which is the National Socialist Germany. In this article I shall examine the National Socialist ideology of physical training, and how it was influenced by earlier traditions of German physical culture.