Physical Culture and Sport in Soviet Society

From its very inception the Soviet state valued the merits and benefits of physical culture, which included not only sport but also health, hygiene, education, labour and defence. Physical culture propaganda was directed at the Soviet population, and even more particularly at young people, women and peasants, with the aim of transforming them into ideal citizens. By using physical culture and sport to assess social, cultural and political developments within the Soviet Union, this book provides a new addition to the historiography of the 1920s and 1930s as well as to general sports history studies.

Susan Grant is a graduate of Columbia International University and a former Bible teacher in the public schools of North Carolina. Susan has written for devotional magazines such as, "Unlocked -Daily Readings for Teens," and "Upper Room Magazine." She has also had her writing published in "The Bangor Daily News," The Chattanooga Writers' Guild, and Re:Fiction Magazine. Susan is currently working on her first novel. She teaches language arts and lives on the coast of Maine with her husband, Randy, and her little red dachshund, Boone.

1. Culture of the Body. 2. The Genesis and Organization of Soviet Fizkul'tura. 3. The Creation of an Ideal Young Citizen. 4. The Quest for an Enlightened Female Citizen. 5. The Pursuit of a Rural Civilized Citizen. 6. Visualizing the New Soviet Citizenry. 7. The New Soviet Citizen in Reality. Conclusion. Appendix 1: Biographical Index. Appendix 2: Organizational and Institutional Index