Sports and Physical education as servants of Politics:Physical culture in Hungary between the two world wars

ABSTRACT

In most countries, sports and the physical education of youth receive special attention from those holding political power. The reason for this is, among other things, that the development of this area is decisive from the point of view of the physical and mental condition of individuals and, consequently, the future of a society. In the course of history, state activity on the subject can be observed from the development of the idea of the social state in the 20th century. In the case of Hungary, a similar trend can be observed, which, however, is significantly shaded by the fact that, as a result of historical processes, physical culture has been at the service of power – in different ways and to varying degrees – almost to this day. In this context, this study examines the period between the two world wars. The topic is particularly interesting nowadays, when the relationship between sports and politics is strong in Hungary, and when the ruling government likes to look back to the history of the period between the two world wars for examples.

KEYWORDS:

• Sports
• physical education
• Levente service
• leisure sports
• Horthy regime
• Hungary

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The official name of the paramilitary training organization in Hungary between the two world wars, whose main task was the patriotic education of youth.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ákos Cserny

Ákos Cserny is a habilitated doctor in law. The focus of his more than 25 years of higher education and research activities was on a number of areas of constitutional law, such as government operations and electoral law. Recently, he has been researching the social and legal connections between sports and physical education.