Bibliograph

Spartakiads, the politics of physical culture in Communist Czechoslovakia, Petr Roubal

Type

Label

Spartakiads, the politics of physical culture in Communist Czechoslovakia, Petr Roubal

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Spartakiads

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1182548542

Responsibility statement

Petr Roubal

Series statement

Václav Havel series

Sub title

the politics of physical culture in Communist Czechoslovakia

Summary

Every five years from 1955 to 1985, mass Czechoslovak gymnastic demonstrations and sporting parades called Spartakiads were held to mark the 1945 liberation of Czechoslovakia. Involving hundreds of thousands of male and female performers of all ages and held in the world's largest stadium--a space built expressly for this purpose--the synchronized and unified movements of the Czech citizenry embodied, quite literally, the idealized Socialist people: a powerful yet pliant force directed by the regime. This book explores the political, social, and aesthetic dimensions of these mass physical demonstrations, with a particular focus on their roots in the völkisch nationalism of the German Turner movement and the Czech Sokol gymnastic tradition. Featuring an abundance of photographs, Spartakiads takes a new approach to Communist history by opening a window onto the mentality and mundanity behind the Iron Curtain. --, Provided by publisher

Creator