Aleksey Borisovich Kolesnikov,
Graduate Student, Omsk State Pedagogical University, Omsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Physical Culture and Sport in the USSR as a Social “Laboratory” for Constructing the Ideal of a Soviet Person
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2021-6-14
The article is devoted to the aspects of formation of the ideal of the Soviet man in the system of physical culture and sports of the USSR. The author examines the power-idealogical project of the Soviet state in the context of physical culture and sports of the 1950s and 1970s. The paper characterizes and highlights the directions of political instrumentalization of this industry. Based on the scientific works of Soviet and foreign scientists, the article describes the social functions of physical culture and sports, which are manifested in most spheres of society and are aimed at internal and external target audiences. In addition, the analysis of documents contained in the archival fonds of RGASPI, GARF was carried out, which allowed to identify the importance of sports success for promoting the achievements of the socialist system. The paper shows the role and influence of the ideocratic regime of the state on the construction of ideas about a new model socialist personality. The article describes the characteristics of Soviet bodily practices, which include physical, spiritual, moral and ideological components. The author comes to the conclusion that physical culture and sport in the USSR in the socio-political project of the state performed the functions of a special social “laboratory”, which was focused on improving human discipline through political control over the human body and on visualizing an “imaginary society”. As a result, the ideal bodies of Soviet athletes and athletes were achieved due to the direct political intervention of the state.
Publishing: 28/12/2021
The article has been received by the editor on 28/09/2021
How to cite: Kolesnikov A.B. Physical Culture and Sport in the USSR as a Social “Laboratory” for Constructing the Ideal of a Soviet Person // Historical Courier, 2021, No. 6 (20), pp. 170–178. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2021/ISTKURIER-2021-6-14.pdf]
Links: Issue 6 2021
Keywords: social policy; ideology; physical culture; sports; bodily practices; ideocratic regime; propaganda; ideal; ideas; a new exemplary personality