Physical education militarization and the Public Patriotic Movement in the USSR in prewar time (1939-1941)by example of Tomsk

In pre-war timephysical culture and sports played a crucial part in the Soviet Union. The given sphere of life activity allowed the state to have a considerableimpact not only on forming of a well-trained personality but a socially adequate one as well. Besides PE (physical education)could not but contribute a lot in ideological and patriotic education. Before World War 2 physical education was characterised by specificmilitary nature; it means that military-applied sports were strongly preferred. Such military subjects as grenade throwing, bayonetand hand-to-hand fight, combat course, shooting and parachuting held a prominent place in the PE institutions activity. The militarybiasorganization Society to Support Aviation and Chemical Defence was closely knit and collaborated with physical culture movement,and subsequently turned out to be its integral part. Owing to its facilitation Voroshylovs equestrian school was set up. The trainingobjectives were to take the subsequent rewards with honoured badges of Voroshylov shooter and antiaircraft defence. TheGTO (готов к труду и обороне - ready for labour and defence) normative base as early as 1939 was supplemented with militarysports and each division was given a special governmental task to implement. Early 1941 the scheme of numerous mass military culturalevents was extended by means of some novel sport contests, namely: a regional contest on grenade throwing, the day of Voroshylovsshooter, night military trial treks, female contests, mainstream military-tactic trainings. The town young people developed combatcourses, military townships, athletic fields where training sessions and workouts aimed at participating in town sport events were held.The major ways to attract people to go in for sport at that time appeared to be mainstream sport events, physical culture feasts, treks andlong distance marches. Both traditions of holding sport contests and feasts and unprecedented high morale of the country in pre-war timeboosted the attraction of a considerable share of the total population. On the account of the above - mentioned we can draw the conclusionthat the soviet system of PE established by the 1930s was directed not only to the populations keeping fit, but promoted keepingthe citizens in a state of tactical efficiency to defend the country when challenged.

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