Toon, Wendy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7876-3214
(2024)
“Probably the Most Perfect Symbol of Our Democracy”: The Army, Sports, and the Re-education of German Youth during the Early American Occupation of Germany, 1945–1946.
Journal of American Studies, First (View).
pp. 1-28.
ISSN 0021-8758 (print); 1469-5154 (web)
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Abstract
During World War II, Germany and the United States fought it out on the battlefields, but once the Allies were victorious, American attention quickly turned to the playing fields. Despite recent enmity, in the spirit of amity GIs quickly started recreational games with German youngsters. This seemingly natural development was at odds with both American expectations of the Germans and vice versa. Reeducation of Germany, and especially its Nazi-indoctrinated youth, was viewed as essential to peace, and the army, through sports, became perhaps unlikely early reeducators. This article outlines sports’ inherent Americanness, this impromptu playing, and its relationship to the formal army program of youth activities.
Item Type: | Article |
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Divisions: | College of Arts, Humanities and Education > School of Humanities |
Related URLs: | |
Copyright Info: | Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with British Association for American Studies, This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence |
Depositing User: | Katherine Small |
Date Deposited: | 30 May 2024 15:47 |
Last Modified: | 30 May 2024 15:47 |
URI: | https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/id/eprint/13972 |
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