Po sporto priedanga: radikalus dešinysis judėjimas ir "Geležinio vilko" sporto sąjunga Lietuvoje (1928–1930 m.)

ENOrganized physical training and sports as a pastime originated in the 19th century and rapidly escalated after World War I, thus acquiring obvious militaristic forms. This for the most part can be associated with the radicalization of right- and left-wing ideologies which spared much more attention to military training of their members than to mass physical training. Until the coup d’état of D ecember 17, 1926 Lithuania hardly participated in these pan-European socio-political processes. However, with the ascent to power of A. Smetona and A. Voldemaras, the new regime took up a wider secularization and nationalistic indoctrination of the society and the situation changed. Pursuing a more particular political identity of the national state, aspiring to more efficiently ideologically mobilize the Lithuanian society and at the same time combat powerful internal and external opponents, time and time again eyes were turned to the example of fascist Italy which would boast of unparalleled results. This article briefly reviews a single aspect of the relationship between ideology and sports, namely the attempts of representatives of the Lithuanian radical right who formed a covert governmental profascist organization – Lithuanian national guard movement "Geležinis vilkas" ("The Iron Wolf"), publicly known as sports association "Geležinis vilkas", to militarize part of the Lithuanian society (especially the young generation) under the cover of sports and at the same time, following certain methods of the fascist Italy, enhance public support of A. Smetona and A. Voldemaras’ regime, by means of interventional tactics of surveillance, control and coercion as well as forming combatant squads of radical nationalists.Implementation of the Lithuanian programme of "fascist intervention" was aimed not only at the takeover, control and "depuration" from ideologically disloyal elements of the country’s governmental institutions and public organizations, but also at striping the country’s society of all reservations in trusting "the nation’s leaders". The above-described situation in the jargon of the Lithuanian national guard was referred to as Lithuania’s "wolfization". [From the publication]