TheBeginningoftheBoyScoutMovement
BasingonhisexperiencewiththemilitaryuseoflocalunderagedboysinSouth
Africain 1899 ,theBritishGeneralBaden-Powellhadpublishedhismajorwork
ScoutingforBoys.¹⁰Themovementspreadacrosstheworldwithinafewyears
andhadadramaticimpactonthefurtherdevelopmentoftheGermanandthe
beginningOttomanparamilitaryyouthorganizations.
Baden-Powellhadaclearlymilitaryview.Buthecombinedthesubmission
underthewillofthegroupleaderwithvirtuesalsovalidfortheciviliansphere,
anescapefromtheindustrializedurbanrealityandtheutopiaofaclass-free
group.¹¹HisconceptfittedperfectlyintheglobalWesternZeitgeistofthisera,
drivenbySocialDarwinistfearsofthedownfallofsocietiesshowinganysings
ofweakness.
InGermany,AlexanderLion,amilitarydoctorwhohadpreviouslyservedin
thecolonies,translatedthebook.¹²Lionaddedhisownideas,especiallyinthe
fieldofhygiene.Accordingtohim,youthshouldnotwasteitsstrengthonthe
excessiveconsumptionofalcohol,tobaccoandotherinappropriatebehaviour.
Insteadof“younghalffledgedyoungstersfillingthepubs,shoutingoutlouddis-
gustingsongs”¹³,youngmenshouldjoinalocalBoyScoutorparamilitary
Wehrkraftgroupandenjoynature.¹⁴ItwasnotanissueforLiontouseaBritish
conceptfortheGermanenvironment,sinceitservedtheGermanarmamentef-
forts.¹⁵LionevensuggestedthathehadcometosimilarconclusionsasBaden-
PowellduringhisserviceintheGermancolonyintoday’sNamibia:
RobertStephensonSmythBaden-Powell,ScoutingforBoys:AHandbookforInstructionin
GoodCitizenship(London:C.ArthurPearson,1908).
JamesRiordan,“Baden-Powell:HeroorVillain?,”inSportandEducationinHistory:Pro-
ceedingsofthe8thISHPESCongress2 003 ,ed.GigliolaGoriandThierryTerret(SanktAugustin:
Academie, 20 05), 12 8etseq.
Forthecoloniallinkcf.JeffBowersox,“Bamberg:DiekolonialenWurzelnderPfadfinder,”in
Kolonialismushierzulande:EineSpurensucheinDeutschland,ed.U.vanderHeydenetal.(Erfurt:
Sutton, 20 13), 240 – 24 5.
AlexanderLion,DiePfadfinder-undWehrkraftbewegungundihreUrsachen(Munich:Gmelin,
1913),6.
Onthecontemporaryenvironmentcf.JohnAlexanderWilliams,“EcstasiesoftheYoung:
Sexuality,theYouthMovement,andMoralPanicinGermanyontheEveoftheFirstWorld
War,”CentralEuropeanHistory 34 – 2( 20 01), 163 – 189.
Lion,DiePfadfinder-undWehrkraftbewegung,17.
106 3German-Ottoman/TurkishCooperationintheMobilizationofYouth