Jungdeutschlandreloaded?CarlDieminTurkey,1933/1937
HeinrichvonHoffwasnottheonlyGermanyouthinstructorwhoworkedinAna-
toliaduringtheYoungTurkperiod.Followingarecoveryperiodafterthewar
decadeandthefoundationofitsowninstitutions,theTurkishstateinvitedan-
otherGermaninstructorin 1933 .Thissectionofthechapterexaminesthecon-
tinuityinthecooperationofexpertsinthefieldofthemobilizatoryuseofsports
andanation-wideyouthorganization.Astrong‘GermanSpirit’isstrikingespe-
ciallyduringtheearlyRepublicofTurkeyinthe 19 30s.
Duringthistimesportwasgenerallyseenasa“panaceaforsocialillsandas
atooltoincreasenationalpower.”¹³¹IntheYoungTurkperiodbetween 1908 and
thelate 19 30s,onecanobservehowsportspreadtotheurbansocietybybeing
mademandatoryatschoolsandinthearmy.Thosewerenoextracurricularac-
tivities,astheyhadexistedforcenturies,includingtheOttomangüreşwrestling.
SportbegantoservenationalpoliticalaimssincetheSecondConstitutionalpe-
riod(1908–1918),especiallyaftertheBalkanWars.Issuesofhealthcare,Social
DarwinistreasoningandastrongWesternizationdiscoursewereunderlying
thoseefforts.Infact,theusefuldisciplinaryfeaturesofsportwerethemostfa-
voredoutcomesoftheprogrammebyleadersoftheCommitteeforUnionand
Progress.¹³²
Inmanyregards,thelifeandactivitiesofSelimSırrıbearmanysimilarities
tohisGermancounterpartCarlDiem.Acomparativeviewofthetwosportfunc-
tionarieswillgiveabetterunderstandingofhowandwhytheGermanmilitarized
formofsportsandyouthmobilizationwasappropriatedintheLateOttomanand
earlyRepublicansportmovement.
CarlDiem:A‘GermanSelimSırrı’?
Beyondtheirloveofsports,theymanagedtoaccommodatethemselvestothe
rulingregimes,regardlessofwhowasinpower.CarlDiem(1882– 196 2)and
SelimSırrı(18 74 – 1957)preservedtheirpositionsduringthemonarchyandin
thepostwarperiodbyadoptinganopportunisticapproachandsidingwiththe
newelite.
BarbaraJ.Keys,GlobalizingSportNationalRivalryandInternationalCommunityinthe1930s
(Cambridge,Mass.:HarvardUniversityPress,2006),18.
FortheaffiliationofSelimSırrıbelongedtothisgroup,cf.MevlütCelebi,“SelimSırrıTar-
can’inJönTürklüğü”[SelimSırrıTarcan’sYoungTurkishness],TarihveToplum 40 – 23 6( 20 03),
77 – 85.
130 3German-Ottoman/TurkishCooperationintheMobilizationofYouth