Abstract:

When the history of the world sport is studied, it can be easily seen that sport has been performed for various purposes. 19th century witnessed the age of enlightenment, industrial revolution, monarchies collapsing and nation states being established instead. There was widespread social and cultural unrest everywhere. In this chaotic atmosphere efforts were made to rebuild education and sport and new approaches were presented in this area. German Turnen, Swedish Gymnastics, British Sport currents were used to train individuals who can answer the needs of the new age using talents for gymnastics and sport. In the same age, the Otoman Empire observed the great developments in Europe and tried to reach them via several reforms. In early years of the century, Turkish nationalism current occured and spread widely. In 1912, Turkish Hearths were established and these organizations played a great role in forming the future of the Empire which had started to collapse. In 1932, Turkish Hearths were closed down and Community Centers were established on the same structure. Both Turkish Hearths and Community Centers aimed to serve people for having a modern lifestyle and modern thoughts. For this purpose, they both organized activities in the area of sport, people’s health etc. Those two organizations had a lot of similarities and some differences, by time the differences influenced the political life in Turkey deeply. In this study, we are going to deal with these influences and how the two organizations affected Turkish people’s lifestyle, especially in respect of sports. 

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