The German Turners and the Taming of Radicalism in Chicago [1]

The German Turner movement, a nationalistic gymnastic enterprise, migrated to the United States in the aftermath of the failed revolution of 1848. It quickly took hold in American cities with sizable German populations. Many German Turners espoused liberal philosophies, including Marxist, socialist and anarchist sympathies in their political views. They assumed leadership roles in politics, education and the labour movement; but those radical sympathies dissipated over time in the United States. This case study of Chicago, the centre of the American labour movement and a bastion of Turnerism in the United States, examines and analyzes the transition of Turner ideology and practice, from initial radicalism to incorporation within the mainstream political system, and from a focus on gymnastics to adoption of American sport forms. That transition occurred rather rapidly, largely over a period of two generations, by which time American Turners admitted that they had little in common with their European brethren. The article offers insights into the complex nature of sport, ideology and practice within the process of cultural flow.