Идеологија Савеза Сокола Краљевине Југославије: између физичке културе и секуларне религије (1930–1941)
Ideology of the Union of Falcons of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia: Between physical culture and secular religion (1930–1941)

Summary/Abstract: The idea of Falcon (Sokol) organizations created by Miroslav Tirš found its strong foothold in Yugoslavia. The idea of Pan-Slavism and the construction of a “new man” was a significant segment of the idea of Yugoslavism. There were many Sokol organizations spread all over the country, but they all united into a single Union of Falcons of Yugoslavia in 1930. The Union had the support of the very top of the state, while the patron was the king Alexander Karađorđević. The ideology of this alliance was internally Yugoslav and sought to build a new man – Homo Yugoslovenicus. Through the analysis of relevant sources and the Sokol press, the image of the perfect Sokol (Falcon) had been outlined. He was supposed to be a fanatical protector of Yugoslavia and its dynasty, all while avoiding alcohol, fasting, and praying to God for the well-being of the king and his family. The ideal member of the Sokol Union was also supposed to avoid modern fashion and dress in traditional clothing. In the field of national defense, the Sokols were first in line: they were trained in fire protection and air defense. The king himself occupied a very important place in the Sokol ideology, where his image was sacralized. Long before the first five-year plan of Tito’s Yugoslavia, the Sokol Union had its own five-year plan that was supposed to end triumphantly on the day of King Peter II’s coming of age. The plan failed because the Sokols found themselves in disfavor even before World War II, and after the outbreak of the war the entire organization disappeared. Overall, analyzing the ideology of the Sokol Union of Yugoslavia, the entire phenomenon is far from sports, or even physical culture, and falls into the domain of the instrumentalization of certain sport aspects for the sake of supporting the dictatorial regime, but also building a cult of personality of the king and the entire Karađorđević dinasty.

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