An exploration of the history of weightlifting as a reflection of the major socio-political events and trends of the 20th century: a case study

Abstract

The 20th century can be discussed from the perspective of a number of specific events resulting from paradigmatic shifts in the struggle for sociopolitical power. These include World War I, the emergence of the United States as a world power (Nye, 1993, p. 58), World War II (Nye, 1993, p. 100; Rourke, 2000, p. xv), the Cold War (Nye, 1993, p. 103-105), the nascent industrialization of the Third World, the collapse of several communist states, the growth of the technology and service industries, and the increasingly global nature of the economy at the end of the 20th century (Rourke, 2000, xv-xix). These paradigmatic shifts have been reflected generally in the history of the sport of weightlifting. This thesis is a speculative case study of the apparent relationship between international sociopolitical events and events within the sport of weightlifting, including an exploration of the possible roots of this relationship. There will also be a discussion of countries that do not fit the proposed model and an attempt will be made to account for these outliers. The entire discussion of the relationship between paradigmatic shifts in international politics and the sport of weightlifting will be considered in context of Pope's conceptualization of sport as a vehicle for and mirror of change in modern society.