Download or read book Strong, Beautiful and Modern written by Charlotte Macdonald and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the late 1930s and early 1940s, a wave of state-sponsored “national fitness” programs swept Britain and its former settler colonies. In Strong, Beautiful and Modern, Charlotte Macdonald shows how governments encouraged citizens to be healthier and more active, thereby reinforcing the cultural ties of the Empire. At a time when government concern over public health issues such as obesity are once again on the rise, Macdonald explains why the first national fitness drive ultimately failed. This book is a lively investigation into how people and governments think about their health and well-being, and how those historical views have shaped our modern life.