Origins of the Goose-Step
The recent jump in North Korea coverage in the wake of their nuclear test has included lots of B-roll footage of goose-stepping KPA soldiers at DPRK military parades in Pyongyang. Why is the goose-step so ominous? In his 1940 book, "The Lion and the Unicorn," George Orwell wrote:
The goose-step, for instance, is one of the most horrible sights in the world, far more terrifying than a dive-bomber. It is simply an affirmation of naked power; contained in it, quite consciously and intentionally, is the vision of a boot crashing down on a face. Its ugliness is part of its essence, for what it is saying is "Yes, I am ugly, and you daren't laugh at me," like the bully who makes faces at his victim.
Where did this style of marching come from? With the most senseless waste of human life in history. Over at Done With Mirrors, Callimachus notes:
The curious thing that nobody seems to question is, why is it called the "goose step?" Geese waddle, sway from side to side as they move on their feet on land. It looks nothing like a "goose step."
Turns out, the original goose step (it dates back to the Napoleonic era, naturally) was a military drill to teach balance. You stood on each leg alternately and swung the other back and forth. This at least looks vaguely like a goose's way of walking. It must have acquired a general sense of "militaristic way of marching" by the time it was applied to "marching without bending the knees." That seems to first have happened in 1916. Like much of the horrible ugliness of the 20th century, it seems to have its roots in WW1.
Hat-tip Don Jim