Nationalism
Nazism was a form of fascism, which demanded ultranationalism and absolute conformity. This conformity extended to controlling what men and women could wear. Nazis believed that German women, in particular, should wear "racially appropriate" clothing. Pressure was placed on the German woman to choose traditional, national dress instead of more modern, or western dress.
The first picture shows the kind of German, nationalist dress promoted by the Nazis. It is a folk costume, featuring a dirndl (full, gathered) skirt and traditional embroidery. This is the kind of costume that the Nazis used to evoke a sense of pride and nostalgia for an idealized German past.
The second picture shows a fashionable, western style dress which the Nazis opposed as being "foreign" in design and having French or Jewish influences.
Jewish designers and manufacturers were portrayed by the Nazis as having the power to contaminate fashion and undermine the morals of German women. The clothes, offered by Jewish department, stores, were seen as a "satanic mockery of [German] womanhood" and the "stylized costume of the city whore." Nazi propaganda portrayed Jews as a "crushing presence" in the German clothing industry, conspiring to undermine the nobility of German womanhood.
Definitions
- Fascism - A form of government based on a one-party dictatorship, militarism, ultra-nationalism, absolute conformity and intolerance for civil and human rights.
Nationalist Costume (left). Drawing For a design of a more traditional outfit taken From Leonore Freiman's sketch book. Leonore received a polite letter of termination from the dressmaking salon where she was apprenticing, shortly after Hitler's annexation of Austria. She was Fortunate enough to emigrate to England in April of 1939. Courtesy Leonore Freiman.
Haute Couture (right). Dress design from a fashion plate taken From the German fashion magazine Die Neue Linie (The New Line), 1935. From the collection of Claus Jahnke
The Politics of Fashion
Clothing often has political implications. Some governments, past and present, have tried to exert control over the dress of its citizens. Read the following examples and add additional ones to the list.
- During the Maoist years in Communist China, people wore what amounted to a uniform - a blue cotton Mao jacket, with its distinctive stand-up collar and blue capped bat. This conformity was seen as a universal equalizer, and as a way of eliminating any outward signs of wealth or class.
- Some people fear the dress culture associated with young people. The long hair and colourful dress of the 1960s anti-war movement was seen by many as evidence of a moral decline in societal values.
- The shaved heads and military style boots with red or white laces of racist skinheads are often feared today.
- Jeans are often seen as a kind of youth uniform. Schools or organizations sometimes have uniforms or dress codes.
What power does fashion have to communicate ideals and values? What control should society have over the dress of its youth or its citizens?
Examine and Discuss
Examine the first costume. How is it similar to traditional clothing of other cultures with which you are familiar? Imagine a German woman wearing this costume during the Nazi era. What does the costume tell you about the woman and her society?
Imagine the same woman wearing the second designer dress. How can clothing change your ideas about a person or the society? What does the Nazis' opposition to modern, western dress tell you about the dangers of nationalism and absolute conformity?
Debate School Uniforms
Form two teams consisting of researchers, writers, judges and debaters. The first team presents in favour of conformity of dress for students. They may see it as an equalizing or beneficial force. The second team presents the case against the implementation of student uniforms at the school. They might see it as a restrictive and demoralizing.