One rapid but fairly sure guide to the social atmosphere of a country is the parade-step of its army. … 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.



George Orwell, in his essay "The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius" (1941).



Quoted in Mark Scheffler's perceptive Goose-stepping, the Dance Craze of Tyrants.