Fascist Symbolism - Militarist Uniforms With Nationalist Insignia

Militarist Uniforms With Nationalist Insignia

Organized fascist movements typically use military-appearing uniforms with the symbol of their movement on them.

In Italy, the Italian Fascist movement in 1919 wore black military-appearing uniforms, and were nicknamed "Blackshirts". In power, uniforms during the Fascist era extended to both the party and the military which typically bore fasces or an eagle clutching a fasces on their caps or on the left arm section of the uniform.

In Germany, the Nazi movement was similar to the Italian Fascists in that they initially used a specifically coloured uniform for their movement, the tan-brown coloured uniform of the SA paramilitary group earned the group and the Nazis themselves the nickname of the "Brownshirts". The Nazis used the swastika for their uniforms and copied the Italian Fascists' uniforms, with an eagle clutching a wreathed swastika instead of a fasces, and a Nazi flag arm sash on the left arm section of the uniform for party members.

Other fascist countries largely copied the symbolism of the Italian Fascists and German Nazis for their movements. Like them, their uniforms looked typically like military uniforms with nationalist-appearing insignia of the movement. The Spanish Falange adopted dark blue shirts for their party members, symbolizing Spanish workers, many of whom wore blue shirts. Berets were also used, representing their Carlist supporters. The Blue Division, expeditionary volunteers sent to the Soviet Front of WW2 in (relatively indirect) support of the Nazis, likewise wore blue shirts, berets and their army trousers.