7 March, 12:39
The 20th century was an era of global experiments. A time when the ancient monsters of religious empires were finally vanquished, only to be replaced by allegedly new, fresh, and young ideological monsters.
The Red and Brown plagues tore Europe apart before clashing in the bloodiest battle in human history. These young and fragile ideological constructs did not collide because they were radically different or opposed to one another. On the contrary, they were entirely identical—both in form and essence.
Both ideological cults lacked any real foundation, instead built upon the shaky ground of myths, fairy tales, and legends that were invented along the way.
Of course, there was a difference between the Reds and the Browns. The Germans—the National Socialists—still sought to build a national German empire, while the "Russians"—the international socialists—were constructing an anti-national "Soviet" empire, which eventually, unsurprisingly, morphed into a pseudo-national "Russian" one.
But what undoubtedly united them, apart from their chauvinism and xenophobia, was imperial colonialism.
Both Germany and Russia dreamed of global dominance and were preparing for war over new colonies. The former sought colonies in Africa, while Russia aimed to colonize Turkey—under the guise of "liberating" Constantinople from Turkish rule.
The Third Rome was so convinced that it would soon "reclaim" Constantinople that it even planned a grand military parade in the city to mark the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.
The event was so monumental that a distinctively "Russian" military uniform was specially designed for the occasion, featuring the characteristic headgear known as the "Bogatyrka".
The plan was for Nicholas II to review his troops in this "national" uniform in Constantinople on the dynasty’s 300th anniversary.
But… in 1912, this did not happen. And by 1914, Russia had far more pressing concerns. So pressing, in fact, that by 1917, the Russian Empire—the so-called Moscow answer to the Holy Roman Empire—collapsed entirely. The grand uniforms of the supposed liberators of Constantinople were left to gather dust in warehouses.
Those same warehouses, however, were soon ransacked by the ragtag Bolsheviks after 1917. And lacking any better ideas, they decided to dress their army in the imperial colonizers' attire.
Yes, the Red Army (RKKA) ended up wearing the uniforms of "Russian" imperialist colonizers.
Surprisingly, Germany experienced a similar story—though slightly delayed.
It turns out that the famous brown shirts worn by Nazi stormtroopers (SA) in 1921 also had a colonial past!
The uniform adopted by the Nazi stormtroopers was originally the attire of the German Empire’s colonial troops in Africa.
Before World War I, Germany had a number of colonies in Africa, where General von Lettow-Vorbeck successfully waged war against French and British forces.
The brown uniforms were specifically tailored for these colonial troops, designed to be practical for battle in the savanna.
But… after WWI, Germany lost its colonies, and the uniforms were never used as intended.
Then, as Germany descended into the political chaos of early Weimar, these uniforms were distributed to the Freikorps and the Nazis, with SA leader Ernst Röhm’s logistical connections playing a key role in their adoption.
What’s the takeaway?
Despite its backwardness in science, fine arts, and culture, Moscow managed to outpace Germany in ideological obscurantism.
It was the first to experiment with an ideological—rather than religious or national—principle as the foundation of a state. And in doing so, Moscow became both an example and a teacher for Germany.
Nazi ideologists imitated and copied the successful propaganda methods of the Kremlin, as well as its techniques of repression and societal control.
However, there was one key difference: Germans sincerely believed in their ideological darkness, whereas the "Russians," behind their proletarian victory, continued advancing their old Venetian gift—the idea of the Third Rome's global dominance.