reputation in English-speaking countries. It was condemned in George Orwell's essay The Lion and the Unicorn, and proved an easy target for parody in many editorial cartoons and Hollywood films. Orwell commented in "England Your England" (1941) that the goose step was used only in countries where the population was too scared to laugh at their military. Cultural references In "The Germans", an episode of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers first broadcast in 1975, the main character Basil Fawlty imitates the goose step in front of some German hotel guests. In Disney's The Lion King (1994), the hyenas marching through Scar's Be Prepared song perform the goose step to symbolize the dictatorship that will be imposed after Mufasa is overthrown. In a 1999 television adaptation of Orwell's Animal Farm, the goose step is performed by a flock of geese, singing the praises of their porcine leader Napoleon in a propaganda film. In colloquial English, the phrase goose-stepping has connotations of blind obedience and submission. The term does not carry this negative connotation in countries that currently use the goose step, though this is sometimes the actual case. This can result in mistaken interpretations due to cultural differences: In Spartacus, a ballet by Aram Khachaturian, the Roman soldiers goose-step in most of their scenes. English-speaking reviewers sometimes conclude erroneously that the choreography must be intending to link the Roman Empire with the tyranny of Nazi Germany. However, goose-stepping in Russia carries no such connotation, and reflects only military discipline. Goose-stepping can be found in a number of Russian ballets in which it is not associated with the villains. The older English meaning of goose-step is sometimes found in a humorous context: In The Tale of Tom Kitten, a children's book by Beatrix Potter, the three puddle-ducks are described as "marching one behind the other and doing the goose step". See also Lockstep marching Military step References Further reading this article contains text originally from the May 25 version of the corresponding German Wikipedia article. Marching Orders - Mark Scheffler, Slate.com (Jan, 2003). External links Video of goose-stepping guards at the Lenin Mausoleum (YouTube, 240p, 1:06 min) Changing of the Guards of the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" in Red Square in Moscow (YouTube, 360p, 2:00) Goose step military parade Indonesian Army soldiers goose-step during a military parade Military marching Military traditions Walking Metaphors referring to birds Military of Nazi Germany German