World Wide Military Parades
In parades when soldiers march, the public refers to the march as Hell March - 'Into The Mouth Of Hell We March'. "Hell March” is the main theme song for games in the Command & Conquer: Red Alert real-time strategy video game series. One of the most influencial computer game music song, of all time. And the most popular song for C&C: Red Alert computer game, developed by Westwood studios. The song was composed and written by Frank Klepacki. The official quote from Klepacki, "Thats the only song where I have no idea what's being said... I thought the opening quote was Russian and the middle one was German, but other than that, not sure."
When Frederick the Great reviewed his grenadiers at Potsdam they were in battle order. The monarchs of Europe continued to hold Erederickian parades, but there was not one of them who would not shudder at the thought of sending his battalions from the "Field of Mars" into an engagement. A parallel can thus be drawn between the military pageants of the 19th Century and the tourney, for, Sir Walter Scott to the contrary, it is quite evident the tourney attained its greatest brilliancy after the knight had ceased to be of capital importance in war. The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a century after Agincourt and Crecy.
By the end of the 19th Century the St. Petersburg parade was the most showy and effective in Europe, and in witnessing the review held there, it was easy to turn back in the mind to Henry VIII, Charles V, and Francis I. In brilliancy of color, as a grand living tapestry, it would probably stand comparison with the traditional splendors of the meeting between the rivals of the great Charles. A superb picture — but absolutely without relevance to genuine military preparation, if, indeed, the parade drill cannot be considered as a positive handicap. The modern parade, was, as were the gladiatorial contests and the chariot races in olden times, a part of the governing scheme in countries where it was considered wise to entertain, but not to consult, the taxpayer.
Germany and Russia being the military powers par excellence, it was entirely natural that the superiority of their reviews should be generally acknowledged. Which of the two, the Berlin or the St. Petersburg exercises, should be regarded as best, depended entirely on the point of view. The Russian parade was indisputably more effective to the unmilitary eye. The reasons why this is so cannot be open to dispute. The Russian uniforms and equipment are more decorative and offer finer color effects. The "crack" cavalry regiments of Russia are also better mounted — at least from the point of view of the observer, who loves a harmonious ensemble. The main difference, however, is that the Temple of Field is so large that no single observer can see one-fourth of the picture at one time.
It is, perhaps, not too much to say that the St. Petersburg display excelled its Berlin rival largely on account of its more glaring sins against modern military science. Cossacks of Kouban in scarlet caftans, astride splendidly matched chestnut horses; Cossacks of the Urals, Hussars of his Majesty in beaver - trimmed cloaks; Cuirassiers of her Majesty the Empress, with their embroidered velvet devices; lancers, mounted guardsmen, and the military tailors only know what besides, each troop as well matched in color, size, and form of mount as in uniform.
These holiday troopers present a wonderful array of military smartness. The rainbow has scarcely enough shades for two successive commands. Silver and gilded cuirasses and helmets catch up the noonday sunlight. The observer is literally spellbound. The eye can no more turn away from that glistering line than the doomed bird can from the serpent which has mesmerized it. One breathes an involuntary sigh of relief when it is certain sabre, lance, and nagaika will not play upon loges and tribunes.
It may be objected that a parade had nothing to do with military training and was not intended to have; that the real training was in the manuvers. Unfortunately the first period of the Transvaal War shows this to be untrue, and that English army training was dominated by the parade traditions, and a brief glance at the literature that had grown up in connection with this war showed that the candid observers of other nations admit England's fault was a fault which is shared by all European armies.
By the end of the 19th Century, lines were enormously extended, and direct personal control over men by officers, which prevailed in the days of masses, was now impossible. The enlisted man must learn rigid discipline, but not mechanical rigidity and mechanical precision. He must be disciplined in such manner that when beyond control he can execute orders previously given. Individuality can be developed by field exercises alone. The minutias of drill, such as perfect alignment, precise evolutionsand machinelike execution of the manual of arms, are results requiring too much time in proportion to the benefits obtained and should not be required.
The cavalry of European armies was far more a peace organization for purposes of military pageant and spectacle for police duties than for war. The small size of the American army, compared to the active service required of it, had hitherto prevented concentration in cities and the development of the parade mania. The traditions of American service, as developed by contact with an enemy who possessed the hunter's skill with the rifle and the hunted animal's watchfulness and gift of concealment to an eminent degree, to a large extent counteracted the teachings of the mass tacticians. There was, however, always a sprinkling of officers who aspired to copy European military smartness.
It was a great show, and an anachronism, with scarcely more relation to modern war than a chariot race would have. The tourney, too, was worth a journey to see, but it could not live in an atmosphere poisoned with gunpowder. There was not room enough even in Spain for both Cervantes and Don Quixote.
France, a democratic country in Europe, holds a military parade every July 14 to commemorate important moments in the French Revolution. On July 14, 1789, French insurgents stormed the Bastille, where prisoners were being held under the regime of Louis XVI. This event became known as Bastille Day. The following year, revolutionaries celebrated the overthrow of the monarchy with the "Federation Day." This day also became France's National Day, even though the establishment of the First French Republic was still more than two years away.
The Bastille Day military parade has been held annually since 1880. Today, the ceremony involves a procession down Paris's famous Champs-Élysées and past the Arc de Triomphe, a monument commemorating the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and World War I. The French president, government ministers, and invited foreign dignitaries watch the parade.
In 2017, during his first term as president, Trump attended the Bastille Day military parade , which also included American soldiers. Trump and his wife Melania attended the French military parade in July 2017 at the invitation of French President Macron and his wife.Trump and his wife Melania attended the French military parade in July 2017 at the invitation of French President Macron and his wife. He was deeply impressed by the event that day. "This was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen," Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron. "It was a display of military strength, and I think it was a great thing for France and the French spirit. We're going to have one that will surpass this one."
India, also a democratic country, holds a military parade every Republic Day to celebrate the birth of the Indian Constitution. In 2015, Obama became the first US president to attend the parade.
In Britain, Charles III served as the titular head of the British military, though he held no actual command. While elected presidents in France and the United States typically do not wear uniform even when participating in military engagements, Charles III would wear the traditional and ornate military regalia—adorned with medals, ribbons, a sword, and sometimes even a bearskin hat and chinstrap.
The most famous event is Trooping the Colour, a birthday celebration and review of troops for the British monarch, usually on a date unrelated to the actual birthday. In 2023, Charles, who completed his first year as king, reviewed 1,400 representatives of Britain's most prestigious organizations on horseback. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, used a horse-drawn carriage for the ceremony during the last three decades of her 70-year reign.
Trooping the Colour in Britain dates back to King Charles II (reigned 1660-1685). The event became a regular ritual under King George III, who was described in the American Declaration of Independence as a ruler of "absolute despotism and tyranny." In 2025 the British Royal Parade happened to be held on Trump's birthday.
Grand military ceremonies are particularly common in modern authoritarian regimes, particularly those that came to power through coups, as they are used to demonstrate force, deter potential adversaries, and gain international legitimacy and respect. Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who often wore military uniform, held numerous military parades to commemorate the revolution he led in 1959. He died in 2016. In 2017, his brother and successor, Raúl Castro, transformed the event into a ceremony to honor his dictator brother.
Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez, often known at home as "Comandante Chávez," also frequently presided over military parades, a practice he maintained until his death in 2013. His successor, Nicolás Maduro, also attended similar events in military uniform.
Iran held a military parade as part of its "Sacred Defense Week" to commemorate the day Iraq launched the Iran-Iraq War. "This opportunity allows us to remember the heroic sacrifices made by the brave sons and daughters of the motherland and remind everyone, especially the youth, that the myth of the invincibility of global hegemony was shattered shortly after the victory of the Islamic Revolution," the Iranian Armed Forces said before the 2024 parade.
In September 2023, Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Joo-ae attended the military paradeIn September 2023, Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Joo-ae attended the military parade. Kim Jong-un stated "We pledge to defend the bloodline of Mount Paektu with our lives". North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un always waves at grand military parades. The extremely poor country, isolated from the international community, frequently holds large-scale, highly publicized military parades to mark holidays including Army Day, National Day and the founding day of the Workers' Party of Korea.
In 2018, Trump established a so-called "personal relationship" with him. In 2023, Kim Jong Un publicly unveiled his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, at a military parade , raising speculation she could be his successor. The ceremony also featured a display of part of North Korea's nuclear arsenal.
The parade, held in Kim Il Sung Square, named after Kim Jong Un's grandfather, commemorated the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army. From his reviewing stand, Kim watched missiles—including 11 Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missiles—and other weaponry pass by while soldiers chanted, "We swear to defend the Paektu bloodline with our lives," referring to the Kim family's bloodline.
On May 9, 2025, the "Victory Day" parade on Red Square in Moscow was held. Heads of state from many countries were invited to attend, and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat next to Putin.On May 9, 2025, the "Victory Day" parade on Red Square in Moscow was held. Heads of state from many countries were invited to attend, and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat next to Putin. Xi Jinping and Putin attending the Victory Day parade on Red Square in Moscow was an opportunity to vividly demonstrate their unbounded friendship. The ceremony originally commemorated the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Although neither China nor the Soviet Union was a democracy at the time, they fought as members of the Allied Powers against the Axis powers led by Germany and Japan.
In China, the authoritarian, one-party Communist Party government holds a National Day military parade every decade . The last two, in 2009 and 2019, featured nuclear missiles and other heavy weaponry designed to penetrate U.S. defenses. In 2019, a large number of soldiers and equipment passed before Xi Jinping and other leaders in Tiananmen Square, as spectators waved Chinese flags and fighter jets flew overhead.
On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany and the Nazi Storm Troopers held a torchlight procession.On January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany and the Nazi Storm Troopers held a torchlight procession. The grand military parade, in which both the military and civilians participated, also served as a reminder of the dark historical events of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy before and after World War II . Those chilling images of the parades continue to serve as a reminder of the dangers of totalitarianism.
One of the most famous parades took place on April 20, 1939. Held in Berlin, the four-hour parade involved over 40,000 soldiers from the army, navy, air force, and the infamous SS. Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the streets, and Hitler invited as many as 20,000 distinguished guests. On the reviewing stand on the street, Hitler stood in the center, dominating the power, but also alone. This day was Hitler's 50th birthday.
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