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Much more informatin is available on German 20th century footwear. Boys at the turn of the century might wear high-top shoes. Many boys wore boot-like high top shoes. Working class families might wear wooden shoes while boys from affluent families might wear strap shoes. After the turn of the century, especially after World War I (1914-18), increasingly wore low-cut shoes or a variety of closed toe sandals. The sturdy high-top shoes for boys, however, endured into the 1950s. I think some German mothers considered them healthtier for children as they offered more support. There may also have been class connotations as they appear to have been more of a working-class style. Hopefully our German readers will provide more information here. After World War II open-toe sandals appeared. Sneakers appear to have been less popular in Germany than in many other countries we have studied. We rarely see German boys wearing sneakers before World Wa II. I have never noted, for example, Hitler Youth boys wearing sneakers, except at sports in summer camps. Even after the War they were not common. We do not notice German boys extensively wearing sneakers until the 1970s. After World War II there were presumably differences between East and West Germany which by the 1950s were in part a reflection of the growing affluence of the West. Here we do not yet have much information. German boys by the 1980s were wearing footwear much like the rest of Europe. The one destinctive feature e have noted in Germany was the popularity of a variety of styles of open-toed sandals.
Boys at the turn of the century might wear high-top shoes. Many boys wore boot-like high top shoes. Working class families might wear wooden shoes while boys from affluent families might wear strap shoes.
Boys wore mostly high-top shoes in the 1910s. We notice some younger boys wearing sandals.
Germany boys after the turn of the century, especially after World War I (1914-18), increasingly wore low-cut shoes or a variety of closed toe sandals. There seems to have been age-based differences. We still see many boys wearing the sturdy high-top shoes prevalent for younger boys going to primary school. Older boys going to secondary school more commonly wore the low-cut shoes. This was, however a gradual process. We still see many boys wearing high-top shoes in the 920s. Gradualluy as the decade progressed the low-cut shoes became more popukar for the older boys. They still seem fairly standard, however for the younger boys. We have been discussing this with a German reader. She tells us, "High-top shoes were surely very common but I am not so sure about the"prevalent". We note many boys and girls wearing sandals and strap shoes in the 1920s. We see these styles worn more for play and curiouslky dress wear than schoolwear, at least for the boys.
The sturdy high-top shoes for boys continued toi be worn in the 1930s, although mostly for younger boys. We see far fewer older boys wearing them. Younger boys wore these high-top shoes into the 1950s. Most older boys wore low-cut oxcords. I think some German mothers considered them healthtier for children as they offered more support. There may also have been class connotations as they appear to have been more of a working-class style. Hopefully our German readers will provide more information here. We do not see any German boys wearing sneakers. We do see a few boys wearing what look like canvas shoes designed liked strap shoes. We also see younger boys and girls wearing many styles of cloesed-toe sandals. We see both one- and two-strap styles. They seem to have been done in different colors, although this is difficult to make out in the black and white photography of the day.
We see radical changes in German footwear during the 1940s. The cause was of course World War II. German boys mostly wore leather shors in the 1930s. Sandals were also worn, although by thev;ate-30s and early-40s mostly for younger boys. And this pattrn continued in the early-1940s after the War began. We rarely see German boys wearing sneakers before World War II. I have never noted, for example, Hitler Youth boys wearing sneakers, except at sports in summer camps. Leather was a critical material duting the War. Although the popular image of the Wehrmact is that of a modern, fully mechanized army. It was not. The Wehrmact was in fact heavily reliant on horsepower for both artillery and logistics. And this required large amounts of leather tackel. This meant leather for shoes was less available. As in other areas, however, the NAZIs wanted to maintain the supply of consumr goods, mindful of the impact of shortahes on civilian morale during World Wwar I. The sollution for the NAZIs was to simply despoil the resources of occupied countries. I Western Europe this was done through legal means such as the reparatins imposed on France. In the East this was done with extrodinary brutality without even the veneer of legality. Thus for the first few years consumer shortages even for footwear were not pronounced. When the War began to shift against the NAZIs and exploiting conquered peoples no longer possible, shortages became more acute. This was especially the case for leather shoes. They became very difficult to obtain in 1944 and virtually impossible during 1945. As a result, after the NAZIs surrendred (May 1945) we see many more barefott children than before the War. This continued during the rest of the decade. We see many barefoot childrem, especially younger children. The economy began to pick up again in thelate-1940s with the Marshall Plan and the first steps toward European unification.
After World War II there were presumably differences between East and West Germany which by the 1950s were in part a reflection of the growing affluence of the West. As a result of th German Economic Moracle, recovery in West Germany proceeeded at a rapid psace. The same was not trie in the Soviet occupation zone in East Germany. Stalin refused to llow the East Germans gto participate in the Marshll Plan. In addition, East Grmany was firced to integrate with the economies of the Sivuet Union and other Eastern European sattelite counties instead of the more dynamic economiesof the West.
After World War II open-toe sandals appeared. Sneakers appear to have been less popular in Germany than in many other countries we have studied.
Even after the War they were not common. We do not notice German boys extensively wearing sneakers until the 1970s. Here we do not yet have much information.
German boys by the 1980s were wearing footwear much like the rest of Europe. The one destinctive feature e have noted in Germany was the popularity of a variety of styles of open-toed sandals.
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