The formation of the German Empire in 1871 led to an unpresidented change to German society with a second industrial revolution. People left the poor countryside en masse to settle in the dusty cities of Germany. Peasants became factory workers, maids became weavers. Maybe its not that simple, but in general this is what happened on a big scale. The countryside was depopulated, and the agricultural industry declined. In all this social turmoil new political movements took shape. In the cities, the proletariat, the working class was flocking to the new Social Democratic ideas, which at this time was not alien to the idea of revolution. At the same time the youth rebelled, like it always have done. Many boys and girls joined the Wandervogel and similar groups. These groups advocated for a return to the German countryside and nature.
The first movement was formed in 1896, it was called the Wandervogel, the migrating birds. Predominantly a boys organization similar to the Boyscout Movement in USA. Yet, it was more ideologically motivated. Apart from week long retreats in the forests, the organization was based on the so called Lebensreform, a word which means Life reform. It advocated for a healthy lifestyle of physical strenght, healthy food and even nudism. It is therefore that hard to understand that homosexuality flourished in the ranks of the Wandervogel movement.…
