51-624: The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , also simply known as the Soviet flag or the Red Banner , was a red flag with two communist symbols displayed in the canton : a gold hammer and sickle topped off by a red five-point star bordered in gold. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from several sources, but emerged during the Russian Revolution . It has also come to serve as
102-475: A fight with no quarter . Prior to the French Revolution and in some contexts since, red banners were seen as symbols of defiance and battle. In Eastern Arabia , tribal federations used red standards as their flags. These federations later developed into sheikhdoms and emirates . The red standard was adopted as one of the early Islamic flags . The prominent Arab military commander Amr ibn al-As used
153-580: A five-pointed star was officially adopted as the flag of the Ottoman Empire . During the 1848 revolution in France , socialists and radical republicans demanded that the red flag be adopted as France's national flag. Led by poet-politician Alphonse de Lamartine , the government rejected the demand: "[T]he red flag that you have brought back here has done nothing but being trailed around the Champ-de-Mars in
204-469: A gold hammer crossed with a gold sickle placed beneath a gold-bordered red star . This symbol is in the upper left canton of the red flag. The colour red honours the red flag of the Paris Commune of 1871; the red star and the hammer and sickle are symbols of communism and socialism . The hammer symbolises urban industrial workers while the sickle symbolises agricultural workers (peasants), who form
255-593: A national flag and replaced by national flags of the post-Soviet republics . On 15 April 1996, Boris Yeltsin signed a presidential decree giving the Soviet flag (called the Victory Banner , after the banner that was raised above the Reichstag on 1 May 1945) status similar to that of the national flag. The hammer and sickle were removed from the flag, leaving only the star, but they were reinstated later. On certain holidays,
306-572: A number of other socialist and social-democratic parties throughout Europe. Members of the party also sing the traditional anthem " The Red Flag " at the conclusion of the annual party conference. In February 2006, "The Red Flag" was sung in Parliament to mark the centenary of the Labour Party's founding. The flag was regularly flown above Sheffield Town Hall on May Day under David Blunkett 's Labour administration of Sheffield City Council during
357-653: A potent relic following the execution of early trade unionist Dic Penderyn (Richard Lewis) in August 1831, despite a public campaign to pardon him. During the Battle of the Alamo in March 1836, General Antonio López de Santa Anna of Mexico signified no quarter by displaying a plain blood-red flag ( approx. 10 feet square) from the highest church tower in Béxar. William B. Travis , a commander of
408-653: A potential expansion of the Soviet Union. Whereas the original Treaty had only 26 articles, the 1924 Constitution now had 72 divided into eleven chapters. The 1924 Constitution replaced the Russian Constitution of 1918 which served as a precursor and influenced the main principles of the Union-wide constitution. The 1924 Constitution established the Congress of Soviets to be the supreme body of Soviet state authority, with
459-800: A red banner. The red cap was a symbol of popular revolt in France going back to the Jacquerie of 1358. The color red became associated with patriotism early in the French Revolution due to the popularity of the tricolour cockade, introduced in July 1789, and the Phrygian cap , introduced in May 1790. A red flag was raised over the Champ-de-Mars in Paris on July 17, 1791, by Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette , commander of
510-636: A red flag as their symbol. The plain red flag was an official symbol of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom until the late 1980s. It was the inspiration for the socialist songs " The Red Flag " and " Bandiera Rossa ". Red color as a combat or revolt symbol in Europe goes back to the turn of the second millennium and before. In the Middle Ages, ships in combat flew long red streamers called baucans to signify
561-668: A red or scarlet field, and in the canton a golden sickle and hammer, and a red five-pointed star bordered in gold above them. The ratio of width to length is 1:2." On 19 August 1955, the Statute on the State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was adopted by a decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR . This resulted in a change of the hammer's handle length and the shape of
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#1732876946864612-641: A symbol of nostalgia for the Soviet Union . Various politicians frequently utilize it as a symbol of the superpower status Russia lost in 1991. Amidst the backdrop of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the Communist Party of the Russian Federation proposed to the State Duma the adoption of the Soviet flag as the official flag of Russia on 19 April 2022. The use of Soviet symbols including its flag became very extensive by invading Russian forces over
663-627: The War Precautions Act 1914 . This ban was an arguable cause of the Red Flag riots . The ban ended in Australia with the repeal of the Act in 1920. [REDACTED] Media related to Red flags at Wikimedia Commons 1924 Soviet Constitution The 1924 Constitution of the Soviet Union was the constitution of the Soviet Union adopted on 31 January 1924. According to British historian Archie Brown
714-561: The Central Executive Committee having this authority during the interims and serving as the country's collective presidency . The Central Executive Committee also elected the Council of People's Commissars , which served as the executive branch of the government. The Central Executive Committee was divided into the Soviet of the Union representing the constituent republics , and the Soviet of Nationalities representing directly
765-642: The Communist Party -led People's Republic of China use red fields for their flags, referencing their revolutionary origins. Streets, buildings, businesses and product brands named after the red flag are common in China as a result of recuperation . For example, a famous line of limousine cars manufactured by China FAW Group Corporation has the brand name of Red Flag . In 1967 during the Cultural Revolution , Pilal in Akto County , Kizilsu , Xinjiang , China
816-638: The Haymarket affair , during which a bomb blast killed a police officer at a May Day rally for an eight-hour workday in Chicago , anarchists flew red flags. This event, considered to be the beginning of the revival of the international labour movement, is still commemorated annually in many countries as International Workers' Day (though not in the United States). The red flag gained wide popularity in Russia during
867-662: The Russian Revolutions of 1917, having been used as a symbol of revolutionary struggle in both the February Revolution and October Revolution ; red was the political color of socialists on several opposed sides in the revolutions, such as the Bolsheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries . During the Russian Civil War (1917–1922), a red flag, with a red star symbolising the party and hammer and sickle to symbolise
918-650: The Soviet coat of arms or the Red Banner (part 3). The building to have had a red flag flying for the longest period of time is the Victorian Trades Hall in Melbourne, Australia , the oldest trade union building in the world. The flag has been flying for over a century. After the suppression of the 1848 revolution , red flags and other insignia dominated by the colour red were banned in Prussia , as would later be
969-571: The state seal on which the flag was eventually based. The idea was dismissed as too visually aggressive, with Lenin apparently affirming, "A sword is not one of our symbols." The first official flag was adopted in December 1922 at the First Congress of Soviets of the USSR. It was agreed that the red banner "was transformed from the symbol of the Party to the symbol of a state, and around that flag gathered
1020-562: The 1980s. Various socialist newspapers have used the name The Red Flag. In the Soviet Union , the Red Banner ( Russian : Красное знамя ) was a widely used revolutionary symbol. Military units, institutions, and organizations that were awarded with the Order of the Red Banner , such as the Soviet Army , Soviet Navy , and MVD Internal Troops , were referred to with the honorific title "of
1071-501: The Alamo defenders, responded with a blast from the Alamo's largest cannon. During the Uruguayan Civil War (1839–1851), the victorious liberal faction of " Colorados " ( lit. ' Reds ' ) used red flags. This prolonged struggle received considerable attention and sympathy from liberals and revolutionaries in Europe; Giuseppe Garibaldi first made a name for himself in 1843, having been inspired to have his troops wear
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#17328769468641122-803: The Creation of the USSR between the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic , the Byelorussian Soviet Republic , and the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic founding the Soviet Union. In essence, the 1924 Constitution was an expansion and generalization of the 1922 Treaty, with most of the major parts already specified by the treaty, and also allowed for
1173-506: The National Guard, as a symbol of martial law, warning rioters to disperse. As many as fifty anti-royalist protesters were killed in the fighting that followed. Inverting the original symbolism, the Jacobins protested this action by flying a red flag to honour the "martyrs' blood" of those who had been killed. They created their own red flags to declare "the martial law of the people against
1224-609: The Paris Commune was established in March 1871 and crushed by the French Army after two months, with much bloodshed. The original red banners of the Paris Commune became icons of the socialist revolution; in 1921, members of the French Communist Party came to Moscow and presented the new Soviet government with one of the original Commune banners; it remains in place in the tomb of Vladimir Lenin, next to his open coffin. In
1275-441: The Red Banner" (Russian: Краснознамённый , romanized: Krasnoznamyonny ), as in " Red Banner Pacific Fleet ", " Guards Red Banner Submarine S-56 ", or " Twice Red Banner Alexandrov Soviet Army Choir ". Civilian establishments that were awarded with the Order of the Red Banner of Labour were also sometimes addressed with the "Red-Banner" honorific . The Transferable Red Banner (Russian: переходящее Красное знамя )
1326-434: The Soviet flag. Red flag (politics) In politics , a red flag is predominantly a symbol of left-wing ideologies, including socialism , communism , anarchism , and the labour movement . The originally empty or plain red flag has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution (1789–1799). The red flag and red as a political colour are the oldest symbols of socialism. Socialists adopted
1377-517: The Victory Banner is flown along with the Russian flag. In current times, the Soviet national flag (and similar flags) are widely used by those on the political far left , most often by those who support Marxism–Leninism , although the earlier (pre- Stalinist ) flags are occasionally used by Trotskyists and those on the modern communist left . The Soviet flag is also actively promoted in Russia as
1428-452: The award could have been awarded, depending on the level of the socialist competition: all-Union, union-republican , oblast -wide, industry-wide, enterprise/institution-wide, etc. Similar awards existed in several communist states . A new article, 190, was added to the Soviet criminal code in the 1960s. It permitted imprisonment for anti-Soviet agitation (part 1), for participation in unauthorized meetings (part 2), and for defamation of
1479-701: The case in France after the demise of the Paris Commune . During the persecution of communists and socialists amid the Red Scare of 1919–1920 in the United States, many states passed laws forbidding displays of red flags, including Minnesota , South Dakota , Oklahoma , and California . In Stromberg v. California , the Supreme Court of the United States held that such laws are unconstitutional. In Australia , red flags were similarly banned in September 1918 under
1530-469: The change in dimensions. Although common in official practice, a typical flag owner would simply turn a standard design flag 90 degrees to the right and hang it by the hoist (not flipped like in the US flag ). During the establishment of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , Vladimir Lenin and his followers had considered the inclusion of a sword symbol in addition to the hammer and sickle as part of
1581-531: The constitution was never an accurate guide to political reality in the USSR. For example, the fact that the Communist Party played the leading role in making and enforcing policy was not explicitly mentioned in it until 1977. The 1924 Constitution was the first constitution of the Soviet Union and ratified by the Second Congress of Soviets . The 1924 Constitution legitimized the December 1922 Treaty on
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1632-610: The course of the war along with the letter "Z" . On 17 June 2023, during the celebration for the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg , the respective flags of the Russian Empire ( Black-yellow-white flag [ ru ] ), Soviet Union, and Russian Federation were raised simultaneously at the Gulf of Finland . The flags of the Soviet republics that constituted the USSR and the Victory Banner were all defaced or modified versions of
1683-402: The executive committee (CIK) of the USSR on 6 July 1923. The text of Article 71 states: "The state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consists of a red or scarlet field with the state's coat of arms ." It was ordered with the unusual ratio of 4:1 in proportion and consisted of a red flag with the state coat of arms in the center. However, such a flag was never mass-produced. This flag
1734-456: The famous Red Shirts . The Ottoman Empire used a variety of flags, especially as naval ensigns , during its history. The star and crescent came into use in the second half of the 18th century. A buyruldu ( lit. ' decree ' ) from 1793 required that the ships of the Ottoman Navy use a red flag with the star and crescent in white. In 1844, a version of this flag with
1785-405: The hammer's handle length and the shape of the sickle. The adopted statute stated that: Officially since 1980, the reverse side of the flag was a plain red field without the hammer and sickle. In practice, however, this was very commonly disregarded by flag makers as it was far easier and less costly to simply print the flag through and through , with the obverse design mirrored on the reverse. It
1836-461: The hammer's handle length and the sickle's shape. In 1980, an amendment was made to the 1955 decree that removed the hammer and sickle displayed on the flag's reverse side , though the legal description remained completely unchanged. The design of the 1955 Soviet flag served as the basis for all of the flags of the Union Republics . The flag of the Soviet Union consisted of a plain red flag with
1887-504: The party and four smaller stars symbolising workers, peasants, the urban middle class, and rural middle class, respectively. During the Cold War , many communist states , such as Vietnam , also adopted red flags, while others, such as Cuba , chose to keep their previous flags. Red national flags with symbolism unrelated to socialism have also been adopted; the red flag of Nepal , for instance, represents its national flower. The red flag
1938-672: The people's blood in [17]91 and [17]93, whereas the Tricolore flag went round the world along with the name, the glory and the liberty of the homeland!" Following the unexpected defeat of France by the Germans in the Franco-Prussian War , French workers and socialist revolutionaries seized major cities and created the Lyon Commune and Paris Commune . The Lyon Commune was established in September 1870 and lasted for roughly eight months, while
1989-518: The peoples of the soviet republics to unite into one state — the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics". On 30 December 1922, the Congress adopted a Declaration and Agreement on the establishment of the USSR. Article 22 of the Agreement states: "The USSR has a flag, coat of arms and a state seal." The description of the first flag was given in the 1924 Soviet Constitution , accepted in the second session of
2040-457: The revolt of the court." The plain red flag has since been associated with left-wing politics . In 1797, British sailors mutinied near the mouth of the River Thames and hoisted red flags on several ships. Two red flags soaked in calf's blood were flown by marchers in South Wales during the Merthyr Rising of 1831. It is claimed to be the first time that the red flag was waved as a banner of workers' power. The red flags of Merthyr became
2091-413: The sickle. On 15 August 1980, a new edition of the Statute on the State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was adopted, which did not make any changes to the flag's description aside from removing the hammer and sickle on the reverse side of the flag. From this point on, the flag stayed in use with this design until the disintegration of the USSR on 26 December 1991, at which time it ceased to be
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2142-410: The standard symbol representing communism as a whole, recognized as such in international circles, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The plain red flag, which was a traditional revolutionary symbol long before 1917, was incorporated into the Soviet flag to pay tribute to the international aspect of the workers' revolution . On the other hand, the unique hammer-and-sickle design
2193-401: The state together with the proletarian class. The red star represents the Communist Party, and its position over the hammer and sickle symbolises its leading role in socialist society to unify and enlighten the workers and peasants in the building of a communist society . The flag's design was legislated in 1955, which gave a clear way to define and create the flag. This resulted in a change of
2244-527: The symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 . It was first used as the flag of a new authority by the Lyon Commune and Paris Commune in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). The flag of the Soviet Union , introduced during the Russian Revolution , as well as the flags of many subsequent communist states , were explicitly inspired by the plain red flag. Many socialist and socialist-adjacent political parties, including those of democratic socialists and social democrats , have adapted and adopted
2295-419: The workers and peasants respectively, became the official flag of Soviet Russia, and, in 1923, of the Soviet Union . It remained so until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. During the Chinese Civil War (1927–1949), the flag of the Chinese Communist Party became a red flag with a hammer and sickle, while the flag of the People's Republic of China became a red flag with a large star symbolising
2346-481: Was a modern industrial touch adopted from the Russian Revolution; it represented the "victorious and enduring revolutionary alliance" by unifying the hammer (i.e. workers ) and the sickle (i.e. peasants ). The gold-bordered five-point star situated above the hammer and sickle was a representation of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union . The first flag was adopted in December 1921. In 1923, 1924, 1936, and in 1955, statutes were adopted that resulted in adjustments to
2397-427: Was also common to see the reverse of the flag bear the hammer and sickle in the obverse formation. An example of the flag demonstrating its de jure status as being only one-sided is that of the Soviet flag atop the Moscow Kremlin which bore the single-side official design. For vertical display, the flag was made with the distinct difference of having the hammer and sickle rotated 90 degrees in order to compensate for
2448-462: Was an award for Soviet collectives in various workplaces that won socialist emulation contests. The term "transferable" means that for a given kind of competition at a given establishment (enterprise, school, institute, clinic, etc.) or category of establishments (e.g., type of industry ), a single physical copy of the award was transferred from the winner of one competition to the winner of the next (held annually or quarterly). Any of several levels of
2499-442: Was one of the first anarchist symbols prior to the October Revolution , after which red flags started to be associated with Marxism-Leninism , Bolshevism , and state socialism . Recent and current Arabian red flags include those of Muscat and Oman , the individual emirates of the United Arab Emirates , the Sheikhdom of Kuwait , Bahrain , and Qatar . In China, both the Nationalist Party -led Republic of China and
2550-503: Was renamed as Hongqi Commune ( 红旗 公社 ), meaning 'red flag commune'. In 1968, Baykurut Commune in Ulugqat County , Kizilsu, Xinjiang, China was also renamed as Hongqi Commune. The red flag was the emblem of the British Labour Party from its inception until the Labour Party Conference of 1986 when it was replaced by a red rose , itself a variant of the fist and rose , then in wide use by left of center parties in Europe. The more floral red rose design has subsequently been adopted by
2601-408: Was the official flag for four months, and was replaced as the official flag by the more familiar hammer and sickle design during the third session of the CIK of the USSR on 12 November 1923. In the third session of the CIK of the USSR, the description of Soviet flag in the Constitution was changed, and article 71 was edited to read: "The state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consists of
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