Soviet Union flag

The flag of the Soviet Union was the national flag used by that state from its establishment in 1922 until its dissolution in 1991.

Throughout its history, the emblem had various modifications, but in general it maintained the same structure since its adoption on November 12, 1923. The flag, in a 1:2 ratio, was completely red (the traditional color of the socialism and communism) and in its canton it had the symbol of the hammer and sickle in gold (symbol that represents the union between industrial and agricultural workers) and on this a red star with a gold border.

The flag was of great importance to the various political movements of a Marxist nature around the world and served as inspiration for various emblems, especially of socialist countries during the Cold War era. In turn, the various flags of the republics that made up the USSR were modifications of the national flag.

Construction of the flag

History

The flag of the Soviet Union was adopted for the first time in December 1922 during the 1st Congress of Soviets of the USSR. The conclusion was reached that "the red banner of the Party has become the symbol of the State, and around that banner the peoples of the Soviet republics have gathered to unite in a State: the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics". On December 30, 1922, the Congress adopted a Declaration of Agreement on the establishment of the USSR. Article 22 of the Agreement states that "the USSR has a flag, a coat of arms and a state seal".

The Soviet Constitution of 1924 described the first flag, adopted on July 6, 1923 at the second session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR (CIK). Article 71 says: "The state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consists of a red or scarlet field with the state coat of arms". It was designed with a 1:4 ratio, unusual in vexillology, and consisted of a red flag with the coat of arms of the Soviet Union in the center. However, that flag was never produced and was official for only 24 months. On November 12, 1923, the third session of the CIK designated the better-known hammer and sickle (☭) design the official flag.

In that same session of the CIK the constitutional description of the flag was changed, and article 71 went on to say: "The state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consists of a red or scarlet field, and on the edge a golden hammer and sickle, and on them a five-pointed star embroidered in gold. The ratio between width and height is 1:2". The obverse of the new flag consisted of a red background with a hammer crossed with a sickle and a red star on top. The hammer symbolized the nation's industrial workers, while the sickle symbolized farm workers. The red star in turn symbolized the government of the Communist Party.

On August 15, 1980, a slight modification of the flag was adopted, making the reverse red without a hammer, sickle or any inscription or decoration. Additionally, the color of the fabric was changed to a brighter tone. With the dismantling of the USSR on December 3, 1991, the flag ceased to be a national flag.

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  First unofficial flag of the Soviet Union, raised on July 1, 1923 at the opening of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

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  Prototype of the first official flag of the Soviet Union, approved by the First Congress of Soviets and ratified by article 22 on 29 December 1922. It was published on July 6, 1923 by Ogoniok magazine with the phrase "Our Red Flag", had an official status although this design was never made for the pavilions. It was replaced on November 12 of the same year.

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  1923-1924

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  1924-1936.

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  1936-1955.

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  1955-1980.

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  1980-1991.

Victory Banner

Flag of the Soviet Union waving to the wind.

Amount tip used in the Soviet Union.

On April 15, 1996, then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a presidential decree raising the Soviet flag to a level similar to the new Russian flag, with the difference that this version would not have the hammer and sickle, but only the red star. It came to be called the Victory Banner, commemorating the famous occasion when Red Army soldiers waved it over the Reichstag on May 1, 1945. On some commemorative dates the Banner of Victory together with the Russian flag. During the government of Vladimir Putin, the red star was included in the official flag of the Russian Army.

In 2007 a federal law of the Russian Federation, signed by Vladimir Putin, returned the hammer and sickle to the copies of the Victory Banner, since they were present in the flag raised in the Reichstag. The article describing the Symbol of Victory without the hammer and sickle was excluded from the Act. Banners identical to the Victory Banner are now called copies instead of symbols. They also bear an inscription: "150 стр. Order Kutuzova II st. idrick. div. 79 S.K. 3У.А.1Б.Ф" (150th Rifle Division, 2nd Class Kutuzov Order, Idritsa Division, 79th Rifle Corps, 3rd Shock Army, 1st Belorussian Front).

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  Standard of Victory between 1996 and 2007.

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  Current Victoria Standard.

Other Soviet flags

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  Flag of the Soviet Air Force

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  Flag of the Soviet Navy (1924-1935)

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  Flag of the Soviet Navy (1935-1991)

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  Banner de proa (1924-1932)

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  Banner de proa (1932-1991)

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  Coast Guard Flag

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  Unofficial Flag of the Red Army

Flags of the republics

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  Flag of the Armenian SSR

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  Flag of the Azerbaijan SSR

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  Flag of the Belarusian RSS

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  Flag of the Estonian RSS

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  Flag of the Georgia RSS

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  Flag of the SSR of Kazakhstan

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  Flag of the SSR of Kyrgyzstan

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  Flag of the Latvian RSS

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  Flag of the Lithuanian RSS

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  Flag of the SSR of Moldova

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  Flag of the Russian RSFS

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  Tajik RSS flag

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  Flag of the RSS of Turkmenistan

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  Flag of the Ukrainian RSS

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  Flag of the Uzbek RSS

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  Flag of the Carelo-Finesa RSS (1940-1956)

Influence on other flags

The flag of the Soviet Union has had an evident influence on the flags of other socialist states that emerged later, or that received Soviet influence. Some of them are mentioned below:

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  Flag of the People ' s Republic of Tannu Tuvá (1926-1930)

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  Flag of Albania (1944-1992)

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  Flag of Angola (1975)

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  Banner of Benin (1975-1990)

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  Flag of the People ' s Republic of China (1949)

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  Flag of the Congo (1970-1991)

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  Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1991)

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  North Korea Flag (1948)

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  Vietnam Flag (1955)

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  Flag of the Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979)

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  Flag of the Russian Union and Belarus (1997)

It has also had an influence on the flags of various political organizations with a communist or socialist tendency in various parts of the world:

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  Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN). El Salvador, 1980 - present.

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  Guatemalan Labour Party (PGT). Guatemala, 1949 - 1998.

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  Freedom and Refoundation Party. Honduras, 2011 - present

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  Labour Party. Mexico, 1990 - present

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  Korean Workers Party.

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  Shining Path (PCP-SL). Peru, 1980 - 1999.

Reminiscences

The Soviet flag still in Pripiat (2014). On the back to the right you can also observe the Soviet shield.

The flag is still flown in some towns and cities in the countries that made up the Soviet Union. One of the most important is Pripyat, in Ukraine, a city where, due to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, some flags were raised on the Soviet administration buildings, so that despite the Soviet dissolution and Ukrainian independence in 1991, the national symbols of the socialist state will continue to be hoisted until the radioactivity levels drop and the area is once again habitable or suitable for the prolonged presence of human beings, something that is currently impossible.