Communist symbolism represents a variety of themes, including

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, the

proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philo ...

peasantry A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

, or international solidarity.

Communist state A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

and

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

use these symbols to advance and create solidarity within their cause. These symbols often appear in yellow on a red background. The

flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (), commonly known as the Soviet flag (), was the official state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1922 to 1991. The flag's design and symbolism are derived fro ...

incorporated a yellow-outlined red star and a yellow

hammer and sickle The hammer and sickle (Unicode: "☭") zh, s=锤子和镰刀, p=Chuízi hé liándāo or zh, s=镰刀锤子, p=Liándāo chuízi, labels=no is a symbol meant to represent proletarian solidarity, a union between agricultural and industr ...

on red. The flags of

Transnistria Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

would all incorporate similar symbolism under communist rule. The

have become the pan-communist symbol, appearing on the flags of most communist parties around the world. Some parties have a modified version of the hammer and sickle as their symbol, most notably the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...

which includes a hammer representing industrial workers, a hoe representing agricultural workers, and a brush (traditional writing-implement) representing the intelligentsia. In

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, communist symbols are banned and displays in public for non-educational use are considered a criminal offense.

Hammer and sickle

The hammer stands for the

industrial working class Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

and the sickle represents the agricultural workers, therefore together they represent the unity of the two groups. The hammer and sickle were first used during the

1917 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

, but it did not become the official symbol of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

until 1924. Since the Russian Revolution, the hammer and sickle have come to represent various

communist parties A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

and

communist state A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...

Red star

The red five-pointed star is a symbol of the ultimate triumph of the ideas of

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

on the five (inhabited, excluding Antarctica) continents of the globe. It first appeared as a military symbol in Tsarist Russia. It was then called the “Mars star,” reminiscent of Mars, the Ancient Roman god of war . On January 1, 1827, the law was signed that put a five-pointed star on the epaulets of officers and generals. In 1854, the star began to be used on shoulder straps. Later, the five-pointed star with a two-headed eagle inside it was used to mark military trains and carriages. In Soviet Russia, the five-pointed star symbolized the protection of peacetime labor by the Red Army (again, like in Ancient Rome, where Mars was also the protector of the agricultural workers). In 1918, the drawing of the badge for the soldiers of the Red Army in the form of a red star with a golden image of a plough and a hammer in the center was approved. The star symbolized protection, while the plough and the hammer were read as a union of workers and peasants. By the 1920s, the red star began to be used as an official symbol of the state, and finally in 1924, it became the part of the Soviet flag and the official emblem of the Soviet Union. In the succeeding years, the five-pointed red star came to be considered as a symbol of

as well as broader

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes th ...

in general. It was widely used by

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers wer ...

resisting parties and underground

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

organizations in Europe leading up to and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. During the war, the red star was prominently used as a symbol of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

troops of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

countering the invading forces of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

and wiping them out of Eastern Europe, achieving absolute victory and ending the war at the

Battle of Berlin The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

. Most states in the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

incorporated the red star into state symbols to signify their socialist nature.

Red flag

The red flag is often seen in combination with other communist symbols and party names. The flag is used at various communist and socialist rallies like

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

. The flag, being a symbol of

itself, is also commonly associated with non-communist variants of socialism. The red flag has had multiple meanings in history. It is associated with courage, sacrifice, blood and war in general, but it was first used as a flag of defiance. The red flag gained its modern association with communism in the 1871 French Revolution. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...

, the Soviet government adopted the red flag with a superimposed hammer and sickle as its national flag. Since the October Revolution, various socialist states and movements have used the red flag.

Red and black flag

The red and black flag has been a symbol of general communist movements, though generally used by

anarcho-communists Anarcho-communism, also known as anarchist communism, (or, colloquially, ''ancom'' or ''ancomm'') is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private property but retains res ...

. The flag was used as the symbol of the

anarcho-syndicalists Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence in ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

. The black represents

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

and the red represents

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...

and

ideals. Over time, the flag spilled into

statist In political science, statism is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation and the means of production. While in use since ...

leftist movements, these movements include the

Sandinistas The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto ...

and the

26th of July Movement The 26th of July Movement ( es, Movimiento 26 de Julio; M-26-7) was a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization and later a political party led by Fidel Castro. The movement's name commemorates its 26 July 1953 attack on the army barracks on San ...

, where the flags colors are not divided diagonally, but horizontally. As in the case of the Sandinistas, they adopted the flag due to the movement's anarchist roots.

Guerrillero Heroico

This famous photo captured by photographer Alberto Korda of Che Guevara in 1960 has become a world symbol of revolution. This image can be found on t-shirts, flags, hats, in street art, parodied in popular media, and even in the autonomous areas of Chiapas, Mexico, controlled by the EZLN.

''The Internationale''

''The Internationale'' is an anthem of the Communist movement. It is one of the most universally recognized songs in the world and has been translated into nearly every spoken language. Its original

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

refrain is ''C'est la lutte finale''/''Groupons-nous et demain''/''L'Internationale''/''Sera le genre humain'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

: This is the final struggle/Let's group together and tomorrow/The International/Will be the human race). It is often sung with a

raised fist The raised fist, or the clenched fist, is a long-standing image of mixed meaning, often a symbol of political solidarity. It is also a common symbol of communism, socialism, and other revolutionary social movements. It can also represent a salute ...

salute. The song has been used by communists all over the world since it was composed in the 19th century and adopted as the official anthem of the

Second International The Second International (1889–1916) was an organisation of Labour movement, socialist and labour parties, formed on 14 July 1889 at two simultaneous Paris meetings in which delegations from twenty countries participated. The Second Internatio ...

. It later became the anthem of

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

in 1918 and of the

in 1922. It was superseded as the Soviet Union anthem in 1944 with the adoption of the

State Anthem of the Soviet Union The "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" was the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, replacing "The Internationale". Its original lyrics were written b ...

, which placed more emphasis on

patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

. The song was also sung in defiance to Communist governments, such as in the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

in 1989 prior to

reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal governmen ...

as well as in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

during the Tienanmen Square protests of the same year.

Plough or Starry Plough

The original Starry Plough was designed by William H. Megahy, though the concept may have originated with

George William Russell George William Russell (10 April 1867 – 17 July 1935), who wrote with the pseudonym Æ (often written AE or A.E.), was an Irish writer, editor, critic, poet, painter and Irish nationalist. He was also a writer on mysticism, and a centr ...

, for the

Irish Citizen Army The Irish Citizen Army (), or ICA, was a small paramilitary group of trained trade union volunteers from the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) established in Dublin for the defence of workers' demonstrations from the Dublin M ...

and showed silver stars on a green background. The flag depicts an asterism (an identified part) of the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the earliest constellation ...

Ursa Major Ursa Major (; also known as the Great Bear) is a constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear," referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa ...

, called ''The Plough'' (or "Starry Plough") in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, the ''

Big Dipper The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" ...

'' in North America, and various other names worldwide. Two of the Plough's seven stars point to

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude th ...

, the North Star.

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

, co-founder of the Irish Citizen Army with

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

and James Larkin, said the significance of the banner was that a free Ireland would control its own destiny from the

plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

to the stars. The sword as the plowshare is also a biblical reference in

Isaiah 2 Isaiah 2 is the second chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. Text The ...

: 3-4. In the

bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

verse, God pushes his followers to turn their weapons into tools, turning the means for war into the means for peace. The marriage of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

tradition, the biblical reference being integral to the flag’s design, with socialist concepts, like the working class and the oppressor forcing them to take up their plowshares as arms, leaves the Starry Plough flag with complexity and nuanced implications, which culminate in a very wide range of interpretations.

In China, the

Plough flag The Plough flag () is a red banner with a white or yellow plough positioned in the center of it, widely used in the period of the Northern Expedition as the flag of the Chinese Peasants' Association. Symbolism The plough symbolizes the peasa ...

(), a red flag with white or yellow plough, is widely used in the period of the First Revolutionary Civil War as the flag of the Chinese peasant associations, an organization led by the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

. It is believed that

Peng Pai Peng Pai (; October 22, 1896 – August 30, 1929), training name at youth Peng Hanyu (), born in Haifeng, Guangdong Province, China, was a pioneerIn the Preface, the author called Peng Pai "the father of Chinese rural communism". of the Chinese ...

() was the first user in 1923 at the peasants' association of

Hailufeng Hailufeng may refer to: *Hailufeng, the region of Shanwei City of Guangdong. *Hailufeng dialect, spoken in Shanwei, Haifeng and Lufeng in Guangdong, China *Hailufeng Soviet The Hailufeng Soviet ( zh, 海陆丰苏维埃, ''i.e.'' Hai engLufeng ...

. The Plough flag has many different versions and some are combined with the flag of Blue Sky, White Sun or Red Field; other are different on the details of the plough.

National emblems

Many communist governments purposely diverged from the traditional forms of European heraldry in order to distance themselves from the

monarchies A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy), ...

that they usually replaced, with actual coats of arms being seen as symbols of the monarchs. Instead, they followed the pattern of the national emblems adopted in the late 1910s and early 1920s in Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union.

Other communist symbols

While not necessarily communist in nature, the following graphic elements are often incorporated into the flags, seals and propaganda of communist countries and movements. *

Revolutionary music Revolutionary songs are political songs that advocate or praise revolutions. They are used to boost morale, as well as for political propaganda or agitation. Amongst the most well-known revolutionary songs are "La Marseillaise" and " The Intern ...

as well as

protest music A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

. ''The Internationale'' falls under this category. *

Socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

, an art style developed in the Soviet Union. * Crossed proletarian implements, including picks, hoes, scythes and in the case of the

a brush to represent the intelligentsia. The ubiquitous hammer and sickle also belong in this category. * Rising sun, exemplified on the state emblems of the

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and

PASOK The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...

. * Cogwheels, exemplified on the emblems of

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

and

. * Wreaths of wheat, cotton, corn or other crops, present on the emblems of almost every historical Communist-ruled state. * Cherries resemblance from the ''

Le Temps des cerises ''Le Temps des cerises'' (, ''The Time of Cherries'') is a song written in France in 1866, with words by Jean-Baptiste Clément and music by Antoine Renard, extremely famous in French-speaking countries. The song was later strongly associat ...

'' exemplified in the emblem of the

Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia ( cs, Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy, KSČM) is a communist party in the Czech Republic. As of 2021, KSČM has a membership of 28,715, and is a member party of The Left in the European Parliament ...

. * Rifle such as the

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...

on the

flag of Mozambique The flag of Mozambique is the national flag of the Republic of Mozambique that was adopted on 1 May 1983. It is a tricolor flag with white fimbriations and a red triangle. Teal stands for the riches of the land, the white fimbriations signify ...

and

Mosin–Nagant The Mosin–Nagant is a five-shot, bolt-action, internal magazine–fed military rifle. Known officially as the 3-line rifle M1891 and informally in Russia and former Soviet Union as Mosin's rifle ( ru , винтовка Мосина, ISO 9: ) ...

Albanian lek The lek (; indefinite singular ''lek'', definite plural ''lekët'', indefinite plural ''lekë''; sign: Lekë in Albanian or Lek in English, sometimes L; code: ALL) is the currency of Albania. Historically, it was subdivided 100 ''qintars'' (; s ...

. * Red banners with yellow lettering, exemplified on the emblems of

and

. * Red or yellow stars, perhaps the most common communist symbol behind the hammer and sickle. * Open books, exemplified on the state emblems of

and

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...

; and also on the party emblems of Communist parties of Russia and

. * Factories or industrial equipment, exemplified on the emblems of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

Democratic Kampuchea Kampuchea ( km, កម្ពុជា ), officially known as Democratic Kampuchea (DK; km, កម្ពុជាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ) from 5 January 1976, was a one-party totalitarian state which encompassed modern-day Camb ...

, emblem of

CPUSA The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...

and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

. * Natural landscapes, exemplified on the emblems of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

, Macedonia,

, and Karelo-Finland. * Torches, exemplified on the Emblem of Yugoslavia. * Sword and shield, exemplified on the Soviet Committee for State Security emblem and the

Mother Motherland The personification of Russia is traditionally feminine and most commonly maternal since medieval times. Most common terms for national personification of Russia are: *Mother Russia (russian: Матушка Россия, tr. ''Matushka Rossiya'' ...

. * Cross and sickle, the symbols of the

Christian communism Christian communism is a theological view that the teachings of Jesus Christ compel Christians to support religious communism. Although there is no universal agreement on the exact dates when communistic ideas and practices in Christianity be ...

and

Christian socialism Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe capi ...

* Portraits of various communist leaders, such as

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the List of national founde ...

, Josip Broz Tito, etc. **Che Guevara's image, in particular as it appears in ''Guerrillero Heroico'' (“Heroic Guerilla”), is a common symbol of the Cuban Revolution,“Che Guevara: Revolutionary & Icon”, by Trisha Ziff, Abrams Image, 2006 Guevarism, and revolution in general.“Communists, Capitalists still buy into Iconic Che Photo, Author says” by Brian Byrnes, ''CNN'', May 5, 2009 * The Arm and hammer, exemplified in the logo of the Socialist Labor Party of America Notable examples of communist states that use no overtly communist imagery on their flags, emblems or other graphic representations are Cuba and the former Polish People's Republic.

Gallery

Examples of these symbols in use.

Hammer and sickle

File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg, Flag of the

File:Flag of the Chinese Communist Party.svg, Flag of the Communist Party of China File:中國工農紅軍軍旗.svg, Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army File:Flag of the Workers' Party of Korea.svg, Flag of the

with a hammer, sickle and paintbrush. File:DHKP.svg, Flag of the Turkish Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front File:বাংলাদেশ কমিউনিস্ট পার্টির পতাকা.svg, Flag of the Communist Party of Bangladesh File:Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (1951–1991).svg, Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic File:Comintern Logo.svg, Logo of the Communist International File:Logo of the Fourth International.svg, Symbol of the Fourth International File:Coat of arms of the Soviet Union (1923–1936).svg, First State Emblem of the Soviet Union (1923-1936) File:Emblem of the Uzbek SSR.svg, Emblem of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic File:Emblem of Laos (1975-1991).svg, State emblem of Lao People's Democratic Republic (1975-1991) File:КПСС.svg, Logo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union File:Communist Party of Vietnam flag logo.svg, Logo of the Communist Party of Vietnam File:Nepal Communist Party.svg, Logo of the Nepal Communist Party File:Logo_Partito_Comunista_Italiano.svg, Logo of the Italian Communist Party File:CPUSA.svg, Logo of the Communist Party USA with a hammer, sickle and gear. File:FRELIMO_Emblem.svg, Logo of FRELIMO used from 1987 to 2004 with a hammer and hoe. File:CPI_symbol.svg, Logo of the Communist Party of India with a sickle and wheat. File:Cross and Sickle.png, The Christian cross, cross and sickle, symbol of

and

Red star

File:Flag of Benin (1975–1990).svg, Flag of People's Republic of Benin (1975-1990) File:Flag of North Korea.svg, Flag of

File:Flag of the EZLN.svg, Flag of the EZLN and the Neozapatismo, Neozapatista ideology File:Estelada roja.svg, Catalan socialism, socialist Catalan independentism, independentist red ''estelada'' File:Flag of the Popular Front (Spain).svg, Flag of the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front File:Flag of Kurdistan Workers' Party.svg, Flag of the Kurdistan Workers' Party File:Flag of Yippies.svg, Flag of the Youth International Party File:Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg, Flag of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992) File:Flag of South Yemen.svg, Flag of South Yemen (1967-1990) File:Coat of arms of South Yemen (1970-1990).svg, Coat of Arms of South Yemen (1970-1990) File:Emblem of SFR Yugoslavia.svg, Emblem of SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992) File:Emblem of the Transcaucasian SFSR (1930-1936).svg, Emblem of the Transcaucasian SFSR (1930-1936) File:Coat of arms of Hungary (1957-1990).svg, Coat of arms of Hungarian People's Republic (1957-1990) File:Orden-Pobeda-Marshal Vasilevsky 09.jpg, Soviet Order of Victory Award (1945) File:China Emblem PLA.svg, Emblem of the Chinese People's Liberation Army File:RAF-Logo.svg, Logo of the Red Army Faction (West Germany) File:Tupamaro Venezuela logo.png, Logo of the Tupamaro (Venezuela), Revolutionary Movement Tupamaro (Venezuela) File:United Socialist Party of Venezuela logo.gif, Logo of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela File:Logo_–_Parti_communiste_français_(2018).svg, Logo of the French Communist Party File:Rødt_logo_(bokmål).svg, Logo of the Red Party (Norway)

Red and black flag

File:Bandera CNT-AIT.svg, Flag of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (Spain) File:Flag of the FSLN.svg, Flag of the Sandinistas, Sandinistas (Nicaragua) File:M-26-7.svg, Flag of the 26th of July Movement, 26th of July Movement (Cuba) File:Flag of ELN.svg, Flag of the National Liberation Army (Colombia) File:Flag of the Rebel Armed Forces.svg, Flag of the Rebel Armed Forces, Rebel Armed Forces (Guatemala) File:Flag of the Revolutionary Movement 13th November.svg, Flag of the Revolutionary Movement 13th November, Revolutionary Movement 13th November (Guatemala) File:BanderaPVP.png, Flag of the Partido por la Victoria del Pueblo, Partido por la Victoria del Pueblo (Uruguay) File:Flag of the MIR - Chile.svg, Flag of the Revolutionary Left Movement (Chile) File:Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (bandeira).svg, Flag of the MPLA, People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola File:Flag of Angola.svg, The flag of Angola File:Awami Tahreek (Sindh).svg, Flag of the Awami Tahreek, Awami Tahreek (Pakistan) File:Tupamaro flag.png, Flag of the Tupamaro (Venezuela), Revolutionary Movement Tupamaro (Venezuela) File:Emblema Partido Intransigente.svg, Flag of the Intransigent Party, Intransigent Party (Argentina) File:Antifalogo.svg, The logo for Antifa (Germany), Antifa

Plough

File:Starry Plough flag (1914).svg, The Starry Plough (flag), Starry Plough flag used by the

File:StarryPlough.svg, A modern variant of the Starry Plough File:Plough Flag.svg, Flag of the Chinese Peasants' Association File:Unknown Chinese Communist Flag (1920s?).png, Another version of the flag File:Republic of China flag defaced with Plough.png, Flag of the Guangdong Peasants' Association during the period of the First United Front File:Soviet_Red_Army_Hammer_and_Plough.svg, Star, hammer and plough cockade of the

Other symbols

File:Flag of Vietnam.svg, The flag of Vietnam, an example of a red flag with a gold star. File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg, alt=Flag of the People's Republic of China., Flag of the People's Republic of China. File:Pioneers pin rs.svg, Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization, Young Pioneers pin featuring a stylized portrait of

File:Lenin - lebte, Lenin - lebt, Lenin - wird leben^ Lenin Lived, Lenin is Alive, Lenin Will Live - panoramio.jpg, Statue of

File:Stamp Josef Stalin 2.jpg, Stalin stamp from

. Stalin's image was commonly used by Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist states and movements File:LittleRedBook English.jpg, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (aka the "Little Red Book"), associated with Maoism File:Marx Engels Lenin.svg, Flag featuring the "Three Heads" of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and

File:Marx_-_Engels_-_Lenin_-_Stalin.svg, The "Four Heads" of Marxism: Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin File:Marx_Engels_Lenin_Stalin_Mao.svg, The "Five Heads" of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao File:Marx Engels Lenin Stalin Mao Gonzalo.svg, The "Six Heads" of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Gonzalo File:Che por Jim Fitzpatrick.svg, Guerrillero Heroico, Che Guevara's image, symbol of Guevarism File:Да здравствует пятая годовщина великой пролетарской революции (плакат).jpg, A revolutionary worker in socialist realist style File:Fist_.svg, Stylized

, used both as a symbol in itself and as a salute. File:Zapatismo Idea.jpg, The portraits of Karl Marx, Emiliano Zapata, and Subcomandante Marcos, all symbols used in the Neozapatismo ideology. File:DSE badge.svg, Badge of the Democratic Army of Greece, with a stylized letter D (Δ)

References

Bibliography

* Arvidsson, Stefan (2017). ''Style and mythology of socialism: socialist idealism, 1871-1914''. Routledge. * Barisone, Silvia, Czech, Hans-Jörg & Doll, Nikola (2007). ''Kunst und Propaganda im Streit der Nationen 1930 - 1945: eine Ausstellung des Deutschen Historischen Museums Berlin in Zusammenarbeit mit The Wolfsonian-Florida International University''. Dresden: Sandstein. * Groys, Boris (2011 [1992]). ''The total art of Stalinism: avant-garde, aesthetic dictatorship, and beyond''. Verso Books. * King, David (2009). ''Red star over Russia: a visual history of the Soviet Union from 1917 to the death of Stalin : posters, photographs and graphics from the David King collection''. London: Tate.

External links

"Blog: Heart in a Hearless World"
{{European communist parties Symbols of communism, Red symbols

Hammer and sickle

Red star

Red flag

Red and black flag

Guerrillero Heroico

''The Internationale''

Plough or Starry Plough

National emblems

Other communist symbols

Gallery

Hammer and sickle

Red star

Red and black flag

Plough

Other symbols

See also

References

Bibliography

External links