The flag of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

, known in Spanish as ' (the tricolour), was the official

flag of Spain The flag of Spain (), as it is defined in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the height of each red stripe. Traditionally, the middle co ...

between 1931 and 1939 and the flag of the Spanish Republican government in exile until 1977. Its present-day use in Spain is associated with the modern republican movement, different trade unions and various left-wing political movements.

History

In the municipal elections of 12 April 1931, the Republicans won the popular vote in the large cities. The situation became increasingly chaotic: the Republic was proclaimed in several cities and the tricolor flag was waving in their town halls. The Spanish republican flag began to be used on 27 April 1931, thirteen days after municipal elections results led to the abolition of the monarchy and the proclamation of the

. This same flag had been previously displayed by certain Republican groups as an alternative to the red-and-yellow flag that they identified with the

Bourbon monarchy The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

in Spain. As a result of this previous use, the young republic proclaimed in 1931 eagerly adopted this symbol.La Tricolor. Breve historia de la Bandera Republicana
/ref> While the events were taking place, a part of the people raised the new flag in the main squares of some large Spanish cities. Éibar, in Guipúzcoa, was the first town to hoist this banner from its Town Hall, on the 13th. Later, important cities, such as Madrid or Barcelona, followed with massive demonstrations. The Republican flag was adopted on 27 April and presented to the army of the nation on 6 May with the following words: "The national uprising against tyranny, victorious since 14 April, has hoisted a flag that is invested by means of the feelings of the people with the double representation of the hope of freedom and of its irreversible triumph." The Republican flag was formed by three horizontal bands of the same width, red, yellow, and dark purple. The National Flag would have the Spanish Republican coat of arms at the centre (quarterly of Castile, Leon, Aragon and Navarre, enté en point for Granada, ensigned by a

mural crown A mural crown () is a Crown (headgear), crown or headpiece representing city walls, fortified tower, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the ancient Rome, Romans ...

, between the two

Pillars of Hercules The Pillars of Hercules are the promontory, promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar, Calpe Mons, is the Rock of Gibraltar. A corresponding North African peak not being predominant, the identity of ...

). This coat of arms originated in 1868 and had been used then by the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

and later by the

First Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic (), was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874. The Republic's founding ensued after the abdication of King ...

. The

civil ensign A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag ...

or merchant flag would be a simple tricolour without the coat of arms. The term "la tricolor" to refer to the flag is reminiscent of the French tricolor which, since the French Revolution of the late 18th Century, has made a flag composed of three equal strips into the symbol of a Republic. However, having horizontal strips rather than vertical ones, as in the French flag, made it possible to preserve many elements of the previous Spanish flag, used during centuries of Monarchial rule. During the Civil War there was also a military version of the flag with proportion 2:3 and without the coat of arms used by Republican Army units in different locations. Despite not displaying the arms, this plain flag did not correspond to the civil ensign approved in 1931 for the use of merchant ships. The

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

added a three-pointed red star to the yellow band of the military Republican flag. The simplified military flag of the Second Spanish Republic was also used by the

Spanish Maquis The Maquis (; ; also spelled maqui) were Spanish guerrillas who waged irregular warfare against the Francoist dictatorship within Spain following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War until the early 1960s, carrying out sabotage, rob ...

between the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

and the early 1960s, and later by the Spanish National Liberation Front (FELN). Versions of this flag were used in the 1970s by the radical anti- Francoist groups Revolutionary Antifascist Patriotic Front (FRAP) and First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (GRAPO). The Republican flag is now widely used by

trade unions A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

and

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

political organizations, such as United Left, the Marxist-Leninist Party ''(RC)'' and some factions of the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * List of political parties in Spain, political party ...

. It is also used by republican platforms.

Colours

The Spanish Republican Flag has three colours: red, yellow, and dark purple. The third colour, dark purple (), represents

Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...

by recalling the ''Pendón Morado'', the ancient armorial banner of Castile. The colours of red and yellow symbolise the territories of the former

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

. These three colours symbolised a new era for

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in which no part thereof was excluded and all Spaniards were represented. The flag that the Second Republic adopted as its own was the same that numerous republican groups had been using as an alternative to the rojigualda ensign, which they identified with the Bourbon monarchy in Spain. Due to this previous use, in April 1931 copies of the flag proliferated, which was adopted in a sudden way by the new provisional government. In addition to symbolizing the radical change in the government system, the inclusion of the third colour sought recognition of the people of Castilla as a vital part of a new state, under the assumption that the colours red and yellow represented the peoples of the old Crown of Aragon, and believing -erroneously- that the flag of Castile had been purpl

''Morado''

''Morado'', which is a generic word denoting the colour purple or violet, was previously a familiar colour in

because it is one of the

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

liturgical colours Liturgical colours are specific colours used for vestments and hangings within the context of Christian liturgy. The symbolism of violet, blue, white, green, red, gold, black, rose, and other colours may serve to underline moods appropriate to ...

that is displayed on

vestment Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...

altar cloth An altar cloth is used in the Christian liturgy to cover the altar. It serves as a sign of reverence as well as a decoration and a protection of the altar and the sacred vessels. In the orthodox churches it is covered by the antimension, which a ...

s, and other ecclesiastical textile furnishings to signify certain seasons of the Catholic liturgical year, and, being a historically

nation, this colour had annual and public use throughout Spain. Also, it was used during the Middle Ages as the heraldic colour of the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...

. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the

Kingdom of León The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in 910 when the Christian princes of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias along the Bay of Biscay, northern coast of the peninsula ...

bore a purple lion rampant and the flag reputed to have been used in the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros (, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Crown of Castile, Castile against the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its hei ...

displayed a yellow castle on a purple background. ''Morado'', however, was and is prone to variations in

hue In color theory, hue is one of the properties (called color appearance parameters) of a color, defined in the CIECAM02 model as "the degree to which a stimulus can be described as similar to or different from stimuli that are described as ...

and fading from time and use, which often resulted in "''morado''" denoting a range of hues of

purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

, which presently are considered distinct colours/hues, e. g.

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...

maroon Maroon ( , ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word , meaning chestnut. ''Marron'' is also one of the French translations for "brown". Terms describing interchangeable shades, with overlapping RGB ranges, inc ...

. Because it is rarely present on flags, in practice the ''morado'' of the lowest band of the Flag was coloured violet,

(

purpure In heraldry, purpure () is a tincture (heraldry), tincture, equivalent to the colour purple, and is one of the five main or most usually used ''colours'' (as opposed to ''metals''). It may be portrayed in engravings by a series of parallel lines a ...

), or even

lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly ...

, contingent on available materials and dyes. In the decree of 27 April 1931 that imposes it, signed by the self-proclaimed and provisional Government of the Republi

the inclusion of the new strip is reasoned as follows: ''"Today the flag adopted as national in the mid-19th century is folded. The two colors of it are preserved and a third is added, which tradition admits as the insignia of an illustrious region, the nerve of nationality, with which the emblem of the Republic, thus formed, more aptly summarizes the harmony of a great Spain. ..''

Controversies

Spanish

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. C ...

s resented the ''morado'' of the new tricolored flag and a famous ''

soleá ''Soleares'' (plural of ''soleá'', ) is one of the most basic forms or '' palos'' of Flamenco music, probably originating among the Calé Romani people of Cádiz or Seville in Andalusia, the most southern region of Spain. It is usually acc ...

'' was composed when the Flag began to be used. These verses also indirectly expressed dissatisfaction for the reforms of the new republican government: Modern historians, such as Margarita Márquez Padorno or Mirta Núñez Díaz-Balart, suggest that despite popular belief, the Castilian ''Pendón Morado'' never existed or that it was actually red, and the morado colour was merely for aesthetic reasons or due to a lack of historical knowledge. Until 2001, the official badge of the

Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

had a purple band based either on the Castilian or Spanish republican colours which was added after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931. The colour of the band was changed from ''morado'' to

navy blue Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...

in 2001.

Depictions, derivatives and variants

File:Cubierta constitucion1931.jpg, Cover of the Constitution of the Second Spanish Republic File:Republique-allegorie.jpg,

Allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

of the Spanish Republic File:Stamp150aniversaryUSconstitution1937SpanishRepublic.png,

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

Spanish stamp honoring the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution File:Alegoría-República española y francesa.jpg, Allegory of the Spanish Republic embracing

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed i ...

, symbolizing the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 1931 File:Spanish Medical Aid Armband.jpg, Spanish Medical Aid Committee armbandSpanish Medical Aid Committee
/ref> File:American Medical Bureau armband.svg, American Medical Bureau (AMB) armband File:Tumbazana.jpg, Grave of President

Manuel Azaña Manuel Azaña Díaz (; 10 January 1880 – 3 November 1940) was a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain, Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933 and 1936), organizer of the Popular Front in 1935 and the la ...

(1880–1940) in

Montauban Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...

, France File:GDR Medal of Hans Beimler - Spanish Civil War BAR.png,

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

Hans Beimler Medal. File:Orde van de Spaanse Republiek in Ballingschap.gif, Order of the Spanish Republic in Exile File:Bandera del GRAPO.svg, PCE(r) and GRAPO flag File:Reconstrucción Comunista RC flag.svg, PML (RC) flag File:Reconstrucción Comunista RC flag (RC) alternative.svg, Communist alternative flag File:Paris expo 1937.jpg, Flag of the Second Spanish Republic during the World Expo in Paris, 1937.

Civil use

File:Estandarte Presidencial NA.svg,

Presidential Standard The presidential standard or presidential flag is the flag that is used in many countries as a symbol of the head of state or president (government title), president. In some countries it may be for exclusive use of the president or only raised w ...

Niceto Alcalá-Zamora Niceto Alcalá-Zamora y Torres (6 July 1877 – 18 February 1949) was a Spanish lawyer and politician who served, briefly, as the first prime minister of the Second Spanish Republic, and then—from 1931 to 1936—as its president. Early life ...

(1931-1936) File:Estandarte Presidencial MA.svg, Presidential Standard of Manuel Azaña (1936-1939) File:Ministerial Flag of the Spanish Republic.png, Ministerial Standard File:Yacht Flag of the Second Spanish Republic.svg, Yacht ensign used on recreational boats or ships (1931-1939)

Military use

File:Bandera republica batalla ebro.jpg,

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army () was the main branch of the Spanish Republican Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la República'' ...

flag used in the

Battle of the Ebro The Battle of the Ebro (, ) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between July and November 1938, with fighting mainly ...

File:Flag of the 44 Division Spanish Popular Army.svg, Flag of the 44th Division of the Spanish Popular Army Image:Flag of the International Brigades.svg, The flag of the

File:Fin flash of the Spain 1931-1939.svg,

Fin flash Military aircraft insignia are insignia applied to military aircraft to visually identify the nation or branch of military service to which the aircraft belong. Many insignia are in the form of a circular roundel or modified roundel; other s ...

of the

Spanish Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics () and Naval Aeron ...

File:I-15 Polikarpov Tinker.jpg,

Polikarpov I-15 The Polikarpov I-15 () was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed ''Chaika'' (', "gull") because of its gulled upper wings,Gunston 1995, p. 299.Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 10. it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet ...

of the Spanish Republican Air Force File:Roundel of the Spanish Republican Air Force.svg, Roundel of the

File:Fin flash of the Aeronáutica Naval.png, Fin flash of the '' Aeronáutica Naval'', the

naval aviation Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves ''navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seab ...

of the Spanish Republican Navy (1931-1936) File:Flag of Viceadmiral of the Fleet Spanish Republic.svg, Spanish Republican Navy. Ensign of the Viceadmiral of the Fleet File:Captain at Sea Pennant Spanish Republican Navy - Squadron.png, Spanish Republican Navy.

Captain at Sea Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

Pennant File:Senior Officer Pennant - Armada de la República Española.PNG, Spanish Republican Navy.

Senior Officer A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

Pennant

Present-day use

File:77 aniversario 2 república eibar3.JPG, Flag of the Second Spanish Republic in

Eibar Eibar (, ) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi. It is the capital of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Debabarrena. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eustat, 2018). Its chief industry is ...

File:Izqrepublicana.jpg, Office of the Izquierda Republicana party in León File:Manifestación III República.jpg, Pro-Republican demonstration;

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

2006 File:Manifestación en Oviedo.jpg, Spanish Republican flags in a demonstration in

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

, April 2009 File:Manifestación en Tenerife.jpg, Pro-Republican demonstration in

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

, April 2007 File:Sevillarepublica.jpg, Pro-Republican demonstration in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, April 2006 File:Montañarepublica.JPG, Monument to former

Los Llanos de Aridane Los Llanos de Aridane is a municipality of the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It is located in the west of the island of La Palma, in the Aridane Valley. With 20,930 inhabitants (2013)Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...

File:Manifestación republicana en Sol (2 de junio de 2014).JPG, Republican demonstration in the

Puerta del Sol The Puerta del Sol (, English: "Gate of the Sun") is a public square in Madrid, one of the best known and busiest places in the city. This is the centre ('' Km 0'') of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous ...

on the day that

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

announced his decision to abdicate File:Spanish Republican flag in Barcelona.jpg, Use as a symbol in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

during the campaign for the

2017 Catalan independence referendum An independence referendum was held on 1 October 2017 in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, passed by the Parliament of Catalonia as the Law on the Referendum on Self-determination of Catalonia and called by the Generalitat de Catalun ...

File:Republican Grafitti on a Garage Door in Cartagena - panoramio.jpg, Spray-painted on a garage door in Cartagena

References

External links

Armada Española - Segunda República (1931 - 1939)
Flags of the World
Asturias RepublicanaMinisterio de Defensa - Insignias Jefes de Estado; Presidente de la II RepúblicaSecond Spanish Republic National Anthem
* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI51gBYqgq4 La Bandera Republicana ondea en París*Decreto del Gobierno Provisional de la República de 27 de abril d

National symbols of Spain

Second Spanish Republic Republicanism in Spain

Obsolete national flags {{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of The Second Spanish Republic