Socialist heraldry - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Socialist heraldry, also called communist heraldry, consists of emblems in a style typically adopted by communist state

Communist state

A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...

s. Although commonly called coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

, most such devices are not actually coats of arms in the traditional heraldic sense. Many communist governments purposely diverged from the traditional forms of European heraldry in order to distance themselves from the monarchies

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

that they usually replaced, with actual coats of arms being seen as symbols of the monarchs.

The Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

was the first state to use socialist heraldry, beginning at its creation in 1922. The style became more widespread after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, when many other communist states were established. Even a few non-socialist states have adopted the style, for various reasons – usually because communists had helped them to gain independence. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the other communist states in Eastern Europe in 1989–1991, this style of heraldry was often abandoned for the old heraldic practices, with many (but not all) of the new governments reinstating the traditional heraldry that was previously cast aside.

Origin and history

The Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, created after the 1917 revolution, required insignia to represent itself in line with other sovereign states, such as emblems, flags and seals, but the Soviet leaders did not wish to continue the old heraldic practices which were associated with the feudalism

Feudalism

Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...

the revolution sought to replace. In response to the needs and wishes, the national emblem adopted would lack the traditional heraldic elements of a shield, helm, crest and mantling, and instead be presented more plainly. This style was followed then by other socialist and communist which wished to also focus attention on the nation's workers and diverge from feudalism and all of its associations.

Characteristics

Socialist heraldry typically makes use of the following symbols:

Hammer and sickle
Hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...

; compass
Red and gold (yellow) five-pointed stars
Red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is an important ideological and religious symbol which has been used for various purposes, such as: state emblems, flags, monuments, ornaments, and logos.- Symbol of communism :...
Ears or ribbons of grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...

or other domesticated plants,
Interwoven ribbons in national and/or red colors, sometimes imprinted with esteemed dates, slogans and the like
single or multiple gear
Gear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....

s
The rising sun
Landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...

s
Modern industrial accessories such as electricity pylon
Electricity pylon
A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...

s
red background
National symbols or places of national importance
Earth

USSR

The great seal of the Soviet Union

Coat of arms of the Soviet Union

The State Emblem of the Soviet Union was adopted in 1923 and was used until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Although it technically is an emblem rather than a coat of arms, since it does not follow heraldic rules, in Russian it is called герб , the word used for a traditional coat of...

was the first example of socialist heraldry. It was followed in several other communist countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, but not in Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

Romania

The Socialist Republic of Romania created a new heraldic tradition which proved to be quite controversial. The State Heraldic committee combined stylised touristic themes, photographic representations of landscapes with old heraldic figures and modern items such as oil rigs into one whole.

Hungary

In 1974, Hungary replaced the coats of arms of 83 cities with Soviet-styled socialist emblems. Lions and eagles were replaced by cheering workers, families with toddlers and proud farmer girls reaching for the sun with their fists. All these themes were crowned by a red star.

Present

With the demise of the USSR and other Communist regimes in Europe, most of their socialist heraldry has been replaced with old pre-communist symbols or by wholly new coats of arms.

The socialist heraldry still goes strong in a number of countries, such as the People's Republic of China. Also the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has a national emblem in pure socialist style, as does Vietnam

Coat of arms of Vietnam

The emblem of Vietnam is circular, has red background and a yellow star in the middle which represent the Communist Party of Vietnam, the revolutionary history and bright future of Vietnam. The cog and crops represent the cooperation of agriculture and industrial labor.- History :It was adopted by...

.

The national emblem of Belarus

National emblem of Belarus

The national emblem of Belarus , which replaced the historic Pahonia arms in a 1995 referendum, features a ribbon in the colors of the national flag, a map of Belarus, wheat ears and a red star. It is sometimes referred to as the coat of arms of Belarus, although this is incorrect due to the lack...

is reminiscent of that of the Byelorussian SSR.

The national emblem of Macedonia

Coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia

The coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia is composed of two curved garlands of sheaves of wheat, tobacco leaves and opium poppy fruits, tied by a ribbon decorated with embroidery of traditional Macedonian folk motifs. In the centre of the ovoid frame are depicted a mountain, a lake and a sunrise...

is reminiscent of that of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia

Socialist Republic of Macedonia

The Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...

(once a constituent socialist republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

).

In Africa there are the emblems of Angola and Mozambique

Coat of arms of Mozambique

The national emblem of Mozambique, which was adopted in 1990 in the Constitution of Mozambique article 194. The Article clearly states the design and meaning of the device. It shows a gear wheel, bordered by corn stalks and sugarcane. In the middle there is a red sun over a map of Mozambique in...

.

The Republic of Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

used the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Serbia

Coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Serbia

The Coat of Arms of Socialist Republic of Serbia was adopted the same time as the flag, on 17 January 1947 and was designed by Đorđe Andrejević Kun....

until the recommended symbols

Coat of arms of Serbia

The coat of arms of Serbia is based the family arms of the former Obrenović dynasty and features the white bicephalic eagle of the Nemanjić dynasty. An ermine cape of the style once worn by kings is featured in the background. The double-headed eagle has been used since Byzantine era, the Serbian...

were made Law on May 11, 2009.

Galleries

Bellow are two galleries of historical and current national emblems. The years given are for the emblems, not for the countries, except for the component republics of the USSR.