Hammer and sickle Hammer and sickle A red hammer and sickle The hammer and sickle (☭) or sickle and hammer ( Russian : Серп и молот, serp i molot) is a Communist symbol that was conceived during the Russian Revolution . At the time of creation, the hammer stood for industrial laborers and the sickle for the peasantry; combined they stood for the worker-peasant alliance for socialism and against reactionary movements and foreign intervention . After the Russian Civil War , the hammer and sickle became more widely used as symbolizing peaceful labor within the Soviet Union and international proletarian unity. It was taken up by many Communist movements around the world, some with local variations. Today, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the hammer and sickle remains commonplace in Russia and other former union republics , but its display is prohibited in some other former socialist countries, as well as in countries where communism is banned by the official law. Contents The Plough flag from 1914 and flown during the Easter Rising . Worker symbolism Farm and worker instruments and tools have long been used as symbols for proletarian struggle.

A popular ancestor to the hammer and sickle was a hammer on a plough , with the same meaning (unity of peasants and workers). In Ireland, the symbol of the plough remains in use. The Starry Plough banner was originally used by the Irish Citizen Army , a Socialist, Republican Workers militia. James Connolly , co-founder of the Irish Citizen Army with Jack White , said the significance of the banner was that a free Ireland would control its own destiny from the plough to the stars. A sword is forged into the plough to symbolise the end of war with the establishment of a Socialist International. This was unveiled in 1914 and flown by the Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Easter Rising . The first State Emblem of the Soviet Union (1923–1936). Inception In 1917 Vladimir Lenin and Anatoly Lunacharsky held a competition to create a Soviet emblem.

The winning design was a hammer and sickle on top of a globe in rays of the sun, surrounded by a wreath of grain, and under a five-pointed star, with the inscription “proletariats of the world, unite!” in six languages ( Russian , Ukrainian , Belarusian , Georgian , Armenian , Azerbaijani ). It originally featured a sword, but Lenin strongly objected, disliking the violent connotations. [1] The winning designer was Yevgeny Ivanovich Kamzolkin (1885-1957). [2] [3] On 6 July 1923 the 2nd session of the Central Executive Committee (CIK) adopted this emblem. [1] Usage in the Soviet Union The Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union and the Coats of Arms of the Soviet Republics showed the hammer and sickle, which also appeared on the Red Star badge on the uniform cap of the Red Army uniform and in many other places. Serp i Molot ( transliteration of Russian : Серп и молот, “Sickle and hammer”) is the name of the Moscow Metallurgical Plant .

Serp i Molot is also the name of a stop on the electric railway line from Kurski railway station in Moscow to Gorky , featured in Venedikt Yerofeyev ‘s novel, Moscow-Petushki . Meaning At the time of creation the hammer and sickle stood for worker-peasant alliance, with the hammer a traditional symbol of the industrial proletariat (who dominated the proletariat of Russia), and the sickle a traditional symbol for the peasantry, but the meaning has since broadened to a globally recognizable symbol for Marxism , Marxist parties , or socialist states . [1] In the Soviet Union the hammer and sickle came to take on a gendered meaning, with the sickle coming to be associated with women, and the hammer men. [1] Current usage Flag of Oryol , formerly used by the Russian SFSR . Two federal subjects of the post-Soviet Russian Federation use the hammer and sickle in their symbols: the Vladimir Oblast has them on its flag and the Bryansk Oblast has them on its coat of arms, which is also the central element of its flag. In addition, the Russian city of Oryol also uses the hammer and sickle on its flag.

The former Soviet (now Russian) national airline, Aeroflot , continues to use the hammer and sickle in its symbol. The hammer and sickle can be found as a logo on most ushanka hats, usually the Soviet-styled ones The de facto government of Transnistria uses (with minor modifications) the flag and the emblem of the former Moldavian SSR , which includes the hammer and sickle. The flag can also appear without the hammer and sickle in some circumstances, for example on Transnistrian-issued license plates . Communist parties Three out of the four currently ruling Communist parties use a hammer and sickle as the party symbol: the Communist Party of China , the Communist Party of Vietnam , and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party . All of these use the yellow-on-red colour scheme. In Laos and Vietnam, the hammer and sickle flags party flags can often be seen flying side-by-side with their respective national flags.

Many Communist parties around the world also use it, including the Communist Party of Greece [4] Communist Party of Chile , the Egyptian Communist Party , the Communist Party of Pakistan , the Communist Party of Spain , the Communist Party of Denmark , the Communist Party of Norway , the Romanian Communist Party , the Lebanese Communist Party , the Communist Party of the Philippines and the Shining Path . The Communist Party of Sweden , the Portuguese Communist Party [5] and the Mexican Communist Party use the hammer and sickle imposed on the red star . The hammer and sickle accompanied by the yellow star is used by the Communist Refoundation Party , the main Communist party in Italy. Variations 4th International symbol with number 4 superimposed. Many symbols having similar structures and messages to the original have been designed. For example, the Angolan flag shows a segment of a cog , crossed by a machete , and crowned with a socialist star . In the logo of the Communist Party USA, a circle is formed by a half cog and a semicircular sickle-blade. A hammer is laid directly over the sickle’s handle with the hammer’s head at the logo’s center.

The logo of the Communist Party of Turkey consists of half a cog wheel crossed by a hammer, with a star on the top. Tools represented in other designs include: the brush , sickle , and hammer of the Workers’ Party of Korea ; the spade , flaming torch , and hoe used prior to 1984 by the British Labour Party (which was a Socialist and not a Communist party); the monkey wrench and tomahawk of the Earth First! movement; the pickaxe and rifle used in communist Albania ; and the hammer and compasses of the emblem of the East German flag. The Far Eastern Republic of Russia used an anchor crossed over a spade or pickaxe, symbolising the union of the fishermen and miners. The Fourth International , founded by Trotsky , uses a hammer and sickle symbol on which the number ’4′ is superimposed. The hammer and sickle in the Fourth International symbol are the opposite of other hammer and sickle symbols in that the head of the hammer is on the right side and the sickle end tip on the left. The Trotskyist League for the Fifth International merges a hammer with the number ’5′, using the number’s lower arch to form the sickle.

The Communist Party of Britain uses the hammer and dove symbol . Designed in 1988 by Michal Boncza, it is intended to highlight the party’s connection to the peace movement. It is usually used in conjunction with the hammer and sickle, and appears on all of the CPB’s publications. Some members of the CPB prefer one symbol over the other, although the party’s 1994 congress reaffirmed the hammer and dove’s position as the official emblem of the Party. Similarly, the Communist Party of Israel uses a dove over the hammer and sickle as its symbol. The flag of the Communist Party of Guadeloupe uses a sickle, turned to look like a majuscule ‘G’ , to represent Guadeloupe . [6] The flag of the Black Front , founded by Otto Strasser , featured a crossed hammer and sword, symbolizing the unity of the workers and military. The flag of Burma , from 1974–2010, featured a bushel of rice superimposed on a cogwheel .

The flag of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, Party of the Revolution in Swahili )- currently the ruling political party of Tanzania – has a slightly different symbol with a hammer and a hoe (jembe) instead of a sickle to represent the most common farm tool in Africa. The National Bolshevik Party used the hammer and sickle in their flag, but had them colored black instead of yellow and put in the design of the Nazi swastika flag; a black hammer and sickle inside of a white circle on a red banner. Art The hammer and sickle has long been a common theme in socialist realism, but has also seen some depiction in non-Marxist popular culture. Andy Warhol who created many drawings and photographs of the hammer and sickle is the most famous example of this.

The metro station, Ploshchad Lenina, Minsk Sándor Pinczehelyi, Hammer and Sickle A tableau in a communist rally in Kerala , India Legal status In several countries in the former Eastern Bloc , there are laws that define the hammer and sickle as the symbol of a “ totalitarian and criminal ideology”, and the public display of the hammer and sickle and other Communist symbols such as the red star is considered a criminal offence. Georgia , [7] Hungary , [8] Latvia , [9] Lithuania , [10] Moldova (October 1, 2012 – June 4, 2013) [11] and Ukraine [12] [13] [14] have banned communist symbols including this one. A similar law was considered in Estonia , but eventually failed in a parliamentary committee.

The foreign ministers of Lithuania , Latvia , Bulgaria , Hungary , Romania and the Czech Republic called for an EU -wide ban on communist symbols in 2010, urging the EU “to criminalize the approval, denial or belittling of communist crimes” and stating that “the denial of such crimes should be treated the same way as the denial of the Holocaust and must be banned by law”. [15] In February 2013, the Constitutional Court of Hungary annulled the ban on the use of symbols of fascist and communist dictatorships, including the hammer and sickle, the red star and the swastika, saying the ban was too broad and imprecise. The court also pointed to a judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in which Hungary was found guilty of violation of article 10 , the right to freedom of expression . [16] On June 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that the Moldovan Communist Party ’s symbols – the hammer and sickle – are legal and can be used.

[17] In Indonesia , the public display of communist symbols like the hammer and sickle is prohibited by decree, after being banned following the 1965-1966 killings . [18] However, the law does not explicitly declare the ban on communist symbols, and therefore considered as a less serious criminal offense. In Poland , dissemination of items which are “mediums of fascist, communist or other totalitarian symbolism” was criminalized in 1997. However, in 2011 the Constitutional Tribunal found this sanction to be unconstitutional. [19] In contrast to this treatment of the symbolism, promotion of fascist, communist and other totalitarian ideology remains illegal. Usage Hammer and Sickle | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The yellow on red version became a Soviet symbol that was also placed on the flag. The hammer and sickle were originally a hammer on a plough, with the same meaning (unity of peasants and workers) as the better known hammer and sickle.

The hammer and sickle, though in use since 1917/18, were not the official symbol until 1922, before which the original hammer and plough insignia was used by the Red Army and the Red Guard on uniforms, medals, caps, etc. Later, the symbol was featured on the flag of the Soviet Union, adopted in 1923 and finalized in the 1924 Soviet constitution, and flags of the republics of the Soviet Union after 1924. Before this, the flags of Soviet republics tended to be a plain red field, with the golden text of the name of the respective republic The plough flag from 1914 flown during the Easter Rising. superimposed on it, as written in Article 90 of the 1918 Soviet Constitution. The Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union and the Coats of Arms of the Soviet Republics showed the hammer and sickle, which also appeared on the Red Star badge on the uniform cap of the Red Army uniform and in many other places.

Serp i Mólot (transliteration of Russian : Серп и молот, "Sickle and hammer") is the name of the Moscow Metallurgical Plant. Serp i Molot is also the name of a stop on the electric railway line from Kurski railway station in Moscow to Gorkiy, featured in Venedikt Efofeev's novel, Moscow-Petushki. Some anthropologists have argued that the symbol, like others used in the Soviet Union, was actually a Russian Orthodox symbol that was used by the Communist Party to fill the religious needs that communism was replacing as a new state "religion". The symbol can be seen as a permutation of the Russian Orthodox two-barred cross. Edit A tableau in a communist rally in Kerala, India showing two workers forming the hammer and sickle. A flag featuring a yellow hammer and sickle on a red field is flown commonly throughout Laos, often side-by-side with the Laotian flag. Two federal subjects of the post-Soviet Russian Federation use the hammer and sickle in their symbols: the Vladimir Oblast has them on its flag and the Bryansk Oblast has them on its coat of arms, which is also the central element of its flag.

In addition, the Russian city of Oryol also uses the hammer and sickle on its flag. The former Soviet (now Russian) national airline, Aeroflot, continues to use the hammer and sickle in its symbol. The separatist government of Transnistria uses (with minor modifications) the flag and the emblem of the former Moldavian, SSR, which include the hammer and sickle. The flag can also be used without the hammer and sickle in some circumstances, for example on Transnistrian-issued license plates. The Communist Party of China uses it as the party symbol. It is also used by Communist Parties in most countries. The Maoist group, Shining Path in Peru uses it as part of its symbol. A hammer and a sickle are both prominently included in the Austrian coat of arms, although they are not superimposed over each other and are not intended to represent communism, rather the union of the workers and the former aristocracy (represented by a crown) within the Austrian Republic. edit Variations of the symbol Edit The South Asian variant of the hammer and sickle. Many symbols having similar structures and messages to the original have been designed.

For example, the Angolan flag shows a segment of a cog, crossed by a machete, and crowned with a socialist star. In the logo of the Communist Party of the United States, a circle is formed by a half cog and a semicircular sickle-blade. A hammer is laid directly over the sickle's handle with the hammer's head at the logo's center. The logo of the Communist Party of Turkey consists of half a cog wheel crossed by a hammer, with a star on the top. Tools represented in other designs include: the brush, sickle, and hammer of the Workers' Party of Korea; the spade, flaming torch, and hoe used prior to 1984 by the British Labour Party (which was a socialist and not a communist party); the monkey wrench and tomahawk of the Earth First! movement; the pickaxe and rifle used in communist Albania; and the hammer and compasses of the emblem of the East German flag. The Far Eastern Republic of Russia used an anchor crossed over a spade or pickaxe, symbolising the union of the fishermen and miners. The Fourth International , founded by Trotsky , uses a hammer and sickle symbol on which the number '4' is superimposed.

The Trotskyist League for the Fifth International merges a hammer with the number '5', using the number's lower arch to form the sickle. The Communist Party of Britain uses the hammer and dove symbol . Designed in 1988 by Mikhal Boncza, it is intended to highlight the party's connection to the peace movement. It is usually used in conjunction with the hammer and sickle, and appears on all of the CPB's publications. Some members of the CPB prefer one symbol over the other, although the party's 1994 congress reaffirmed the hammer and dove's position as the official emblem of the Party. Similarly, the Communist Party of Israel uses a dove over the hammer and sickle as its symbol. The flag of the Communist Party of Guadeloupe uses a sickle, turned to look like a majuscule 'G' , to represent Guadeloupe . [2] With differing intent, the eagle on the Austrian flag holds a golden hammer in its left talon , and a golden sickle in its right talon.

The tools were not meant to be references to communism (indeed, the eagle also wears a golden crown ) but, rather, were meant to represent the industrial and agricultural laborers, united with the former aristocracy , in one republican democracy. The flag of the Black Front , founded by Otto Strasser featured a crossed hammer and sword, symbolizing the unity of the workers and military. The flag of Burma , from 1974–2010, featured a bushel of rice superimposed on a cogwheel . The flag of (CCM) Chama cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution in Swahili )- currently the ruling political party of Tanzania - has a slightly different symbol with a hammer and a hoe/ jembe instead of a sickle to represent the most common farm tool in Africa. Edit See also: Red star#Legal status [1] [2] An artistic rendering of the hammer and sickle. Image credit: Sàndor Pinczehelyi,Hammer and Sickle The hammer and sickle remain a popular symbol amongst communists and certain other leftists worldwide.

In most countries, there are no laws restricting the use of the symbol, so it is legal to display it publicly. This includes the majority of European countries, especially Western Europe . Two nightclubs in Austin, TX (Molotov [3] and Red7 [4] ) include the hammer and sickle in their logo. However, in several countries in Eastern Europe , there are laws that define the hammer and sickle as the symbol of a " totalitarian and criminal ideology", and the public display of the hammer and sickle and other communist symbols such as the red star is considered a criminal offence. Hungary , [5] Lithuania , [6] and Moldova [7] have banned the symbol along with other communist symbols. A similar law was considered in Estonia , but eventually failed in a parliamentary committee. The foreign ministers of Lithuania , Latvia , Bulgaria , Hungary , Romania and the Czech Republic called for an EU -wide ban on communist symbols in 2010, urging the EU "to criminalize the approval, denial or belittling of communist crimes" and stating that "the denial of such crimes should be treated the same way as the denial of the Holocaust and must be banned by law".

[8] Soviet Union This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Soviet Union reported by Dov Gutterman, 03 Oct 2002 About the flag The Soviet national flag, as most soviet flags, used a medium, bright shade of red. Soviet flag laws clearly distinguish between this shade of red, or scarlet (alyĭ | алый ), and a darker shade (krapovyĭ | краповый or purpurnyĭ | пурпурный ) used only on a few flags. António Martins, 28 Jan 2001 History and symbology The hammer and sickle itself, originate from the unique Russian unity of the peasants (the sickle) with the workers (the hammer) who together formed the Soviet Russian state. The Red field is symbolism of the blood that has been spilt by workers the world over in the fight for their emancipation, and was directly inherited from the red banner flown at the Paris Commune; the original and hitherto “base” symbol of a worker’s government flag.

The single yellow star is both the representation of the life and immense energy of the sun, empty because within is the blood or production of workers struggle; and also the five points of the star symbolize the single unity and international representation of the government — each of the five points is representative of the five (up to then known/recognized) continents. Brian Basgen (Marxists Internet Archive Director), 07 Jul 2000 Soviet flag with hammer, sickle and star was not created in 1918! It was adopted in 1923. The star on the flag was red with yellow border (not plain red). Only the coat of arms and some military colours were with hammer and sickle in 1918. Hammer and sickle existed in soviet symbolism since 1917. Victor Lomantsov, 08 Jul 2000 and 09 Jul 2000 Pre-communist red symbolism in Russia See also: Special flag for vertical hoisting by Al Kirsch and António Martins, 08 Nov 2001 In USSR vertical flag hanging of flags was very rare. I never saw it.

But I saw a foto of 1980’ies with vertical flag of USSR, with an upright hammer and sickle on the upper “hoist” (dexter). I think this foto was from the Olympic Games of 1980 . Victor Lomantsov, 20 Nov 2000 This is a special flag for vertical display. Al Kirsch, 08 Nov 2001 Normal flag hanging from the hoist showing obverse by António Martins, 20 Dec 2005 If [a regular] flag was simply rotated 90 degrees clockwise, the hammer and sickle moved to the upper right and faced “down”. If the flag was “flipped” as the US flag is, the hammer and sickle faced “down” and was reversed . Al Kirsch, 08 Nov 2001 According to my understanding, the hammer and sickle appeared only on the obverse of the Soviet flag and the reverse was plain red . If so, then flipping [a regular] flag over like the US flag would give you only a vertically hoisted plain red cloth.

Joe McMillan, 08 Nov 2001 Incorrect flag hanging from the hoist showing reverse with emblem by António Martins, 20 Dec 2005 I found a photo of a vertical hoisted Soviet flag in the background. Greg Shevchenko, 18 Oct 2003 It seems to be a soviet national flag flipped and rotated (following the US practice for hanging flags), showing the reverse and on it the hammer-and-sickle emblem, which, according to the relevant legislation, should not be there (only on the obverse). It would be interesting to know the location of this event and, if possible, the provenience of the flag. António Martins, 11 Nov 2003 Typical finial image by Zach Harden, 09 Sep 2001, and António Martins, 15 Nov 2002 This finial was used in the Soviet Union. Belarus is currently using this finial as their own.

Zach Harden, 09 Sep 2001 Coat of arms image by António Martins, 23 Jul 2004 The state emblem of the Soviet Union (corresponding to a coat of arms ) had the Earth superimposed by the hammer and sicle. Elias Granqvist, 25 Nov 2000 Two bundles of corn ears heavily draped with a scroll, reading in all the 15 SSR languages the motto «workers of the world, unite thee»; the bundles encirle an earth globe (viewed approx. from the vertical of the Black Sea) showing solid continents and coordinate lines in 20° intervals. On it a hammer and a sickle, crossed per saltire, in naturalistic look. Under the globe a rising sun with alternating long and short rays made of single lines (approx. 30 visible rays); above the globe a double fimbriated dense star.

António Martins, 05 Aug 1999 In 1936-1946 the soviet state emblem had 11 ribbons (without estonian, latvian, lithuanian and moldavian) In 1946-1956 - 16 ribbons (15 + karelian-finnish ) since 1956 - 15 ribbons. Victor Lomantsov, 21 Mar 2001 The 1956-1991 version, with the motto «Workers of all countries, unite!» in all 15 official SSR languages (here showing the original hyphenation and with transliterations for Cyrillic , Armenian and Georgian); from dexter top, anti-clockwise: Hammer and sickle H 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 together symbolises the unity between industrial and agricultural workers.

This emblem was made during the Bolshevik Revolution. It is best known from having been incorporated into the red flag of the Soviet Union , along with the Red Star. It has also been used in other flags and emblems. Soviet and Russian usage The hammer and sickle was originally a hammer crossed over a plough , with the same meaning (unity of peasants and workers) as the better known hammer and sickle. The hammer and sickle, though in use since 1917/18, was not the official symbol until 1922, before which the original hammer and plough insignia was used by the Red Army and the Red Guard on uniforms, medals, caps, etc. Later, the symbol was featured on the flag of the Soviet Union, adopted in 1923 and finalized in the 1924 Soviet Constitution, and flags of the republics of the Soviet Union after 1924. Before this, the flags of Soviet republics tended to be a plain red field, with the golden text of the name of the respective republic superimposed on it, as stipulated in Article 90 of the 1918 Soviet Constitution.

The Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union and the Coats of Arms of the Soviet Republics showed the hammer and sickle, which also appeared on the Red Star badge on the uniform cap of the Red Army uniform and in many other places. Serp i Mólot (transliteration of Russian : Серп и молот, "sickle and hammer") is the name of the Moscow Metallurgical Plant. Serp i Molot is also the name of a stop on the electric railway line from Kurski railway station in Moscow to Gorki , featured in Venedikt Erofeev's novel, Moscow-Petushki. Some anthropologists have argued that the symbol, like others used in the Soviet Union, was actually a Russian Orthodox symbol that was used by the Communist Party to fill the religious needs that Communism was replacing as a new state "religion." The symbol can be seen as a permutation of the Russian Orthodox two-barred cross . Current usage Two federal subjects of the post-Soviet Russian Federation use the hammer and sickle in their symbols: The Vladimir Oblast has them on its flag and the Bryansk Oblast has them on its coat of arms, which is also the central element of its flag.

The former Soviet (now Russian) national airline, Aeroflot, continues to use the hammer and sickle in its symbol. The separatist government of Transnistria uses (with minor modifications) the flag and the emblem of the former Moldavian SSR, which include the hammer and sickle. The flag can also be used without the hammer and sickle in some circumstances, for example on Transnistrian-issued license plates. The Communist Party of China uses it as the party symbol. It is also used by Communist Parties in most countries. The Maoist terrorist group, Shining Path in Peru uses it as part of its symbol. A hammer and a sickle are both prominently included in the Austrian coat of arms, but they are not superimposed over each other and are not intended to represent communism. Variations of the symbol Many symbols having similar structures and messages to the original have been designed. For example, the Angolan flag shows a segment of a cog , crossed by a machete , and crowned with a socialist star. In the logo of the Communist Party of the United States, a circle is formed by a half cog and a semicircular sickle-blade.

A hammer is laid directly over the sickle's handle with the hammer's head at the logo's center. The logo of the Communist Party of Turkey consists of a half cog wheel crossed by a hammer, with a star on the top. Tools represented in other designs include: the brush, sickle, and hammer of the Workers' Party of Korea; the spade , flaming torch , and hoe used prior to 1984 by the British Labour Party (which is and was a socialist and not a communist party); the monkey wrench and tomahawk of the Earth First! movement; the pickaxe and rifle used in communist Albania; and the hammer and compasses of the emblem of the East German flag. The Far Eastern Republic of Russia used an anchor crossed over a spade or pickaxe, symbolising the union of fishermen and miners. The Fourth International, founded by Trotsky , uses a hammer and sickle symbol on which the number '4' is superimposed. The Trotskyist League for the Fifth International merges a hammer with the number '5', using the number's lower arch to form the sickle. The Communist Party of Britain uses the hammer and dove symbol.

Designed in 1988 by Mikhal Boncza, it is intended to highlight the party's connection to the peace movement. It is usually used in conjunction with the hammer and sickle, and appears on all of the CPB's publications. Some members of the CPB prefer one symbol over the other, although the party's 1994 congress reaffirmed the hammer and dove's position as the official emblem of the Party. Similarly, the Communist Party of Israel uses a dove over the hammer and sickle as its symbol. The flag of the Communist Party of Guadeloupe uses a sickle, turned to look like a majuscule 'G', to represent Guadeloupe . With differing intent, the eagle on the Austrian flag holds a golden hammer in its left talon , and a golden sickle in its right talon. The tools were not meant to be references to communism (indeed, the eagle also wears a golden crown) but, rather, were meant to represent the industrial and agricultural laborers, united with the former aristocracy , in one republican democracy.

The National Bolshevik Party, a far right/Third Position grouping which organises in Russia and other former republics of the USSR , uses a flag with a strong visual resemblance to the red, white and black flag of the German Nazi Party , except that a hammer and sickle replaces the swastika . The flag of Burma features a bushel of rice superimposed on a cog. Unicode In Unicode, the "hammer and sickle" symbol is U+262D. (<span style="font-size: xx-large">&#x262D;</span>) Legal status In countries that were formerly within the Soviet Union's sphere of influence, the Hammer and Sickle and the Red Star are regarded by some citizens as occupation symbols. Accordingly, the Republic of Hungary , Latvia , and Lithuania banned the symbols' public usage. A similar law was considered in Republic of Estonia , but eventually failed in a parliamentary committee.

warhol: Hammer and Sickle: Interpreting Symbols and Meaning Andy Warhol, Hammer and Sickle, 1977, ©AWF About the Art: Andy Warhol created his Hammer and Sickle series in 1976 after a trip to Italy where the most common graffiti in public spaces was this symbol found on Soviet flags. Under communist control it signified the union of industrial and farm workers’ interests. In Italy, a democratic country since the end of WWII, the repeated graffiti symbol was to Warhol more Pop than political. After returning to the United States, Warhol asked his studio assistant Ronnie Cutrone to find source pictures of this symbol. The reproductions found in books were like the Soviet flag, flat in appearance, and Warhol wanted something different. Cutrone purchased a double-headed hammer and a sickle at a local hardware store and arranged and photographed the tools in many positions. Warhol used the Cutrone photographs for his silkscreened series. In 1977, these works were exhibited under the ambiguous title Still Lifes at the Castelli Gallery in New York City.

Warhol disavowed any political ties to his work, while he was simultaneously aware of the power of symbols and the cultural climate of the Cold War. This war between superpowers, America and the Soviet Union, from the early 1940s through the 1980s was characterized not by actual military combat but by a climate of tension and mutual perceptions of hostility between East and West, communism and capitalism, resulting in the build-up of arms, nuclear weapons and influence peddling around the globe. Points of View: Little did I know that I would also be included on an FBI list, probably for this little art project of ours. I would find myself sneaking along the skyscrapers of the Big Apple and darting into a Red bookstore, looking over my shoulder, I’d find a couple of books and brown-bag them and nonchalantly walk out into the broad daylight.

I’d return with the books, heart racing, and Andy would say, half-joking, half-serious, “Were you followed by anybody?” I would answer, “I don’t think so, but if I was, I think I’m a little too old to say I’m a college student studying the Russian Revolution.” Then he’d say, “Did you find any good ones?” I never really did. They were too flat or too graphic. The answer was to go down to Canal Street, into a hardware store, and buy a real hammer and a real sickle. Then I could shoot them, lit with long menacing shadows. And add the drama that was missing from the flat-stenciled book versions. A third dimension of rough outlines would be added and when the paintings were finished they always looked like Amusement Park rides to me. Step right up and ride The Hammer and Sickle. Only 25 cents, if you dare. Not for the weak or faint of heart. It always amused me that Andy, the ultimate Capitalist, and me, the ultimate Libertarian, could be suspected of Communist activity.

Ronnie Cutrone, Warhol’s assistant, Hammer and Sickle exhibition catalogue, C&M Arts, New York: 2002. Politics cannot be banished entirely from this image, of course. But even if Mr. Warhol is not exactly in the forefront of the international labor movement he can certainly claim the status of an experienced (he is 50 this year) and industrious workman. In these new paintings he has taken something from sculpture (Calder’s stabiles, Claes Oldenburg’s giant variants of household objects,), something from architecture (from the towers of San Gimignano to the World Trade Center), and something of painting (spreading the color as a schoolboy spreads jam on his first day at summer camp and come up with an end result that combines imagination with punch. John Russell, “Art: Warhol’s Hammer and Sickles,” The New York Times Jan. 21, 1977. Most of the people buying the Soviet paraphernalia were Americans and West Europeans. All would be sickened by the thought of wearing a swastika. None objected, however, to wearing the hammer and sickle on a T-shirt or a hat.

It was a minor observation, but sometimes, it is through just such minor observations that a cultural mood is best observed. For here, the lesson could not have been clearer: while the symbol of one mass murder fills us with horror, the symbol of another mass murder makes us laugh. Anne Applebaum, columnist and member of the editorial board of the Washington Post, from her book Gulag, . “The punk period witnessed a renaissance of tattooing—a practice which visibly asserts our ritualistic ‘uncivilized’ past and in whose pictorial language the skull looms large. Because of a slew of ‘primitive’ and sexual associations, the tattoo is proscribed by traditional western conventions. But tattoos persist, serving to decorate, seduce, shock, scare, to declare nonconformity . . .

[Warhol’s] own tattoo-like exhibitionism at the 1977 opening for his ‘Hammer and Sickle’ paintings drew together various structures of power and pleasure: the art world/gallery system brand of capitalism; a communist emblem rendered in paintings titled Still Lifes, in which the shadow seems more real (threatening) association with leather, homosexuality, and gay rights and aesthetics; disco madness as the latest social marketplace and entertainment industry.” The Work of Andy Warhol, Dia Art Foundation, “Discussions in Contemporary Culture, No. 2,” ed. Gary Garrels, Bay Press, Seattle: 1989, p.107. Jasper Johns, Flag, 1954-55, Museum of Modern Art, gift of Philip Johnson in honor of Alfred H. Barr, Jr. Discussion Questions: 1. Andy Warhol exhibited his Hammer and Sickle paintings in an exhibition entitled Still Lives. Does this title fit the subject matter of the artwork? Why and why not? 2. What controversy surrounds this symbol? 3. Create a list of symbols. Classify them into categories: political, cultural, functional and religious—create your own categories as needed. 4.

Discuss the symbols that have power in American culture, Russian culture and other world cultures. Procedure Compare and contrast the artists media and messages. - Is one form more beautiful than the other? Why? - Is one form more meaningful than the other? Why? - In your opinion, which representation of the American flag or hammer and sickle is the most powerful? Support your position with reasoning. - If you were to create an artwork using the hammer and sickle or the American flag, how would you represent it? Discuss materials, colors, meanings, etc. For additional historical and cultural connections use the Extension Pages at the end of the Lesson PDF. Assessment Click the Warhol Rubric headers below to reveal associated rubrics to which this lesson applies. Critical Thinking Writing: Mechanics, Organization, Vocabulary. Vocabulary is limited, mechanics are poor and organization is weak. Some coherence, organization, and use of new vocabulary but ideas are ill-supported and/or grammar is still poor. Adequate mastery of mechanics, vocabulary and grammar to convey a clear point of view. Demonstrates a strong command of structure and purpose; as well as an appropriate understanding of style and mechanics. Presents and interprets complex material with sophisticated attention to mechanics, accuracy and context.

CO.3 Listening and Speaking: Ability to express ideas and listen to others. Somewhat organized, but off topic. Unable to respond adequately to questions from others or summarize others' conclusions or viewpoints. Answers reveal a partial understanding of material. Misses some aspects of the topic and inconsistently comments on others statements. Expresses ideas well. Listens and responds to peers thoughtfully and respectfully. Grasps concepts well enough to ask questions about what is still not understood. Responds to questions accurately and with supporting facts that are engaging. Established eye contact and demonstrated an awareness of audiences’ needs. Demonstrates additional curiosity in subject. Explores topic thoroughly providing multiple details, examples and supporting facts. Answers convey a deep understanding of topic. Highly responsive to audience. Active participation in discussion brings group learning to a higher level. Creative Process HC.3 Analytical: Ablility to evaluate the historial importance of artwork using primary and secondary sources. Unable to distinguish among various pieces of information to evaluate the historical importance of an artwork. Can identify diverse materials as: primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites to examine the historical importance of a work of art. Analyze a work of art from its historical and cultural perspective using primary and secondary sources.

Compares and contrasts how artists, historians or other professionals use source material in their work. Evaluate the significance or impact of source material in works of art. HC.4 Interpretative: Able to synthesize facts and opinions in own interpretation of historical/cultural significance. Possesses a limited ability to develop an opinion about how an artwork relates to historical events and/or current events. Recognizes multiple points of view about a historical event. Forms opinions on the importance of events in history in relation to a work of art or to an artist’s process. Synthesizes facts and opinions in own interpretation of the historical/cultural significance of a work of art. Integrates historical/cultural evidence in unique interpretation of artwork and future implications (impact, effect, role) in society. Jump to:

Question: What country's flag featured a hammer and a sickle?
Answer: The Soviet Union