State symbols of Russia: history of creation and meaning

Russia, like any other country, has three official symbols: a flag, a coat of arms and a national anthem. All of them were formed as a result of many historical somersaults. The evolution of Russian state symbols is controversial and eventful. Often, new solutions were fundamentally opposed to the old ones. In general, the development of national heraldry can be divided into three stages: princely (royal), Soviet and modern.

Flag of Russia

Modern state symbols of Russia begin with a flag. Rectangular white-blue-red cloth is familiar to every citizen of the country. It was approved relatively recently: in 1993. A significant event occurred on the eve of the adoption of the constitution of the new state. At the same time, during its existence, democratic Russia had two flags. The first variant was used in 1991-1993. There are two main differences between the two versions of the familiar composition. Flag of 1991-1993. Had a proportion of 2: 1 (ratio of length and width) and was characterized as white-azure-red, and his successor received proportions of 2: 3 and in the law is now described as white-blue-red.

Today's state symbols of Russia were formed not from scratch. For example, citizens began to use the tricolor flag at rallies that swept the RSFSR in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But even this approximate date can not be called the source of the emergence of an important national symbol.

Peter's cloth

For the first time the tricolor flag was raised in the distant 1693 year. The cloth waved on the ship of Peter the Great. In addition to three lanes, there was a two-headed eagle on it. So for the first time the white-blue-red palette was used, but Russian state symbols also met. The flag of Peter the Great has survived to this day. Now it is kept in the Central Naval Museum. This place was chosen not by chance. In his letters, the autocrat called the flag he had introduced "maritime." Indeed, from that moment on, the tricolor composition was tightly connected with the fleet.

All the same Peter Alekseevich became the creator of the St. Andrew's flag. The oblique cross, referring to the crucifixion of St. Andrew the First-Called, is a symbol of the fleet already modern. So in our country the military-state symbols of Russia intertwined in a bizarre way. As for the white-blue-red flag, in the imperial era, he acquired a serious competitor.

Black-yellow-white colors

The first information about the black-yellow-white banners refer to the era of Anna Ioannovna (1730's). A surge of interest in such a flag occurred after the Patriotic War against Napoleon, when it was publicly hung out on holidays.

Under Nicholas I, this palette became popular not only in the army, but also among civilians. Finally, the official status of the black-yellow-white flag was received in 1858. Tsar Alexander II issued a decree according to which this cloth was equated with the imperial imperial, and since then it has actually become used as a national flag. One more sign has been added to the state symbols of Russia.

Imperial Flag

By decree of 1858 the imperial flag began to be used everywhere: at official demonstrations, celebrations, parades, near state buildings. Black color was a reference to the black double-headed eagle. Yellow had roots that belonged to Byzantine heraldry. White color was considered the color of George the Victorious, eternity and purity.

By decision of the special heraldic meeting in 1896, the former Petrine flag was recognized as Russian and national. The coronation of Nicholas II, held a few months later, was marked in white-blue-red colors. However, yellow-black cloths continued to be popular among the people (for example, the Black Hundreds). Today, the flag of the XIX century is primarily associated with the Russian nationalists and the Romanov era.

The Soviet era

All three state symbols of Russia survived the Soviet era, during which the former ideas were completely swept aside and forgotten. After 1917, both Russian flags were under an actual ban. The Civil War gave them a new meaning: now these colors were associated with the white and simply anti-Soviet movement.

State symbols of Russia were used by many opponents of the USSR, who, in spite of class ideology, wished to emphasize their nationality. During the Great Patriotic War, the white-blue-red flag was exploited by Vlasovites (and the St. Andrew's flag by some other collaborators). Anyway, but when the time of the collapse of the USSR came, the Russians once again remembered the Peter's cloth. The days of the August putsch became fatal in this sense. In August 1991, the opponents of the State Emergency Committee massively used white-blue-red colors. After the defeat of the putschists, this combination was adopted at the federal level.

In the Soviet Union in 1924-1991. Official was a red flag with a sickle and a hammer. In parallel, the RSFSR had its own identification mark. In the years 1918-1954. It was a red flag with the inscription "RSFSR". Then the letters disappeared. In the years 1954-1991. A red cloth with a sickle, a hammer, a star and a blue strip along the left edge was used.

Double-headed eagle

Without a coat of arms, the history of the state and military symbols of Russia would be inadequate. Its modern version was approved in 1993. The basis of the composition is a two-headed eagle. On the shield is depicted George the Victorious, striking with a spear a snake (dragon). The other two mandatory attributes are the state and the scepter. The official author of the modern coat of arms is the People's Artist of the Russian Federation Evgeny Ukhnalev. In his drawing, he summarized the ideas that were embodied in various epochs of the country's history.

Symbols of state power in Russia often contradicted each other. For example, in 1992-1993. The official coat of arms was the image of a sickle and a hammer in a wreath of ears. In this short period, both this sign and the one used in the RSFSR were used in practice.

Princely seals

The emblem, like other state and military symbols of Russia, has deep historical roots. They leave in the era of the birth of princely power. Experts refer to the first arms the medieval images used on seals. For this purpose the Moscow princes turned to the silhouettes of their Christian defenders.

In 1497, a two-headed eagle appeared in Russian heraldry. The first to use it in his press was the Grand Duke Ivan III. He understood how important are the state symbols of Russia. The history of the country was closely connected with the Orthodox Byzantium. It was in the Greek emperors Ivan III and borrowed a mythical bird. With this gesture, he stressed that Russia is the successor to Byzantium, which recently sank into oblivion.

Coat of arms of the Russian Empire

In the Russian Empire, the coat of arms has never been static. It changed many times and gradually became more complicated and complicated. The Romanov coat of arms embodied many features that distinguished the previous state symbols of Russia. The history of the "ripening" of this sign is connected with the territorial acquisitions of the empire. To the drawing of the black double-headed eagle, in due course, small shields were added, embodying the annexed kingdoms: Kazan, Astrakhan, Polish, etc.

The complexity of the composition of the emblem led to the approval in 1882 of three versions of this state symbol: Small, Medium and Big. The then eagle, like the modern one, received a scepter and power. Other noteworthy features were: George the Victorious, the helmet of Alexander Nevsky, the portraits of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. The drawing was crowned with a scarlet signature "With Us God!". In 1992, the Constitutional Commission approved the project of the Imperial Black Eagle as the emblem of the Russian Federation. The idea was not realized because of the failed vote in the Supreme Council.

Sickle, hammer and star

The Bolsheviks, who came to power after the revolution, approved the Soviet arms in 1923. Its general appearance did not change until the collapse of the USSR. The only innovations were the addition of new red ribbons, according to which, according to the number of languages of the union republics, the call "Workers of all countries, unite!" Was written. In 1923 there were 6 of them, from 1956 - already 15. Before the entry of the Karelian-Finnish SSR, there were even 16 bands in the RSFSR.

The basis of the emblem was the image of a sickle and a hammer in the sun and against the background of the globe. Along the edges, the composition was surrounded by ears, around which ribbons with the coveted slogan were hanging. The central lower of them was inscribed in Russian. The top of the emblem was crowned with a five-pointed star. The image had its own ideological meaning, as well as other state symbols of Russia. The meaning of the picture was known to all citizens of the country - the Soviet Union was the driving force of the associations of the proletariat and peasants throughout the world.

Anthem of the Russian Federation

The official state symbols of Russia, the significance, the history of creation and other aspects of them are studied by the science of heraldry. However, in addition to the images of the flag and the coat of arms, there is also a hymn. Without it, it is impossible to imagine any state. The modern anthem of Russia is the heir to the Soviet anthem. It was approved in 2000. This is the most "young" state symbol of Russia.

The author of the music is the composer and People's Artist of the USSR Alexander Alexandrov. The melody was written by him in 1939. Sixty years later, State Duma deputies voted in favor of it, adopting the bill by Russian President Vladimir Putin about a new national anthem.

Some hitch occurred when determining the text. Poems for the Soviet anthem wrote poet Sergei Mikhalkov. In the end, the specially created commission adopted its new version of the text. At the same time applications of all citizens of the country were considered.

"God save the Tsar!"

The first national anthem of Russia in the generally accepted sense of the word was the song "God Save the Tsar!". It was used in 1833-1917. The initiator of the appearance of the imperial anthem was Nicholas I. In his travels around Europe he constantly fell into an embarrassing situation: the orchestras of hospitable countries performed only their own tunes. Russia, however, could not boast of its "musical face". The autocrat ordered to correct the unsightly situation.

Music for the Empire Hymn was written by composer and conductor Alexei Lvov. The author of the text was the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. With the advent of Soviet power, the imperial anthem was for a long time erased not only from everyday life, but also from the memory of many millions of people. For the first time after a long break, "God save the Tsar," he played in 1958 in the feature film "Quiet Flows the Don".

"Internationale" and the anthem of the USSR

Until 1943, the Soviet government used its international and proletarian "International" as its anthem. Under this melody a revolution was made, under it during the Civil War, the Red Army went into battle. The original text was written by the French anarchist Eugene Potier. The work appeared in 1871 in the fateful days of the socialist movement, when the Paris commune crashed.

17 years later the Flemish Pierre Degeiter composed music under the text of Potter. The result was a classic "International". The text of the anthem was translated into Russian by Arkady Kots. The fruit of his work was published in 1902. The "Internationale" was used as a Soviet anthem at a time when the Bolsheviks were still dreaming of a world revolution. This was the era of the Comintern and the creation of communist cells in foreign countries.

With the onset of the Great Patriotic War, Stalin decided to change the ideological concept. He no longer wanted a world revolution, but was going to build a new rigidly centralized empire surrounded by many satellites. The changed realities demanded another anthem. In 1943, the "International" gave way to a new melody (Alexandrova) and text (Mikhalkov).

"Patriotic Song"

In the 1990-2000's. In the status of the Russian anthem was the "Patriotic Song" written by composer Mikhail Glinka in 1833. Paradoxical is the fact that during the stay in the official status the melody never acquired a generally accepted text. Because of this, the hymn was performed without words. The lack of a coherent text became one of the reasons for replacing the melody of Glinka with the melody of Alexandrov.