The State Emblem of the USSR. Flag and coat of arms of the USSR

It so happened that any state should have its own symbolism reflecting the patriotism of the people, its wealth and historical heritage. The history of the USSR coat of arms began precisely in 1922, when the RSFSR, the ZFSFR, the Byelorussian and Ukrainian SSR signed the Treaty on the Formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Article 22 of this treaty established that the USSR has its own state seal, anthem, flag and coat of arms.

How to develop the first coat of arms of the USSR

After the formation of the Soviet Union, a special commission was created, which was engaged in the development of state symbols. The Presidium of the Central Executive Committee listed the main elements of the emblem: a sickle, a blacksmith's hammer, the rising sun. Earlier they were depicted on the emblem of the RSFSR, which VI claimed. Lenin.

Already in mid-January 1923, artists submitted to the CEC review a set of sketches that meet all the established standards. The project executed by V.P. Korzun together with V.N. Adrianov, who proposed to place the image of the globe in the figure. To work on the coat of arms also invited II. Dubasov, who developed the sketches of the Union's currency notes. It was this honored figure that finalized the drawing.

The painstaking work of artists was closely watched by the authorities. Secretary of the Presidium A.S. Yenukidze suggested at the top of the coat of arms to replace the monogram "USSR" with a red small five-pointed star. By the beginning of July 1923, they had adopted a draft constitution of the USSR, which contained a description of the new state symbol.

What did the coat of arms of the USSR look like?

If we ask the modern youth about whether they know what the Soviet arms looked like, only a few will be able to describe it. And in those days, every stopped person on the street in detail could tell all about his state symbol. That's what patriotism means!

The State Emblem of the USSR contained an image of the globe, against which there was a sickle and a hammer, and around it was a frame of rays of the sun and ears. At the same time, the latter were entwined with red ribbons bearing the inscription "Proletarians of all countries, unite!" In all the national languages of the Soviet republics. At the top of the coat of arms was a star.

Explanation of symbols

Every detail of the state emblem of the Soviet Union is depicted for a reason, because there is a meaning in everything, and the coat of arms of the USSR is no exception. The globe denotes the readiness to be open to the whole world in terms of political, financial and friendly relations. Sickle and hammer embody the alliance of workers, peasants and intellectuals fighting for a brighter future. The rising sun is a symbol of the emergence of the USSR, which is building a communist society. Some decode the sun with rays as the birth of communist ideas.

What else is notable for the coat of arms of the USSR? The picture contains an image of ears, identified with the wealth and prosperity of the state. It has long been known that bread is everything to the head, and the Union knew how to grow the best bread in its endless fields. The controversy over the meaning of the red star with the golden fringe does not subside until now. Someone sees in it a pentagram, others treat the drawing as a symbol of the goddess Venus, and the creators claim that the star means victory and power. The tapes reflected the number of republics that were part of the USSR.

Changes in state symbols

According to the constitution approved in 1936, the USSR included 11 republics. The ribbon on the coat of arms was also originally 11. In September 1940, the Presidium of the USSR proposed to make changes to the coat of arms, due to the fact that the number of allied states has increased. Work began again on the image of the state symbol. In the spring of 1941, a preliminary draft of the coat of arms was adopted, but the final war prevented it from being finalized.

At the end of June 1946, a new version of the state emblem was introduced. The motto on it was reproduced already in 16 languages, added Moldavian, Finnish, Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR of September 12, 1956, the ribbon numbered sixteen, containing the inscription in Finnish, was removed from the coat of arms, since the Karelo-Finnish SSR was included in the RSFSR. In April 1958 the text of writing the motto in Belarusian was changed. "PRELETARIY" CRYAN, YADNAYTSESYA! "- so he began to sound in a new context. Goznak artists worked on all refinements: S.A. Novsky, I.S. Krylkov, S.A. Pomansky and others.

There was a 15-band coat of arms before the collapse of the Union as a result of Gorbachev's perestroika. At the moment the coat of arms of the USSR is banned for public demonstration. It is appropriate to use Soviet symbols only for information and museum purposes.

Another national symbol: the flag

The flag of the Soviet Union is not so remarkable as the coat of arms, but from this it does not become a less important symbol of the state. The red cloth reminds many of the Soviet past, but the flag was not always just red.

In 1923, the flag and the coat of arms of the USSR were legally approved, and they underwent many changes during the existence of the state. The first flag contained an image of the coat of arms, located in the center of the canvas. It lasted until November 12, 1923 (before the third session of the CEC). On this day, article 71 introduced an amendment stating that the flag should consist of a red (can scarlet) cloth with an image in the top of the sickle and a hammer of gold color and above them a red star framed by a golden rim.

April 8, 1924 was approved by a detailed description of the flag of the Soviet Union with the ratio of the length and width of all images on symbolism. Also on the banner there was a gold strip framing the covers, inside of which was a sickle and a hammer.

It was not without rework

Like the USSR coat of arms, the flag was changed many times. Already in December 1936, from the description of the state banner, the covers with a gold strip were removed, and the color again could be not only red, but also scarlet. From this time on, the flag did not change much outwardly, only small details were sometimes corrected. For example, many times it was extended, then the sickle was shortened, then the angle of its intersection with the hammer was changed.

Only in August 1955 the Soviet authorities approved the "Regulations on the State Flag of the USSR". It legislated when, where and how the symbol of state power was to be raised.

A bit about the 1955 Regulations

The position stated that the flag should be constantly raised only on the buildings of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, as well as the main subordinate organizations. It was decided to raise it on the buildings where the Congress of Soviets of the USSR is taking place or the session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. On public holidays, for example, March 8, May 1, November 7, it was allowed to raise the banner on residential buildings. The use of the Soviet flag on ships of the navy was also provided, but only for ships floating on waterways within the USSR.

The importance of the national flag of the USSR

The USSR was a powerful state, and the symbolism spoke for itself. The flag meant the unity of the people, its strength and steadfastness. The hammer and sickle were identified with the brotherhood of the working people of all nationalities of the country who built a bright, indestructible communist future that was really bright, but, unfortunately, in 1991 the USSR did not become, and with it the state symbols also passed away. Let the current youth remember their history and remember the symbolism of the great collapsed country.