In 1744, Bashkiria became part of the Orenburg province. Before that, it had been part of Russia for almost two hundred years. The people of this republic had to go through a lot. Together with the government, the flag of Bashkortostan also changed.
Changes in the design of the coat of arms of Ufa governorate and province in the period until 1917
The coat of arms representing the Ufa province had the following appearance. The field is delimited into two halves by a horizontal line, below it is a marten, which rushes somewhere rapidly. This version of the coat of arms could be found as an element of geographical maps of that time.
The Orenburg and Ufa regions were united in February 1781, and the territory was now called Ufa governorship. The following year, Ufa acquired a coat of arms. The main character of the city and governorate was a marten, which rushes along a green surface. And all this against the background of a silver field. The flag and coat of arms of Bashkortostan were made in the refined traditions of this people.
According to historical documents, from March 1797 to May 1865, the Orenburg province existed on the site of the Ufa governorate, from which, starting from the indicated date, the Ufa province was separately allocated.
Coat of arms
A special legislative act under the number 58684, published in July 1878, approved the emblem of the province, which had the following form. In the center is a silver shield, which on three sides (bottom, left and right) is surrounded by two oak branches with golden leaves. The branches are entwined with the St. Andrew’s ribbon, the ends of which are locked on the crown of the Emperor, located on top of the shield. Inside, against the background of the shield was an image of a racing lapis marten.
The symbolism of the Ufa province, approved by the tsarist regime, was eliminated by the Bolsheviks who came to power as a result of the October Revolution in 1917. New Russia has become a federal country. Consequently, the representative body of local authorities convened in Orenburg at the end of November 1917, the Bashkir Central Council (or Shuro), proclaimed Bashkiria autonomy as the territorial-national unit of socialist Russia. This decision was supported by the Bolshevik government in Moscow. At this time, the coat of arms and flag of Bashkortostan were slightly changed. Photos in the archive can be found by anyone who is interested in state symbols.
Coat of arms of Bashkiria, approved by the Soviet government
At the initial stage of the civil war, the local Bashkir authorities, who believed in Kolchak’s supposed good intentions, soon became disillusioned with the White Guard movement. The second signing of the agreement between the central and local government on the autonomous status of Bashkiria took place in March 1919. Thus, three days after this historic event, the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) appeared on the map of Russia .
Six years later, the young republic approved its own coat of arms, the design of which did not practically differ from the older Russian brother, except for the text of the inscriptions made in the native language. Apparently, this version of symbolism did not reflect the identity of the Bashkir people, because soon an attempt was made to place the horseman on the coat of arms, he held a banner in his hands. Unfortunately, this option did not like the central government. At the same time, the flag of Bashkortostan remained unchanged - three colors were used: blue, white and green.
Historical background
In June 1937, the 10th Congress of Soviets was convened, one of the significant decisions of which was the adoption of the Constitution of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Two articles of the basic law, 111 and 112, are devoted to republican symbols. The flag and coat of arms of Bashkortostan were discussed for a long time and hard.
In fact, at the entire stage of Soviet history, the design of the coat of arms of the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic did not change. The only insignificant addition appeared from the beginning of June 1978, i.e. after the extraordinary eighth session of the Supreme Council of the republic of the ninth convocation. In the new Constitution, articles 157 and 158 were already devoted to the coat of arms and flag. From this day a small red star appeared in the upper part of the coat of arms. The flag of the Republic of Bashkortostan began to look a little different.
Work on the image of the coat of arms of modern Bashkiria
The consequence of the perestroika started by the last president of the USSR was a chain reaction of the collapse of a huge country. One after another, the republics declared their independence. Bashkiria in 1990 also took advantage of the opportunity provided to her. The name changed the abbreviation ASSR, i.e. henceforth, in the next two years its name sounded completely like the Bashkir SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic). The republic remained an integral part of the RSFSR.
Once again, the subject of the Russian Federation changed its name on February 25, 1992 in accordance with the legislative act. Despite the fact that the Republic of Bashkortostan is the official name, for some reason it is not indicated on the coat of arms. The flag of Bashkortostan is a tricolor consisting of blue, white and green colors.
Coat of arms change
It took almost 2 years to develop one of the main symbols of Bashkiria. At the same time, the commission, which dealt with this issue, was provided with 40 different projects. As a result, experts gave preference to the artist Azatoli Mukhtarullin. But the flag of the republic of Bashkortostan did not change.
The author proposed to depict the horse-tulpar, which was surrounded by an oval ribbon in the colors of the national flag. Gold ornament framed drawing. Since the horse was already an element of the Kazakh coat of arms, the Presidium of the Supreme Council rejected Mukhtarullin's version. The same fate befell the sketch of the school teacher Ildar Shayakhmetov - a white wolf against the backdrop of the Ural Mountains and the sun. The deputies of the Supreme Council considered the most successful emblem depicting Salavat Yulaev, which was approved by the adoption of the special Law "On the State Emblem of the Republic of Bashkortostan" on October 12, 1993. The flag of Bashkortostan was presented in various variations. Photos of some sketches are kept in museums in the capital.
Modern flag and coat of arms
In the center of the modern coat of arms of the Republic of Bashkortostan a horseman is depicted. More precisely, national hero Salavat Yulaev immortalized in granite. In the background is a yellow sun that rises. Its morning light golden rays diverge in all directions to a golden ornament placed along the bounding circle. At the foot of the monument is a green inflorescence of kurai as a symbol of unity. At the bottom of the coat of arms is a ribbon with three longitudinal stripes: blue, white and green. The Bashkortostan flag did not affect the change. In the center of the ribbon on a white background is the name of the state: "Bashkortostan." The space between the ornament on the circumference and the rider is painted in pure white.
Hero of the nation
Bashkirs honor their hero Salavat Yulaev, who not only fought against the oppressors of the common people, but also became famous as a national poet whose works are dedicated to the Bashkir heroes and the nature of his native land. From generation to generation, parents have been telling their children about the famous personality, so Salavat was not forgotten. Patriotism is developing everywhere; the flag of Bashkortostan hangs in all state institutions.
In general, the monument depicted on the coat of arms should not be regarded only as a glorification of a particular person. It would be more correct to perceive him as a collective image of a warrior, a dzhigit who devoted his life to the cause of the struggle for justice and freedom. On the other hand, the coat of arms is a symbol of the unity of all peoples living in this territory. The flag of Bashkortostan and Russia is different, but the friendship between the states is obvious.