In all periods of historical development, symbols played a crucial role for any state or community, they could indicate the most important processes occurring in society.
Iconic and color images
What is a symbol in the common sense of the word? First of all, it is a sign declared in the most diverse forms of expression. It can be textual, graphic, or combine both textual and pictorial meanings. It is on this principle that the visual feature of any phenomenon of public life or public education is built. Their history goes back thousands of years; it has been modified according to the demands of the times. Already in antiquity you can find primitive decals. The most common national-confessional and state-administrative characteristics, expressed in the form of special images.
What is a symbol and symbolism for the state? These are the historical traditions that are reflected in them. In particular, for our country, it is possible to trace all the contradictory development of Russia and the numerous conflicts it has encountered.
Religion and its symbols
Already in ancient times, powerful tribal unions formed on the territory of the eastern Slavs, they were quite divided, conflicts were common. The fact was that they adhered to paganism, like all nations in antiquity, however, it would seem that the external unity of religion was actually far from the truth.
This was understood by the first rulers of Kievan Rus, especially the question of the world was asked by Grand Duke Vladimir I, therefore he was the person who decided to introduce a new monotheistic religion in the country that met the development needs of Russia and contributes to the consolidation of ancient Russian society. So Orthodoxy appears within our country. Like any other religion, a brief and clear basis for Orthodoxy was formulated, expressed in twelve postulates. This is what the creed is. And it is of great importance for every believer, and faith in one God was transformed by the Kiev rulers into the formula "One God - one prince."
Prestigious characters
It has been so common since ancient times that social structure is a kind of ladder, on the steps of which various social groups and individuals are located. This phenomenon is called social differentiation. This was a common fact of social development in any historical period, just at one time these differences were quite noticeable and evolved in a hereditary way, at another they were more blurred and expressed by personal achievements of a person.
At different times, the transition of an individual from one social group was either very difficult or completely impossible. With social progress, these restrictions have virtually disappeared, but the social stratification of society has remained.
Coat of arms of the nobility, royal mottos - these are status symbols. They reflected the position of a group or person in society. Expensive cars, rich mansions, private jets - these are the symbols of social status in the modern world.
Russian heraldry
States disappear and appear, but they all possessed and will have their own iconic feature. For example, take the Russian Federation. She underwent numerous transformations both in the form of the administrative-territorial structure and in the type of government. And all these metamorphoses were reflected in symbolism. Russia arose after a long period of feudal fragmentation and the struggle against the Mongol-Tatar yoke. The victory of statehood over these two opponents had to be expressed in the form of iconic features.
Ivan III, having married the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, received, among other things, a symbol of this state. So, the double-headed eagle becomes the emblem of the new Russia. It also depicted a horseman striking a serpent with a spear, symbolizing the victory of good over evil. This is what state symbols are for the nascent Russian state.
Colors of our country
The Russian flag appeared thanks to the efforts of Peter the Great. The story is quite famous: the king was very fond of traveling, especially the sea countries attracted him. Having visited Holland, the young monarch saw the flag, which was located on ships. He really liked the combination of colors. Arriving in Russia, he decided to change the arrangement of colors on the flag and declare it a Russian tricolor. This happened, but in fact, such a combination has already been used in Russian symbols before. It is known that it was first used in 1667. Just in the reign of Peter, the flag became a striped white-blue-red banner. Initially, it was considered not state, but national.
In the 19th century, the black-yellow-white flag became state. However, it was unpopular, so Alexander III returned the former flag as the state symbol of the Russian Empire.
Modern symbols of Russia
The past century has brought many changes, including those relating to the symbols of the state. The revolution that thundered in 1917 and the collapse of the monarchy led to the emergence of the world's first socialist state - the RSFSR, and then the USSR. All these transformations significantly changed the visual images of the country. What is a symbol for the Bolsheviks? It should have reflected the ideological foundations of the new state. And he appeared, the emblem became a sickle and a hammer (as signs of the class membership of the new government). Then the globe appeared in the sun, framed by ears of corn. The flag of the USSR is the red banner as a symbol of the revolutionary power of the masses, and the five-pointed star has become an image of international solidarity of the working people.
The collapse of the USSR led to a change in symbolism. The new emblem of the Russian Federation is the well-known double-headed eagle, and the flag is white-blue-red. That is what a symbol is and its significance for society, the state, and the individual.