It just so happened that any state should have its own symbolism, reflecting the patriotism of the people, their wealth and historical heritage. The history of the coat of arms of the USSR began precisely in 1922, when the RSFSR, ZSFSR, Belorussian 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 the first coat of arms of the USSR was developed
After the formation of the Soviet Union , a special commission was created, which was engaged in the development of state symbols. The CEC Presidium listed the main elements of the coat of arms: a sickle, a blacksmith's hammer, and the rising sun. Previously, they were depicted on the coat of arms of the RSFSR, which V.I. claimed Lenin.
Already in mid-January 1923, artists submitted to the CEC for review a lot of sketches that satisfy all established standards. The project chosen by V.P. was selected. Korzun together with V.N. Adrianov, who proposed to place the image of the globe in the figure. To work on the emblem, I.I. Dubasov, who developed the sketches of banknotes of the Union. It was this honored worker who finalized the drawing completely.
The painstaking work of artists was closely monitored by the authorities. Secretary of the Presidium A.S. Enukidze proposed 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 adopted the draft constitution of the USSR, which contained a description of the new state symbol.
What did the emblem of the USSR look like?
If you ask modern youth about whether they know what the Soviet emblem looked like, then only a few can describe it. And in those days, every person stopped on the street in detail could tell everything about his state symbol. That is what patriotism means!
The State Emblem of the USSR contained an image of the globe, against the background of which a hammer and sickle were visible, and around it was a frame of the rays of the sun and ears of corn. Moreover, the latter were entwined with red ribbons, which contained the inscription "Workers of all countries, unite!" in all national languages of the Soviet republics. At the top of the coat of arms was a star.
Character Decoding
Every detail of the state emblem of the Soviet Union is depicted for a reason, because there is a sense in everything, and the emblem of the USSR is no exception. The globe indicates a willingness to be open to the whole world in terms of political, financial and friendly relations. Sickle and hammer embody the union of workers, peasants and intelligentsia fighting for a bright future. The rising sun is a symbol of the emergence of the USSR, building a communist society. Some decipher the sun with rays as the birth of communist ideas.
What else is remarkable for the emblem of the USSR? The picture contains an image of ears of corn identified with the wealth and prosperity of the state. It has long been known that bread is the head of everything, and the Union was able to grow the best bread in its vast fields. Disputes over the significance of the red star with a gold border have not subsided so far. Someone sees a pentagram in it, others interpret the figure as a symbol of the goddess Venus, and the creators claim that the star means victory and power. The tapes displayed the number of republics that were part of the USSR.
Changes in state symbols
According to the constitution approved in 1936, 11 republics were part of the USSR. The ribbon on the emblem was originally also 11. In September 1940, the Presidium of the USSR proposed changes to the emblem due to the increase in the number of union states. 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 ongoing war prevented it from finalizing.
At the end of June 1946, a new version of the state coat of arms was introduced. The motto on it was already reproduced in 16 languages, added Moldovan, Finnish, Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian.
By decree of the Presidium of the USSR of September 12, 1956, the tape number sixteen, containing the inscription in Finnish, was removed from the coat of arms, since the Karelian-Finnish SSR was included in the RSFSR. In April 1958, the text of writing the motto in the Belarusian language changed. “PRALETARIES ЎІ І, APRICATE!” - so he began to sound in a new context. The artists of Goznak worked on all the refinements: S.A. Novsky, I.S. Krylkov, S.A. Pomansky and others.
The 15-coat of arms existed until the collapse of the Union as a result of the “Gorbachev” 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 informational and museum purposes.
Another state symbol: flag
The flag of the Soviet Union is not as noticeable as the coat of arms, but this does not make it a less important symbol of the state. The red banner reminds many of the Soviet past, but the flag was not always just red.
In 1923, the USSR flag and coat of arms were legislatively approved, which underwent many changes during the state’s existence. The first flag contained the image of the coat of arms located in the center of the canvas. He existed until November 12, 1923 (until the third session of the CEC). On this day, Article 71 was amended to state that the flag should consist of a red (possibly scarlet) cloth with a picture of a golden hammer and sickle in the upper corner of the sickle and a red star above them framed by a gold border.
On April 8, 1924, a detailed description of the flag of the Soviet Union was approved with the ratio of the length and width of all images on the symbolism. Also on the banner was a golden strip framing the roof, inside of which was a sickle and a hammer.
Not without rework
Like the emblem of the USSR, the flag was changed many times. Already in December 1936, the roofs with a golden stripe were removed from the description of the state banner, and the color could again be not only red, but also scarlet. Since then, the flag outwardly practically did not change, only small details were sometimes corrected. For example, they repeatedly lengthened, then shortened the sickle, then changed the angle of its intersection with the hammer.
Only in August 1955, the USSR authorities approved the "Regulations on the State Flag of the USSR." It legislatively regulated when, where and how the symbol of state power was to be raised.
A bit about the Regulation of 1955
The provision stated that a constantly raised flag should only be on the buildings of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, as well as the main subordinate organizations. It was stipulated that it would rise on the buildings where the Congress of Soviets of the USSR or the session of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR took place. 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 flag of the USSR on ships of the navy was also provided, but only for ships navigating on waterways inside the USSR.
The value of the state flag of the USSR
The USSR was a powerful state, and the symbolism spoke for itself. The flag signified the unity of the people, their strength and unwaveringness. Sickle and hammer were identified with the brotherhood of working people of all nationalities of the country, who built a bright, indestructible communist future, which was really bright, but, unfortunately, in 1991 the USSR did not, and with it the state symbols sunk into the summer. Let today's youth remember their history and remember the symbolism of a great crumbling country.