About the red star: the origins of the symbol. no need for hell
People at all times paid attention to signs and symbols. The five-pointed red star, one ray of which is directed upwards, thanks to the communists, has become one of the main symbols of the USSR. And in a fairly short period, it has become one of the main symbols of totalitarian statehood. Let's find out how the red star became one of the main symbols of the USSR.
How did the history of the red Soviet star begin? After the Great October revolution changed not only political system, but many signs and attributes have gone into oblivion. This is how it began to form new system symbols. Initially, the emergence of a star as a symbol is associated with Masonic societies. Since the influence of Freemasonry on revolutionary activity in different parts of the world (including the USSR) was truly significant. However, there is no real evidence for this fact.
On the territory of the USSR, the scarlet star appeared as the emblem of the Soviet Army. Unfortunately, today it is not possible to give the exact name of the author of the emblem. So, some historians suggest that for the first time it was proposed for the army by N.A. Polyansky (commissar of the military Moscow district). Other historians associate the name of K.S. with the red star. Eremeevna (commander of the troops of the Petrograd district).
The official history of the emblem begins on April 18, 1918. It was then that a red five-pointed star with a gold border, which depicts a golden hammer and a plow, was appointed by the order of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs as a badge for all personnel of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA). It became a distinctive sign that allowed people to be divided into “us” and “them”. In this regard, an act was issued that prohibited people who were not in the service of the Red Army from wearing the emblem. Violation of this rule was punished by the tribunal.
The meaning of the red star. The scarlet star is a heraldic sign that is closely associated with both the Soviet army and directly with the USSR. This sign was depicted on the flag and coat of arms Soviet Union.
What is the meaning of this key symbol of the USSR? It was believed that the star is a symbol that was supposed to unite the world proletariat. So, for example, the 5 ends of a star were associated with 5 continents, on which communism spread. In addition, it is a symbol of security and protection. And the red color was associated with the proletarian revolution, was the color of brotherhood and blood shed in the struggle for the rights of the proletariat.
Also, some scientists associate the scarlet star with the god of war Mars (the ancient Roman god), who was considered the protector and patron of workers. It is possible that some influential Soviet people were guided by this theory.
The image of such a symbol on the flags and emblems of the socialist countries denoted the unity of ideologies and solidarity on the path of development. Many Soviet newspapers described that the red star characterizes the struggle of the peasantry, which was trying to free itself from poverty, hunger, war, and slavery.
Hammer and plow as an addition to the symbol. On the badge of the Soviet army, as described above, there was also an image of a plow and a hammer. They also symbolize the union of workers and peasants. Later, the image was slightly modified: instead of a plow, a sickle was placed on the sign for clarity. But the meaning of the emblem "" did not change from this.
It is also noteworthy that initially the star was depicted with two ends up. However, this location Soviet people associated with the "satanic" pentagram. And this is in a country where they were treated negatively. So, the star began to be depicted with one end up and two ends down. And the position of the star never changed again. On this occasion, even a large circulation leaflet was issued in the USSR with the title: "Look, comrade, here is the Red Star."
Star and the Great Patriotic War. During the Second World War, this Soviet emblem began to acquire new qualities. In 1943, along with pre-revolutionary shoulder straps, the stars returned to the army, which helped to distinguish the ranks of officers. In addition, at the same time, the red star is taken as the basis for many orders and medals (for example, the medal " Golden Star”, Order of Glory, Order of the Red Star).
One way or another, the star is considered an ancient symbol that has been and is used in various traditions. Probably, this ensured the cult role of this sign in Soviet society.
That rare case when the Bolsheviks did not "throw overboard" history and traditions
In the early nineties, it became fashionable to trample Soviet symbols into the dirt. In particular, there were many attempts to discredit the red five-pointed star - they say, this is a satanic sign associated with black magic. However, if we consider the history of this symbol, it becomes clear that it was not Satanists who invented it at all.
From the depths of centuries
The five-pointed star as a symbol, according to the most conservative estimates, is about five thousand years old. The Sumerians used this sign to designate a corner, a pit or a small room, a room. The Pythagoreans saw five shelters in the pentagram, in which, when creating our world, primitive chaos was hidden. The inhabitants of Babylon used a star with five rays as a sign protecting their home from thieves. For a while, the five-pointed star was the official seal of Jerusalem - perhaps that is why medieval scholars who dreamed of mastering magic called the pentacle the seal of the king Solomon. And the ancient Romans considered the five-pointed star a symbol of the god of war. Mars- according to legend, he was born from a lily; it was the lily that symbolized the “Mars star”.
During the Great french revolution the five-ray star penetrated the military symbols of the young republic and settled on the epaulettes and headdresses of generals and officers. It was from France that the five-pointed star made its way to Russia: in 1827, with a light hand NicholasI epaulettes of the highest army ranks began to be decorated with gold forged stars. After 27 years, in 1854, also under Nicholas I, epaulettes will appear on the shoulders of the Russian military, and embroidered stars will appear on the epaulettes.
well forgotten old
When the February Revolution broke out in 1917, all the royal insignia in the army were abolished en masse.
According to order No. 321 dated May 7, 1918, issued by the People's Commissar of the Republic Leon Trotsky, "Mars star with a plow and a hammer" becomes the sign of the Red Army. There is an opinion that the introduction of the five-pointed star into the symbolism was carried out as part of a campaign to attract former tsarist officers to the Red Army.
The star, symbolizing the Red Army, was also red - like the banners of the young republic. At first, it was thought of as a badge on the breastplate - however, after six months it successfully migrated to the headdresses of the military and sailors, where it remained for many years.
Each character needs a legend. At the dawn of the existence of the Red Army, the red five-pointed star personified the unity of the "proletarians of all countries" - workers from all five continents; red was the color of the revolution, the color of the blood that was shed for freedom. Later, red stars on headdresses became associated with defending warriors.
From January 1919, stars began to be sewn onto the new headdresses of the Red Army, resembling the helmets of ancient knights in shape. The first name of these pointed hats - "heroes" - did not take root; they remained in the memory of the people as Budyonovka.
Poster "Join the red cavalry", 1920Coats of arms and flags
Soon the red stars gained such popularity that they lit up on the coat of arms and banner of the young country building communism. And then they began to light up on the emblems of the republics. By the way, the red star appeared on the coat of arms of the RSFSR only in 1978!
Interestingly, another ancient sign had a good chance of becoming a symbol of Soviet Russia, which later, in the middle of the 20th century, gained notoriety thanks to the Nazis. Yes, we are talking about the swastika. She even at one time flaunted on banknotes - "Kerenki". However, the coat of arms of the country never got over.
In 1928, an October star was born - also red, but with a portrait of a young Volodya Ulyanova in the middle. All Octobrists were obliged to wear it on the left side of the chest. And in 1935, the stars, decorated with Ural gems, shone on the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya and Nikolskaya towers of the Kremlin. True, these stars soon dimmed, so that in 1937 Stalin ordered to install red stars made of milky (inside) and ruby (outside) glass on these towers, as well as on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. The leader considered that with such stars the Kremlin would become more beautiful. And this, perhaps, is the little in which we can agree with him.
Initially, the Bolsheviks called their star the "Mars Star", because, according to their understanding, it seemed to belong to the god of war - Mars.
But they made their first order, the Red Banner, unusual by approving and placing an image of an inverted star on it.
The statute of this order said that the five rays of the red star are the union of ordinary workers of the five continents of the Earth for freedom. In September 1918, the chairman of the Central Executive Committee, Yakov Sverdlov, instructed the artist Vasily Denisov to develop the order project, but he was ill and almost all the main work was done by his son Vladimir Denisov, who was also an artist. This order was awarded to commanders and commissars of the Red Army, the first of which was Blucher. Nestor Makhno was also awarded this order (in Soviet times, this fact was hushed up in every possible way).
But the five-pointed red star on the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR was performed upside down, and this, according to one version, corresponds to Masonic symbols:
The evolution of the first order of the country of the Soviets - the Order of the Red Banner:
In addition to the RSFSR Order of the Red Banner, there was a similar Azerbaijani "Red Banner":
And here is a rare Mongolian "Red Banner" and a badge very similar to the order "To the Hero of the roar. movement":
The STAR is an ancient magical symbol. In alchemy and hermeticism, it denotes a person. Everyone knows the picture below.
Vitruvian Man. Drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci
But the pentagram is also a working symbol of the 5th lasso of magic. A star is a pentagram, a pentacle (penta - five) is usually depicted in two forms. Star point up and point down.
A star with the top up means violence, programming people, subjugation of someone else's will. And top down - any interaction with the dark forces.
Isn't that why the revolutionaries, among whom were Jews who, as a rule, grew up in Jewish families and were baptized, most likely to create appearance and achieve their goals [in accordance with the second part of the Jewish code of laws "Shulkhan Arukh" it says: "If a Jew can deceive the Akum (apostates from Judaism), forcing them to believe that he (himself) is Akum, then this is allowed. Thus, Judaism teaches that before foreigners, a Jew has the right to feign, for the sake of appearance, accept Christianity], along with the "star of violence" did they accept an inverted star?
Obviously, those who came from religious families, by virtue of their origin, were to one degree or another familiar with Kabbalah and other mystical currents of Judaism, among which they grew up and were brought up before they were baptized. The Bolsheviks were interested in Theosophy, and Blavatsky's popularity is known among them as well. In addition to using the sacraments of Kabbalistic currents, after the revolution, the Bolsheviks attracted A.V. different peoples and confessions. The head of the Special Department of the OGPU, Gleb Boky, was aware of all the occult and mystical contacts and discoveries of Alexander Vasilyevich Barchenko. Murder is fanned with mysticism royal family when investigators found Jewish Kabbalistic symbols and signs, as well as inscriptions in Hebrew, on the walls of the Ipatiev house.
Therefore, one should not be surprised that in those years the Jewish Bolsheviks decided to use an inverted star. The star, pointing upwards, adopted by the army, is violence and submission. And the inverted star, intended directly for the commanders and commissars of the Red Army, awarded for the destruction of those who did not agree to live under the new government, meant that the carrier belonged to the dark devilish forces, one might say - it was a label for identifying especially zealous assistants.
This mystic-inspired theme is reflected in this propaganda poster calling on workers and peasants to join the army under the leadership of the communists:
The poster is the work of the famous artist Dmitry Moor. It was later published in Soviet book"Illustrated History of the USSR".
And in the 30s, gloomy mysticism was visible in the Republic of Soviets, at least in such a badge of the All-Union Spartakiad, the participants of which were mainly the military and security officers:
More than once in his articles he drew parallels between the ideology of the communists and the Abrahamic religions, born in the minds of the Jews with the aim of enslaving the peoples infected with these ideas and religions and equally destructively acting on the consciousness of listeners.
https://cont.ws/@artads/452324 --"Judas on the Internet"
https://cont.ws/@artads/531175 -- "Invaders in cassocks".
So today I will supplement this small post with an image of an inverted star, symbolizing communication with the dark forces not only of the Judeo-Bolsheviks, but also of the ministers of various religions.
Andrei Rublev painted this Orthodox icon (pictured 3) while not drunk:
He was well acquainted with various symbols, not least among which were hexagrams and inverted stars located on religious buildings of various denominations (photos 1 and 2).
Factory hammer, rural plow
They burn in its rays.
Worker, plowman - brother and friend -
We are in a close line!
Demyan Bedny, Guiding Star
The first mention of a five-pointed star was found in Mesopotamia and dates back to 3000 BC. The ancient Jews used a star with five rays as a symbol of the city of Jerusalem. The Greeks, deifying Venus, designated it with a five-pointed star. The human figure also fit into the pentagram, considered as “ golden ratio”, which was used by ancient Greek sculptors and architects. The five rays of the star personified in the teachings of the Pythagoreans the unity of the five elements - water, earth, air, fire and the world of Pythagorean ideas (eidoses). This theme of the unification of the five components constantly arose in human history. Among Christians, the five-pointed star connected the five wounds of Christ and served as a reliable protection against witches and demons. The star of the Soviet era symbolized the unity of interests of the working people of the whole world; it is also a symbol of the Red Army.
Many may not know that the history of the five-pointed star in Russia began long before the 1917 revolution and has its origins in another revolution - the French.It was in France at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries that stars appeared on the epaulettes and headdresses of officers and generals, determining their rank. In this case, the pentagram drew its justification from mythology. ancient rome, where it symbolized Mars and depicted a lily from which this god of war was born.
The Red Star is a heraldic sign that was a symbol of the Red Army, was present on the flag and emblem of the USSR, flags and emblems of some countries of the Warsaw Pact.In the USSR, it meant the unity of the world proletariat of all five continents of the Earth: the five ends of a star are the five continents of the planet. Red is the color of the proletarian revolution, it was supposed to unite all five continents with a single goal and a single beginning.
The red star was commonly referred to as the "Mars star" after the ancient Roman god of war, Mars. In the Soviet tradition, Mars symbolized the protection of peaceful labor. Therefore, it is no coincidence that it is the red star that is located above the planet in the coat of arms of the USSR. The red star symbolized the liberation of workers from hunger, war, poverty and slavery.
Under the influence of the French, Emperor Nicholas I introduced a pentagram and Russian army. On January 1, 1827, gold forged stars appeared on epaulettes, and on April 29, 1854, already embroidered ones adorned the introduced shoulder straps.
After February Revolution The interim government abolished shoulder straps, but did not abandon the "Mars Star". On April 21, 1917, Minister of War and Naval A. Guchkov places a five-pointed star on the pegs of sailors' caps - right above the anchor.
However, the “Mars star” proved itself most clearly after another revolution - the Great October Revolution. No sooner had the young Soviet government begun to form the Red Army than pressing need in new symbols. This was largely due to the fact that in the fire civil war the opposing sides were often dressed in clothes of the same cut and in battle it was not easy to distinguish strangers from their own. So the famous red five-pointed star appears for the first time in the symbolism of the Land of the Soviets.
Unfortunately, accurate, documented evidence of the author of this symbol has not been preserved. Some historians believe that the star was proposed by one of the commissars of the Moscow Military District N. Polyansky, others - that this was done by a member of the All-Russian Collegium for the Organization and Management of the Red Army - K. Eremeev.
It is well known that for the first time new character was mentioned in the newspaper Izvestia on April 19, 1918. There was published a note stating that the Commissariat for Military Affairs approved a drawing of a badge in the form of a red star with a golden image of a hammer and a plow. Initially, the red star also carried the image of a book, but it looked too clumsy and the book was removed.
Officially, the symbol called “Mars star with a plow and a hammer” was approved by L. Trotsky’s order of May 7, 1918. The following was also said there: “The Red Army badge belongs to persons serving in the Red Army. Persons who are not in the service of the Red Army are invited to remove these signs immediately. For failure to comply with this order, the guilty will be brought to trial by a military tribunal.
At first, the "Mars star" was worn on a triangular block, clinging to the left side of the chest. However, this form turned out to be inconvenient, and the jewelry company suggested placing stars on wreaths of laurel and oak leaves, which were left over from the old signs.
For a while, the shape and location of the star varied greatly. On July 29, 1918, Trotsky issues another order, where the red star was required to be worn on the band of the cap. Lacquered, the cockade badge had a more convex shape, and the rays of the star had more rounded edges.
The greatest number of rumors, then and now, caused the meaning of the symbol of the red star. Haters of Soviet power immediately remembered the Masons, and even Satanists. About Masons. Of course, they were in Russia for a long time. At first, the Masons carried educational ideas, and after Radishchev and the Decembrist uprising, they began to express the interests of the pro-Western liberal nobility, the intelligentsia and the big bourgeoisie. As you know, the Bolsheviks disliked liberals for a long time, and after the February Revolution, they generally stood on the other side of the barricade. Well, the Masons did not complain at all. Whether it's the symbolism of the United States, which was really created by the Masons, and which no one really hid (hence the stars on the flag, and the pyramid with an eye on the dollar, etc.).
As for the red star, the Bolsheviks were guided in choosing it by the relative novelty of the symbol and its quite traditional meanings - military (“Mars star”), protective (pentagram as a talisman) and guiding (as a symbol of high aspirations).
Of course, the new symbolism (not without the propaganda of opponents Soviet power) at first aroused superstitious fear among a part of the common people. It was not for nothing that on February 11, 1919, at a conference of the 2nd Soviet (Ukrainian) division, the head of its political department, I. Mints, complained that "peasant youth are full of prejudices against" communes ", against the new" cockade "- the Red Army star ...".
And here the Bolsheviks also made an oversight, placing the new symbol with two rays up. This is evident from the first badges, and on some Bolshevik posters (for example, D. Moor's poster " Soviet Russia- besieged camp. All on defense! 1919). And, after the work of E. Levy, this position of the star began to be interpreted as a sign of Satanism. At the same time, it was completely forgotten that the inverted pentagram was on the seal of Emperor Constantine (the one who made Christianity the official Roman religion) and was generally interpreted for a long time as a symbol of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ (this can be seen, for example, on the icon of A. Rublev). Naturally, having discovered such a reaction, the Bolsheviks gave the star a more "decent" position.
Let's see how the commissars of the Red Army themselves explained the symbolism of the Red Star to the common people in a leaflet of 1918: “... The Red Star of the Red Army is the Star of Truth ... Therefore, the plow and hammer are depicted on the Red Army star. The plow of a plowman-man. Hammer hammer-worker. This means that the Red Army is fighting to ensure that the star of Truth shines on the plowman-man and the hammer-worker, so that for them there is a will and a share, rest and bread, and not just need, poverty and continuous work ... It is the star of happiness for all the poor , peasants and workers. This is what the red star of the Red Army means. In general, no satanic, occult or Masonic interpretations.
The story of the Red Star did not end there. On January 16, 1919, embroidered stars adorned the new headdress of the Red Army. In form, he copied the helmets of Russian knights, and therefore at first he was dubbed the “hero”. However, soon they began to call him by the names of the famous red commanders - “Frunzevka” and “Budyonovka” (the latter name stuck).
There were changes in the design of the star. April 13, 1922, depicted on it, the plow was replaced by a more elegant sickle. And on July 11 of the same year, the shape of the star also changed - it ceased to be convex, and its rays straightened again. In this form, she finally established herself in the Red (and then Soviet) Army.
In 1923, already without tools (not to repeat military emblem) The Red Star crowned the coat of arms of the Soviet Union and the coats of arms of almost all Soviet republics. It is interesting that she got on the coat of arms of the RSFSR later than everyone else - in 1978! It is also interesting that in the 1930s a project was proposed to make an 11-ray star (according to the number of union republics).
Having switched to the coat of arms of the USSR, the five-pointed star has already acquired a more global symbolism. It was already about the five continents, where there is a bloody struggle for the liberation of the working people from exploitation.
In 1924, a five-pointed star appeared on the flag of the USSR, in 1928 (with a portrait of young Lenin) an October star appeared, in 1935 a star decorated with gems crowned the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, and in 1942 a pioneer badge took the form of a star (before that it wore a flag).
It would seem that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the time of the Red Star also ended. The fragments of the state chose new symbols for themselves, the star remained only in the symbols of the Communist Parties. It was even said in Russia that it would not hurt to replace the Kremlin stars with double-headed eagles.
However, the growing social tension, moral and economic decline in the post-Soviet space made some political leaders treat Soviet symbols more cautiously. So in 2002, trying to somehow restore the "broken connection of times", Russian Defense Minister S. Ivanov proposed, and President V. Putin approved the return of the five-pointed star to the symbols of the Russian army.
No matter how hard the evil tongues try to equate the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany, and the Red Star with the Nazi swastika, they have not yet succeeded. And nothing threatens the pentagram at all. Otherwise, you will have to make 50 holes in the US flag, 12 holes in the EU flag, not to mention the mass of other flags and coats of arms.
An interesting but little touched upon topic is the symbolism of the five-pointed star. This simple symbol is one of the oldest, it began to be used several thousand years before our era. It has become widespread in many cultures and has a great semantic load. The same star, which differs only in color, is present in the symbols of the United States, the European Union, the Soviet Union, China and many other countries and social movements.
Since it is widely used to convey various meanings and ideas, for a better understanding of them, we will briefly consider some of its main meanings.
Andrei Rublev. Transfiguration. 1405
In general, the first known use of a five-pointed star falls on the states of Sumer in Mesopotamia in 3000 BC. e. In their writing, such a pictogram denoted a corner, a small room, a pit.
Among the ancient Pythagoreans, the pentagram (from the word pentagramos - five-lined) meant five shelters where primitive chaos was placed during the creation of the world, and they were in Tartarus. The darkness in these shelters was considered the source of the soul of the world, as well as the source of wisdom. This pentagram was drawn with two rays up.
The symbol of the goddess ruling this other world is an apple, since when cut in it you can see a pentagram. Therefore, the pentagram was also a symbol of health and the goddess Hygieia. In addition, Pythagoras argued that in geometry, the pentagram is a mathematical perfection. But, without delving into the mathematical characteristics of this figure, let's go further.
In Kabbalah, a pentagram with one ray up means the messiah. The pentagram is also the symbol of Solomon's seal and was for some time the official seal of Jerusalem.
For a Muslim, it can mean the five pillars of the Muslim faith and the five daily prayers.
In Christian Europe, the five-pointed star had a number of symbolic meanings. Except for what's left of time ancient world symbol of health, it symbolized five rays of five senses, five fingers. In religion, the pentagram was used as a symbol of the five wounds of Christ, the five joys of Mary, which brought her the perfection of her son Jesus. It also symbolized the Star of Bethlehem at Christmas (in Russia, the Star of Bethlehem was seven-pointed).
One of the main meanings of the five-pointed star was the symbol human nature Christ, therefore, in the Renaissance, when man and the human person began to take on more and more importance, this symbol also became more important. The five-pointed star resembles a man with outstretched arms and legs apart, like drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. With the development of humanism and atheism, the star began to mean simply the human person, as the new highest value of the new era.
In fact, the five-pointed star and humanistic ideals became widespread during the French Revolution. With the advent of a new atheistic ideology, a person was placed in first place in the system of values, and the star in a humanistic sense became one of the most important symbols. As a result of these changes, the star also became widespread in military symbols first the French Republic, and then other countries. In this sphere, she symbolized the god of war Mars, according to legend, was born from a lily, which resembles a five-pointed star. This sign is used both for identification and for various other designations.
With the spread of values and social forces of the new era, the five-pointed star also began to spread. She has always been an important sign in the symbolism of the Masons, a social force that began to gain global importance after the French and American revolutions. In addition to ancient and occult meanings, the star began to be widely used by them for the public expression of their ideas - the spiritual improvement of man and the elevation of man to the head of the entire value system in an atheistic version. Therefore, the star is widely used in the state symbols of many countries built according to Masonic drawings - the United States, where the stars on the flag also mean the Kingdom of Heaven, the European Union and others.
The five-pointed star is also used by many movements and organizations, and its symbolism is often associated either with the Masonic forces behind them, or with the communist movement that adopted it into its symbolism.
A star with two rays up is used by the church of "saints last day or Mormons. Inverted star with rays different colors symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem is also a symbol of the largest fraternalist organization - the Order of the Eastern Star. This order brings together about a million masons in the rank of not less than a master and is known for its charitable activities.
An inverted pentagram with two rays up is one of the main symbols of Satanists. Such a pentagram means Tartarus or hell, the place where fallen angels are imprisoned. Inside the inverted pentagram, the head of Baphomet is also often drawn in the form of a goat's head. All this symbolizes the anti-human nature and the worship of animal passion. The three rays of the star turned downward also signify the rejection of the Holy Trinity.
The pentagram is also often found among the pagans, serving them as one of the symbols of faith - the five ends of the star mean earth, water, air, fire and spirit. Although in ancient times the pagan pentagram was drawn with two beams up, now it is usually depicted with one beam up, so as not to evoke associations with Satanists. Both in antiquity and today, the pentagram remains an important symbol for druids, Wiccans, neo-Pythagoreans, and other pagan and magical groups.
In the 20th century, when the communist movement began to acquire global significance, and a socialist revolution took place in Russia, new symbols were needed for the new state. Initially, the red star with a plow and a hammer was adopted as the emblem and identification mark of the Red Army. Here the star symbolized the god of war Mars, and this emblem personified the protection of peaceful labor.
After the February Revolution, the Provisional Government abolished shoulder straps, but did not abandon the "Mars Star". On April 21, 1917, Minister of War and Naval A. Guchkov places a five-pointed star on the pegs of sailors' caps - right above the anchor.
However, the “Mars star” proved itself most clearly after another revolution - the Great October Revolution. No sooner had the young Soviet government begun to form the Red Army than an urgent need arose for new symbols. This was largely due to the fact that in the fire of the Civil War, the opposing sides were often dressed in clothes of the same cut and in battle it was not easy to distinguish strangers from their own.
So the famous red five-pointed star appears for the first time in the symbolism of the Land of the Soviets.
Unfortunately, accurate, documented evidence of the author of this symbol has not been preserved. Some historians believe that the star was proposed by one of the commissars of the Moscow Military District N. Polyansky, others - that this was done by a member of the All-Russian Collegium for the Organization and Management of the Red Army - K. Eremeev.
However, in the early years, due to the presence of anti-Christian and Zionist elements in the core of the Bolshevik organization, the image of a star with two ends up was accepted. The first Soviet Order of the Red Banner had just such an inverted image of a star.
But such a symbol caused such rejection in society that they soon abandoned it and officially approved the image of a star with one ray up.
But the new country also needed new state symbols, and the red star turned out to be a fairly suitable and popular symbol for this. Therefore, it soon moved from the banners of the army carrying the liberation of the world proletariat to the coat of arms and banners of the first country building communism. In Soviet state symbols, the red star next to the hammer and sickle began to mean the unity of the working people of five continents with a single beginning and goal. The red color symbolized the brotherhood and the blood shed for the freedom of the working people of the whole world.
It is authentically known that for the first time the new symbol was mentioned in the Izvestia newspaper on April 19, 1918. There was published a note that the Commissariat for Military Affairs approved a drawing of a badge in the form of a red star with a golden image of a hammer and a plow. Initially, the red star also carried the image of the book, but it looked too clumsy and the book was removed.
Officially, the symbol called “Mars star with a plow and a hammer” was approved by L. Trotsky’s order of May 7, 1918. The following was also said there: “The Red Army badge belongs to persons serving in the Red Army. Persons who are not in the service of the Red Army are invited to remove these signs immediately. For failure to comply with this order, the guilty will be brought to trial by a military tribunal.
At first, the "Mars star" was worn on a triangular block, clinging to the left side of the chest. However, this form turned out to be inconvenient, and the jewelry company suggested placing stars on wreaths of laurel and oak leaves, which were left over from the old signs.
For a while, the shape and location of the star varied greatly. On July 29, 1918, Trotsky issues another order, where the red star was required to be worn on the band of the cap. Lacquered, the cockade badge had a more convex shape, and the rays of the star had more rounded edges.
The greatest number of rumors, then and now, caused the meaning of the symbol of the red star. Haters of Soviet power immediately remembered the Masons, and even Satanists. About Masons. Of course, they were in Russia for a long time. At first, the Masons carried educational ideas, and after Radishchev and the Decembrist uprising, they began to express the interests of the pro-Western liberal nobility, the intelligentsia and the big bourgeoisie.
As you know, the Bolsheviks disliked liberals for a long time, and after the February Revolution, they generally stood on the other side of the barricade. Well, the Masons did not complain at all. Whether it's the symbolism of the United States, which was really created by the Masons, and which no one really hid (hence the stars on the flag, and the pyramid with an eye on the dollar, etc.).
As for the red star, the Bolsheviks were guided in choosing it by the relative novelty of the symbol and its quite traditional meanings - military (“Mars star”), protective (pentagram as a talisman) and guiding (as a symbol of high aspirations).
Of course, the new symbolism (not without the propaganda of opponents of Soviet power) at first aroused superstitious fear among a part of the common people. It was not for nothing that on February 11, 1919, at a conference of the 2nd Soviet (Ukrainian) division, the head of its political department, I. Mints, complained that "peasant youth are full of prejudices against" communes ", against the new" cockade "- the Red Army star ...".
And here the Bolsheviks also made an oversight, placing the new symbol with two rays up. This can be seen both in the first badges and on some Bolshevik posters (for example, D. Moor's poster "Soviet Russia - a besieged camp. All for defense!" 1919). And, as I already wrote, after the work of E. Levy, this position of the star began to be interpreted as a sign of Satanism. At the same time, it was completely forgotten that the inverted pentagram was on the seal of Emperor Constantine (the one who made Christianity the official Roman religion) and was generally interpreted for a long time as a symbol of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ (this can be seen, for example, on the icon of Andrei Rublev). Naturally, having discovered such a reaction, the Bolsheviks gave the star a more "decent" position.
Let's see how the commissars of the Red Army themselves explained the symbols of the Red Star to the common people in a 1918 leaflet:
“... The red star of the Red Army is the star of Truth ... Therefore, the plow and hammer are depicted on the Red Army star. The plow of a plowman-man. Hammer hammer-worker.
This means that the Red Army is fighting to ensure that the star of Truth shines on the plowman-man and the hammer-worker, so that for them there is a will and a share, rest and bread, and not just need, poverty and uninterrupted work .... She is the star of happiness for all the poor, peasants and workers. This is what the red star of the Red Army means.
The story of the Red Star did not end there. On January 16, 1919, embroidered stars adorned the new headdress of the Red Army. In form, he copied the helmets of Russian knights, and therefore at first he was dubbed the “hero”. However, soon they began to call him by the names of the famous red commanders - “Frunzevka” and “Budyonovka” (the latter name stuck).
There were changes in the design of the star. April 13, 1922, depicted on it, the plow was replaced by a more elegant sickle. And on July 11 of the same year, the shape of the star also changed - it ceased to be convex, and its rays straightened again. In this form, she finally established herself in the Red (and then Soviet) Army.
In 1923, already without tools (so as not to repeat the military emblem), the Red Star crowned the emblem of the Soviet Union and the emblems of almost all Soviet republics. It is interesting that she got on the coat of arms of the RSFSR later than everyone else - in 1978! It is also interesting that in the 1930s a project was proposed to make a 12-beam star (according to the number of union republics).
Having switched to the coat of arms of the USSR, the five-pointed star has already acquired a more global symbolism. It was already about the five continents, where there is a bloody struggle for the liberation of the working people from exploitation.
In 1924, a five-pointed star appeared on the flag of the USSR, in 1928 (with a portrait of young Lenin) an October star appeared, in 1935 a star decorated with gems crowned the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin, and in 1942 a pioneer badge took the form of a star (before that it wore a flag).
It would seem that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the time of the Red Star also ended. The fragments of the state chose new symbols for themselves, remained only in the symbols of the Communist Parties. It was even said in Russia that it would not hurt to replace the Kremlin stars with double-headed eagles.
However, the growing social tension, moral and economic decline in the post-Soviet space made some political leaders treat Soviet symbols more cautiously. So in 2002, trying to somehow restore the "broken connection of times", Russian Defense Minister S. Ivanov proposed, and President V. Putin approved the return of the five-pointed star to the symbols of the Russian army.