Which country's flag has a five-pointed star on its flag? Flag with a five-pointed star. Red Army symbols

And not only Russian

The history of domestic victories and military achievements of the twentieth century is inseparable from the main symbol of the Red, later Soviet Army: the red star. Laconic and simple, easy to remember and visible from afar, this identification mark of Russian soldiers of the twentieth century is known all over the world. The Red Star became as famous a symbol of victory in the Great Patriotic War as the T-34 tank or the Il-2 attack aircraft, and as universally recognizable a symbol of the post-war power of the USSR as the Kalashnikov assault rifle or the MiG-21 fighter.

The history of the red star is seemingly inseparable from the Soviet history of Russia. After all, it began to be used almost immediately after the October Bolshevik revolution, and ended soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in reality, the military history of the “Mars star,” as this sign is also called, in Russia began somewhat earlier than the official birthday of the red star, which is celebrated on December 15.

From the Red Guard to the Red Army

When the October Revolution ended, and the Bolshevik government faced the question of armed defense of its conquests, the only real military force they could rely on were the Red Guards. These motley formations, which became the main striking force in St. Petersburg and Moscow, consisted mainly of workers and the most conscientious soldiers who left their units not to escape the war, but with the idea that life in the country really needed a serious shake-up.

Red star. Poster by D. Moore. Photo: wikipedia.org

But in the conditions of the beginning of the civil war, the armed forces of the new government were forced to use the same, be based on the same combat regulations and dress in the same military uniform as their enemy. Specific signs became the only way to distinguish friends from strangers. The Red Guards, as one would expect, relied on the color red, which had long been strongly associated with the revolutionary movement in Russia. At first they made do with red armbands and red stripes on caps and hats. But by December 1917 in Petrograd, the Red Guards, as the most organized of all such detachments, decided that they needed a more convenient and not so easily forged sign.

This is what became the red star, which on December 15, 1917, was introduced into the Petrograd Red Guard by the commander of the Petrograd Military District, Konstantin Eremeev. And five days later, on December 20, the new emblem was discussed by the Main Headquarters of the Red Guard of Petrograd and recommended its use everywhere in revolutionary military units - both already active and those being formed.

Where do military stars come from?

But it is wrong to believe that it was the Petrograd Red Guards who were the inventors of the star. As a military symbol, which, however, denoted not so much the nationality of military units as the rank of commander, five-pointed stars appeared on the uniforms of the Republican French army during the years of the Great French Revolution. Then they could be seen on hats, epaulettes, scarves, and on the coattails of uniforms. A little later, in the Grand Army of Napoleon I, stars remained only on the general's epaulettes. Apparently, from there, in January 1827, by order of the All-Russian Emperor Nicholas I - a great admirer of Napoleonic army - they migrated to the epaulettes of Russian officers and generals. The size of the stars was the same, and the rank category was determined by the presence or absence of fringe and its thickness. And when in 1854 the epaulettes began to give way to shoulder straps, then on them the rank was still determined by asterisks and still of the same size: the rank category was indicated by the number and presence of gaps.

Almost at the same time, but at a completely different end of Europe - in Garibaldian Italy, engulfed in revolutionary fire - the red star appeared for the first time as a symbol of the revolutionary army. In 1849, a five-pointed red sign mounted on a pike began to be worn along with the banner in front of columns of supporters of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Considering the popularity of this revolutionary in Russia, it is not difficult to assume that his symbolism was probably known to domestic socialists and other overthrowers of the monarchy.

Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov. Photo: wikipedia.org

Finally, the idea of using a star as a military identification mark of the Bolsheviks could also have been inspired by their predecessors from the Provisional Government. It is known that on April 21, 1917, the Minister of War and Navy Alexander Guchkov, by his order No. 150, introduced a new cockade for sailors: a rosette with an anchor, above which a star was placed.

"Mars Star with Hammer and Plow"

So the star as a military symbol was already well known in Russia by 1917 - and all that remained was to decide how to turn it into a symbol of the new, revolutionary workers' and peasants' army. The answer was obvious: make it red, like all the previous insignia of the Red Guards.

So by the time the very concept of the Red Army appeared, its main symbol - the red star - had already been created. All that remained was to turn it into a uniform insignia for the new armed forces. And for this it was necessary to develop and approve a unified appearance of the sign, since although it was introduced in December 1917, it was not regulated in any way, except perhaps by limiting the size: no more than six and a half centimeters.

It is interesting that in one of the preliminary sketches, drawn and proposed by the commissar of the Moscow Military District Nikolai Polyansky, in addition to the plow and hammer, there was also a book - as a symbol of the intelligentsia. But they refused the book, considering that it overloaded the sign and made it difficult to read. The idea itself of combining the symbols of workers and peasants in one sign was first realized in March 1917, when an image of a crossed hammer, plow and rifle appeared on the banner of the workers of the Moscow Faberge factory.

When officially approved by order of the People's Commissariat of Military Affairs of the Republic No. 321 of May 7, 1918, the new sign of the Red Army was called the “Star of Mars with a plow and a hammer” and was to be worn on the left chest. By the way, many Red Army soldiers, especially Red commanders, preferred to put the sign on the sword belt - so that it would not cling to it and cover it, turning the Red warrior into an unknown armed man. And this consideration in July 1918 forced the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic to give the order to move the red star from the chest to the band of the cap - a place that became familiar to several generations of Soviet soldiers. And on November 15 of the same year, RVS order No. 773 was issued, by which the red star was finally placed on headdresses, not only of the Red Army, but also of the Red Navy.

Transformations of the red star

Red star with a plow and a hammer. Frame: youtube.com

The first enamel red star, called “Mars”, had a characteristic shape. Its rays were thicker than we are used to seeing, and their edges were slightly convex, making the entire star seem more voluminous. In this form - with convex thick rays, a hammer and a plow - it existed for four years. On April 13, 1922, the plow, which was considered a symbol of the wealthy peasantry, that is, the kulaks, was replaced by the poor peasant's sickle (although, most likely, this replacement had a more mundane design explanation: the sickle is simpler to depict and easier to perceive). Three months later, on July 11, the shape of the star’s rays was also changed - they were straightened, giving the sign a look that is familiar to us.

Very soon, the symbol of the Red Army - the main force called upon to defend the world's first state of workers and peasants - began to personify Soviet Russia itself for both its defenders and their opponents. So it is not surprising that in 1923 the red star, but without the hammer and sickle, that is, in its most generalized form, appeared as a closing element on the coat of arms of the USSR. A year later, a red star appeared on the flag of the USSR, in 1928 it became the sign of the October organization (instead of a hammer and sickle, an image of young Volodya Ulyanov was placed on it), and in 1942 it became a pioneer badge.

As for the Red Army, the red star was not only a distinctive sign, which was placed on headdresses - caps, caps, helmets and “Budenovka” helmets, but also part of the sleeve insignia. From 1919 to 1924, the red star adorned the sleeves of all Red Army soldiers, from the detached commander to the front commander. After 1924, red stars were preserved only on the buttonholes of commanders of the youngest category - K-1 (flight and squad commanders in the ground forces and junior motorists in the Air Force), and after 1940 - only on senior officers, starting with major general. RKKF sailors kept the red stars on their sleeve cuffs much longer: until 1991, gradually giving way to gold ones for all ranks except admiral.

True, in 1969, sleeve stars returned to the Soviet army - but not in the form of insignia, but as an element of sleeve patches indicating the branch or type of troops in which their owner serves. It is noteworthy that such stripes were worn only by conscripts and long-term servicemen and cadets of military schools - officers did without them.

"The Red Star is a symbol of the unity of the worker and the plowman, who threw off the bloodsucker Tsar, landowners and capitalists from their necks and hoisted the Red Banner of Socialism over Russia. The Red Star is a symbol of the workers' and peasants' Soviet power, the defender of the poor and the equality of all workers. (... ) Shine brighter, our red star, and illuminate the whole world with your radiant rays of freedom and equality for all working people."

Red Star. Ed. All-Russian Central Executive Committee. M., 1918, p. 5.7.

"You can offer me a flag other than red, any coat of arms other than the Jewish five-pointed star or other Masonic symbol, and any anthem other than the Internationale."

The main distinctive emblem of the Bolsheviks was the red five-pointed star, officially installed in the spring of 1918. Initially, Bolshevik propaganda called it the “Star of Mars” (allegedly belonging to the ancient god of war - Mars), and then began to declare that “the five rays of the star mean the union of the working people of all five continents in the fight against capitalism” (see Red Army. - “Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee” "(M.), 1919, 11.V., No. 92, p.3; Drachuk V.S. Heraldry M., 1977, p.94). True, here the Bolsheviks could not explain why exactly the same stars appear on the coat of arms and flag of the largest citadel of world imperialism - the USA, as well as on the state emblems (or flags) of Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Liberia , Panama, Paraguay and Chile, where the situation of the working masses has traditionally been extremely difficult.

Coat of arms of Paraguay (What a Soviet symbol!)

In reality, the five-pointed star has nothing to do with either the warlike deity Mars or the international proletariat. This is an ancient occult sign (obviously of Middle Eastern origin), called in heraldry a “pentagram” or “Star of Solomon” (not to be confused with the six-pointed “Star of David”, which deserves a separate discussion).

One of the oldest Middle Eastern images of a pentagram on a vessel (Mesopotamia, 4th millennium BC)

It should be emphasized that the party flag of the Zionist movement, personally designed in 1897 by the Ober-Zionist Theodor (Benjamin-Zeev) Herzl, simultaneously contained one large six-pointed “Star of David” and seven small five-pointed “Stars of Solomon” - obligatory ritual accessories of Jewish Kabbalism (see. "Motherland", 2002, No. 4/5, p. 95). Note that in 1903 in Russia, the Zionists started issuing “copper tokens with the image of a star and five main figures on the Zionist issue” (see “Bulletin of the Archivist”, 2001, No. 2, p. 205)

The pentagram is constantly used in Masonic symbolism, from where it came into the state emblem of the USA, post-war Italy and other countries ruled by Freemasons (the coats of arms of many Latin American republics are actually slightly modified signs of local Masonic lodges that came to power in the 19th century as a result of anti-monarchical revolutions) .

Masonic signs in the form of a pentagram

As is known, the Freemasons set as their program goal the so-called “globalization” - that is, the subordination of all the peoples of the Earth to a certain “World Government”, which is under the complete control of Freemasonry (primarily American-Israeli): “... We will tire the goyim so much that we will force them agree to an international power that can, without breaking, absorb into itself all the state forces of the world and form a Super-Government. In place of modern rulers we will put a monster, which will be called a super-governmental administration. His hands will be stretched out in all directions, like pincers, with such a colossal organization that it cannot fail to conquer all nations. (...) It is necessary to ensure that, besides us, in all states there are only the masses of the proletariat, a few millionaires devoted to us, policemen and soldiers. ... We will ... entrust responsible positions in states ... to persons whose past and character are such that an abyss has opened between them and the people, to such people who, in case of disobedience to our instructions, will have to wait either for trial or exile. This is so that they defend our interests until their last breath” (see Zion Protocols No. 5, 7, 8).

"Globalized" Globe, entangled in Masonic symbolism

As for Russia, the leading printed Masonic mouthpiece, the Parisian magazine Acacia, directly wrote in an editorial at the beginning of 1904: “The true policy of Western Europe should be to dismember this colossus before it becomes too dangerous. A possible revolution should be used to restore Poland as a protective wall of Europe, and the rest of Russia should be divided into three or four states" ((see Solovyov O.F. Freemasonry in world politics of the 20th century. M., 1998, p. 42) .
Short and clear! Another important task of Freemasonry is the destruction of the Christian religion. Hence, among the highest degree Masons, the satanic cult of worship of Baphomet is secretly practiced - the incarnation of the devil in the form of a winged goat, on whose forehead the same red pentagram shines.

Very often, Satanists draw a pentagram with both ends up so that the devil’s head can be easily inscribed there (“Pentagram of Baphomet”).

Satanic pentagrams on Masonic symbols

By the way, the notorious authors of the communist anthem “The Internationale” - the poet E. Pothier and the composer P. Degeyter - were also Freemasons (which was always kept silent in the USSR). International Masonic lodges secretly provided the Bolsheviks with comprehensive support, especially financial (see Nikolaevsky B.I. Russian Masons and Revolution. M., 1990, pp. 66-67).

Red (just like the Bolsheviks) pentagram on Masonic signs

And the Marxist plans for the “world proletarian revolution” were clearly of Masonic origin, especially since a number of the most prominent Marxists (including some Bolshevik leaders) were members of Freemasonry. These included the “leader of the October Revolution” (as he was called in the communist press) L. Trotsky (Leiba Davidovich Bronstein). It was Trotsky who proposed making the Masonic pentagram the identifying emblem of Bolshevism.

Twin brothers. Masonic badge of 1917 and badge of a delegate of the 3rd Congress of the Comintern with the image of Lenin, 1921 (find the fundamental differences)

Let us note that the Bolsheviks often placed this pentagram on Red Army uniforms, military equipment, various signs and badges, and all sorts of attributes of visual propaganda in a purely satanic way: with two “horns” up.

Propaganda plate with the pentagram of Baphomet, in the center of which is the head of a security officer. Around the circumference there is a characteristic inscription: “Everywhere I see a conspiracy of the rich, seeking their own benefit under the name and pretext of good.”

The horned “pentagram of Baphomet” can also be seen on the military “Symbol of the World Socialist Revolution” established on September 16, 1918 (again at the suggestion of Trotsky) - the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR (and on similar orders of the same name of the Azerbaijan SSR and the Mongolian People's Republic and the breastplate sign “Hero of the Revolutionary Movement”).

Similar satanic pentagrams adorned special award certificates awarded to distinguished security officers. Chairman of the Cheka Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky quite consciously and confidently wore a similar devilish star as a cockade on his service cap (see Rodina, 2007, No. 12, p. 7).

Let us add that the portrait of this “fiery revolutionary”, placed inside the “pentagram of Baphomet”, was the central part of the composition of the special Chekist order “Felix Dzerzhinsky” designed in 1932 (this project was rejected by Stalin, who deeply hated “Iron Felix”, whom “the leader of the peoples “rightly called an “active Trotskyist”). This is the truth about the true origin and real meaning of the Bolshevik emblems.

And the final deliverance from this Kabbalistic Masonic-Satanic symbolism (which, among other things, continues to desecrate the sacred towers of the Moscow Kremlin) seems to be an indispensable condition for the true national revival of Russia.

S. V. Naumov, historian

What does the five-pointed star mean and where did it come from in Soviet symbolism? Who suggested and why to use a five-pointed star

The five-pointed star, or “pentacle,” has been known since ancient times - primitive people, as well as representatives of the earliest civilizations in the territories of modern Turkey, Greece, Iran and Iraq, used it as a symbol of protection, safety and security in their totems and ritual drawings. It was also a revered emblem among the Japanese and American Indians. Among the Sami of Russian Lapland, the five-pointed star was considered a universal amulet that protects reindeer - the basis of the way of life of most northerners. In North Karelia, back in the middle of the 19th century, the fact of veneration of the five-pointed star by Karelian hunters was attested. Having stumbled upon a connecting rod bear in the winter forest, the hunter quickly drew three five-pointed stars in a row in the snow and retreated behind them. It was believed that the bear would not be able to cross this line.
Archaeologists suggest that at the dawn of civilization they tried to symbolically depict the heraldic figure of the Big Bird, who supposedly created the world with a spit from its beak. The Pentacle seemed to our ancestors to consist of five triangles - signs of the Eternal Sky, where the Gods live. The number five is generally symbolic: after all, our hands and feet have five fingers. Five processes “stick out” from our body - two arms, two legs and a head. In the drawing of the brilliant Leonardo da Vinci, the “ideal” person, having placed them widely to the sides, himself resembles a five-pointed star. And later people learned that the planet itself consists of five main continents.
The ancients noticed this phenomenon and were so shocked that Venus and her pentacle became symbols of love and beauty. That is why the ancient Greeks organized the Olympic Games once every eight years, and centuries later, with the revival of the Olympic movement, the five-pointed star almost became their main symbol - at the very last moment, under pressure from the Church, it was replaced with five rings, since the priests considered the five-pointed star a symbol paganism and, to put it mildly, “didn’t like it.”
In the Middle Ages, the inverted five-pointed star acquired a different meaning: evil and sinister - it resembled the face of a horned goat used in the rituals of witches and sorcerers, or even the face of Satan himself. Moreover, such “witch” stars were red - since ancient times, red has symbolized not only beauty, but also rebellion, revolution, independence - with a willingness to shed blood for all this. Psychologists note that red is the most aggressive color. It always catches your eye, it seems visually closer. The color red in clothes is also a kind of indicator of “energy expenditure”: they say that a woman in red is easier to seduce. As a result, the five-pointed red star became a symbol of the element, in which either a “new order” challenging the old world, or complete chaos, was to be born - depending on where its rays were looking.
However, in Russia, until 1917, five-pointed stars were used infrequently as a symbol - as a top on New Year trees or decorations on wrapping paper for gifts, and occasionally on embroidered peasant towels. Even at the turn of the 20th century, small five-pointed stars appeared on the shoulder straps of Russian officers. But the Bolsheviks who came to power, destroying the old world “to the ground,” urgently needed new symbolism - and here the red pentacle came in handy more than ever!
According to one source, the first to introduce a five-pointed star in the spring of 1918 as a distinctive sign of Red Army soldiers was the military commissar of the Moscow Military District, Nikolai Polyansky. According to others, the “father” of our five-pointed star was Konstantin Eremeev, the first Soviet commander of the Petrograd Military District, chairman of the Commission for the formation of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. And she was finally “adopted” by one of the Bolshevik leaders of the Bolsheviks, Leon Trotsky.

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 mud. In particular, there have been many attempts to discredit the red five-pointed star - they say it is a satanic sign associated with black magic. However, if you consider the history of this symbol, it becomes clear that it was not invented by Satanists at all.

From time immemorial

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 hole, or a small room. The Pythagoreans saw in the pentagram five refuges in which, during the creation of our world, primeval chaos was hidden. The inhabitants of Babylon used a star with five rays as a sign to protect their home from thieves. For some time, the five-pointed star was the official seal of Jerusalem - perhaps that is why medieval scientists 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 was symbolized by the “star of Mars.”

During the Great French Revolution, the star with five rays penetrated into the military symbolism of the young republic and settled on the epaulettes and headdresses of generals and officers. The five-pointed star made its way to Russia from France: in 1827, with a light hand NicholasI The epaulettes of senior army ranks began to be decorated with gold forged stars. 27 years later, in 1854, also under Nicholas I, epaulettes would appear on the shoulders of the Russian military, and embroidered stars on the shoulder straps.

Well forgotten old

When the February Revolution broke out in 1917, all tsarist insignia in the army were abolished en masse.

According to order No. 321 of May 7, 1918, issued by the People's Commissar of Military Affairs of the Republic Leon Trotsky, “the star of Mars with a plow and a hammer” becomes the sign of the Red Army. It is believed 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 a breastplate, but after six months it happily migrated to the headdresses of military men and sailors, where it remained for many years.

Every symbol needs a legend. At the dawn of the existence of the Red Army, the red five-pointed star personified the unity of “proletarians of all countries” - workers from all five continents; red was the color of revolution, the color of blood that was shed for freedom. Later, red stars on headdresses became associated with warrior-defenders.

Since January 1919, stars began to be sewn onto new headdresses of the Red Army soldiers, reminiscent in shape of the helmets of ancient knights. The first name for these pointed hats – “heroes” – did not catch on; they remained in the memory of the people as budenovkas.

Poster "Join the Red Cavalry", 1920

Coats of arms and flags

Soon the red stars gained such popularity that they were lit up on the coat of arms and banner of the young country building communism. And then the emblems of the republics began to light up. By the way, the red star appeared on the coat of arms of the RSFSR only in 1978!

It is interesting that another ancient sign had considerable chances 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 a swastika. At one time it even appeared on banknotes - “kerenkas”. However, it never moved to the country’s coat of arms.

In 1928, the October star was born - also red, but with a portrait of a young Volodya Ulyanova in the middle. All October students were required to wear it on the left side of their chest. And in 1935, stars decorated with Ural gems shone on the Spasskaya, Troitskaya, Borovitskaya and Nikolskaya towers of the Kremlin. True, these stars soon dimmed, so in 1937 Stalin ordered to install red stars made of milk glass (inside) and ruby glass (outside) on these towers, as well as on the Vodovzvodnaya Tower. The leader believed that with such stars the Kremlin would become more beautiful. And this is perhaps the little thing on which we can agree with him.

The first official sketch of the red star as a sign of the Red Army was approved in the spring of 1918. On April 19, a correspondence appeared in the newspaper “Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Peasants, Workers, Soldiers and Cossack Deputies”, which stated that the Commissariat for Military Affairs had approved a drawing of a breastplate for soldiers of the Red Army in the form of a red star with a golden image of a plow and a hammer in the center. The star itself, which, by the way, was called the “star of Mars” both in the article and for some time after its official adoption, personified, on the one hand, the god of war Mars, and on the other, due to its red color, the defense of the revolution. And the symbolism of the hammer and plow was even easier to read: they, of course, personified the “worker-peasant” character of the new army.
It is interesting that in one of the preliminary sketches, drawn and proposed by the commissar of the Moscow Military District Nikolai Polyansky, in addition to the plow and hammer, there was also a book - as a symbol of the intelligentsia. But they refused the book, considering that it overloaded the sign and made it difficult to read. The idea itself of combining the symbols of workers and peasants in one sign was first realized in March 1917, when an image of a crossed hammer, plow and rifle appeared on the banner of the workers of the Moscow Faberge factory.
When officially approved by order of the People's Commissariat of Military Affairs of the Republic No. 321 of May 7, 1918, the new sign of the Red Army was called the “Star of Mars with a plow and a hammer” and was to be worn on the left chest. By the way, many Red Army soldiers, especially Red commanders, preferred to put the sign on the sword belt - so that it would not cling to it and cover it, turning the Red warrior into an unknown armed man. And this consideration in July 1918 forced the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic to give the order to move the red star from the chest to the band of the cap - a place that became familiar to several generations of Soviet soldiers. And on November 15 of the same year, RVS order No. 773 was issued, by which the red star was finally placed on headdresses, not only of the Red Army, but also of the Red Navy.
The first enamel red star, called “Mars”, had a characteristic shape. Its rays were thicker than we are used to seeing, and their edges were slightly convex, making the entire star seem more voluminous. In this form - with convex thick rays, a hammer and a plow - it existed for four years. On April 13, 1922, the plow, which was considered a symbol of the wealthy peasantry, that is, the kulaks, was replaced by the poor peasant's sickle (although, most likely, this replacement had a more mundane design explanation: the sickle is simpler to depict and easier to perceive). Three months later, on July 11, the shape of the star’s rays was also changed - they were straightened, giving the sign a look that is familiar to us.