Communist symbolism

{{main|Hammer and sickle}}

File:Hammer and sickle red on transparent.svg

File:Hammer and Sickle - Kerala.jpg in a communist rally in Kerala, India showing two farmers forming the hammer and sickle, the most famous communist symbol]]

The hammer and sickle appears on the flags of most communist parties around the world. Some parties have a modified version of the hammer and sickle as their symbol, most notably the Workers' Party of Korea which includes a hammer representing industrial workers, a hoe representing agricultural workers, and a brush (traditional writing-implement) representing the intelligentsia.

The hammer stands for the industrial working class and the sickle represents the agricultural workers, therefore together they represent the unity of the two groups.{{Cite web |title=Flag of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics {{!}} Symbol, Colors & Meanings {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

The hammer and sickle was first used during the 1917 Russian Revolution, but it did not appear on the official flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1924. Since the Russian Revolution, the hammer and sickle has been used by various communist parties and communist states.

{{main|Red star}}

File:Red star.svg

The red five-pointed star is a symbol of the ultimate triumph of the ideas of communism on the five (inhabited, excluding Antarctica) continents of the globe. It first appeared as a military symbol in Tsarist Russia. It was then called the “Mars star,” reminiscent of Mars, the ancient Roman god of war. On January 1, 1827, the law was signed that put a five-pointed star on the epaulets of officers and generals. In 1854, the star began to be used on shoulder straps. Later, the five-pointed star with a two-headed eagle inside it was used to mark military trains and carriages. In Soviet Russia, the five-pointed star symbolized the protection of peacetime labor by the Red Army (again, like in Ancient Rome, where Mars was also the protector of the agricultural workers). In 1918, the drawing of the badge for the soldiers of the Red Army in the form of a red star with a golden image of a plough and a hammer in the center was approved. The star symbolized protection, while the plough and the hammer were read as a union of peasants and workers. By the 1920s, the red star began to be used as an official symbol of the state; and finally, in 1924, it became part of the Soviet flag and the official emblem of the Soviet Union.{{cite web|url=https://www.rbth.com/history/333914-soviet-flag-explained|title=The Soviet flag EXPLAINED.|date=20 June 2021|access-date=June 25, 2021|language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://www.stpetersburgnews.net/news/269979635/the-soviet-flag-explained|title=The Soviet flag EXPLAINED.|date=21 June 2021|access-date=June 25, 2021|language=en}}

In the succeeding years, the five-pointed red star came to be considered a symbol of communism as well as of broader socialism in general. It was widely used by anti-fascist resisting parties and underground socialist organizations in Europe leading up to and during World War II. During the war, the red star was prominently used as a symbol of the Red Army troops of the Soviet Union countering the invading forces of Nazi Germany and wiping them out of Eastern Europe; achieving absolute victory, and ending the war at the Battle of Berlin.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} Most states in the Eastern Bloc incorporated the red star into state symbols to signify their socialist nature.

{{main|Red flag (politics)}}

File:Socialist_red_flag.svg

The red flag is often seen in combination with other communist symbols and party names. The flag is used at various communist and socialist rallies like May Day. The flag, being a symbol of socialism itself, is also commonly associated with non-communist variants of socialism.

The red flag has had multiple meanings in history. It is associated with courage, sacrifice, blood and war in general, but it was first used as a flag of defiance.1602 Dekker Satirom. Wks. 1873 I. 233 What, dost summon a parlie, my little Drumsticke? tis too late: thou seest my red flag is hung out. 1666 Lond. Gaz. No. 91/4 That the Red Flag was out, both Fleets in sight of each other, expecting every hour fit weather to Engage. Flags of the World, [http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vxt-dvf3.html#flagofdefiance "Flag of Defiance"]. The red flag gained its modern association with communism in the 1871 French Revolution.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}} After the October Revolution, the Soviet government adopted the red flag with a superimposed hammer and sickle as its national flag. Since the October Revolution, various socialist states and movements have used the red flag.

{{See also|Bisected flag}}

File:Anarchist_flag.svg

The red and black flag has been a symbol of general communist movements, though generally used by anarcho-communists. The flag was used as the symbol of the anarcho-syndicalists during the Spanish Civil War. The black represents anarchism and the red represents leftist and socialist ideals.[http://www.infoshop.org/AnarchistFAQAppendix2 "Anarchist FAQ Appendix"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901181328/http://www.infoshop.org/AnarchistFAQAppendix2 |date=2015-09-01 }}. Over time, the flag spilled into statist leftist movements, these movements include the Sandinistas and the 26th of July Movement, where the flags colors are not divided diagonally, but horizontally. As in the case of the Sandinistas, they adopted the flag due to the movement's anarchist roots.{{cite web|url=http://www.cipres.org/Institucion/Actualidad/Articulo_74.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928201527/http://www.cipres.org/Institucion/Actualidad/Articulo_74.asp|archive-date=28 September 2007|title=El socialismo libertario de|publisher=Centro Para la Promoción, Investigación Rural y Social|language=es|access-date=30 March 2009}}

{{main|The Internationale}}

{{listen|filename=Internationale orchestral arrangement.ogg|title=Orchestral arrangement|description=|format=Ogg}}

The Internationale is an anthem of the Communist movement.{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/7078/inter.txt|title=The International|author=The Guardian, Australia|pages=first paragraph|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052335/http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/7078/inter.txt|date=25 October 2009|archive-date=27 October 2009|access-date=3 April 2018|url-status=dead}} It is one of the most universally recognized songs in the world and has been translated into nearly every spoken language. Its original French refrain is C'est la lutte finale/Groupons-nous et demain/L'Internationale/Sera le genre humain (English: This is the final struggle/Let's group together and tomorrow/The International/Will be the human race). It is often sung with a raised fist salute.

The song has been used by communists all over the world since it was composed in the 19th century and adopted as the official anthem of the Second International. It later became the anthem of Soviet Russia in 1918 and of the Soviet Union in 1922. It was superseded as the Soviet Union anthem in 1944 with the adoption of the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, which placed more emphasis on patriotism. The song was also sung in defiance to Communist governments, such as in the German Democratic Republic in 1989 prior to reunification as well as in the People's Republic of China during the Tiananmen Square protests of the same year.{{Cite web |title=Telling the Story with Music: The Internationale AT TIANANMEN SQUARE |url=https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/telling-the-story-with-music-the-internationale-at-tiananmen-square/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Association for Asian Studies |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Tuohy |first=William |date=1989-10-09 |title=E. German Police Beat Protesters : Brutality in Berlin Comes on 2nd Day of Demonstrations |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-09-mn-105-story.html |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

{{main|Starry Plough (flag)|Plough flag}}

File:Starry Plough flag (1914).svg

File:StarryPlough.svg

The original Starry Plough was designed by William H. Megahy, though the concept may have originated with George William Russell, for the Irish Citizen Army"Irish Literary Portraits" ed. W. R. Rodgers p.195 and showed silver stars on a green background.{{cite web|date=1989-11-06|title=History of Starry Plough Flag|url=https://www.angelfire.com/space/derryirsp/flaghistory.htm|publisher=Angelfire.com|access-date=2010-07-23}} The flag depicts an asterism (an identified part) of the constellation Ursa Major, called The Plough (or "Starry Plough") in Ireland and Britain, the Big Dipper in North America, and various other names worldwide. Two of the Plough's seven stars point to Polaris, the North Star. James Connolly, co-founder of the Irish Citizen Army with Jack White and James Larkin, said the significance of the banner was that a free Ireland would control its own destiny from the plough to the stars.{{cite web|title=The Plough and the Stars Irish Theatre Players Perth|url=https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/australia/news-and-events/2016/the-plough-and-the-stars-perth/|website=www.dfa.ie|publisher=Department of Foreign Affairs|language=en|accessdate=20 February 2017}} The sword as the plowshare is also a biblical reference in Isaiah 2:3-4. In the bible verse, God pushes his followers to turn their weapons into tools, turning the means for war into the means for peace. The marriage of Catholic tradition, the biblical reference being integral to the flag's design, with socialist concepts, like the working class and the oppressor forcing them to take up their plowshares as arms, leaves the Starry Plough flag with complexity and nuanced implications, which culminate in a very wide range of interpretations.{{cite web|title=The Starry Plough Flag|url=http://irishstudies.sunygeneseoenglish.org/the-starry-plough-flag/|publisher=Irish Studies Group at SUNY Geneseo}} During the 1930s the design changed to a blue banner which was designed by members of the Republican Congress, and was adopted as the emblem of the Irish Labour movement, including the Labour Party. Labour adopted the rose as its official emblem in 1991 but continued to use the Starry Plough for ceremonial occasions, and in 2021 the party reverted to using the Starry Plough as their primary symbol (this time with white stars on a red background).

File:Plough Flag.svg

File:Unknown Chinese Communist Flag (1920s?).png

In China, the Plough flag ({{zh|s=犁头旗}}), a red flag with white or yellow plough, was widely used in the period of the First Revolutionary Civil War as the flag of the Chinese Peasants' Association, an organization led by the Chinese Communist Party.[http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_66ce329301014w42.html "002这是好的很 毛泽东发表《湖南农民运动考察报告》发表四十四周年"].[http://epaper.dfsc.com.cn/html/2014-08/13/content_13_2.htm "土地革命时期农民秋收暴动旗帜"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926103724/http://epaper.dfsc.com.cn/html/2014-08/13/content_13_2.htm |date=2017-09-26 }}. It is believed that Peng Pai ({{zh|s=彭湃}}) was the first user in 1923 at the peasants' association of Hailufeng.[http://www.lfxcw.gov.cn/9244.html "彭湃与陆丰农民运动"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428205635/http://www.lfxcw.gov.cn/9244.html |date=2021-04-28 }}. The Plough flag has many different versions and some are combined with the flag of Blue Sky, White Sun or Red Field;[http://www.shaoguanmuseum.com/a/wenwujianshang/gemingwenwulei/2013/0524/71.html "广明龙农会会旗"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025132822/http://www.shaoguanmuseum.com/a/wenwujianshang/gemingwenwulei/2013/0524/71.html |date=2016-10-25 }}. other are different on the details of the plough.[http://360.mafengwo.cn/travels/info.php?id=3434115 "#消夏计划#石塘双峰寨——中国的意大利费拉拉式水"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020223812/http://360.mafengwo.cn/travels/info.php?id=3434115 |date=2018-10-20 }}.[http://cn.chinadaily.com.cn/2016-10/14/content_27064087.htm "【网络媒体走转改】湖北红安这条古街记录过革命时期的壮怀激烈，更见证了新中国的巨大变迁"].

{{main|Socialist-style emblems}}

File:State Emblem of the Soviet Union.svg

Many communist governments purposely diverged from the traditional forms of European heraldry in order to distance themselves from the monarchies that they usually replaced, with actual coats of arms being seen as symbols of the monarchs. Instead, they followed the pattern of the national emblems adopted in the late 1910s and early 1920s in Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

While not necessarily communist in nature, the following graphic elements are often incorporated into the flags, seals and propaganda of communist countries and movements.

• Revolutionary music as well as protest music. The Internationale falls under this category.
• Socialist realism, an art style developed in the Soviet Union.
• Crossed proletarian implements, including picks, hoes, scythes and in the case of the Workers' Party of Korea a brush to represent the intelligentsia. The ubiquitous hammer and sickle also belongs in this category.
• Rising sun, exemplified on the state emblems of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan, Croatia, Romania and PASOK.
• Cogwheels, exemplified on the emblems of Angola and China.
• Wreaths of wheat, cotton, corn or other crops, present on the emblems of almost every historical Communist-ruled state.
• Cherries resemblance from the Le Temps des cerises exemplified in the emblem of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia.
• Rifle such as the AK-47 on the flag of Mozambique and Mosin–Nagant on Albanian lek.
• Red banners with yellow lettering, exemplified on the emblems of Vietnam and Soviet Union.
• Red or yellow stars, perhaps the most common communist symbol behind the hammer and sickle.
• Open books, exemplified on the state emblems of Mozambique and Angola; and also on the party emblems of Communist parties of Russia and Ukraine.
• Factories or industrial equipment, exemplified on the emblems of North Korea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Democratic Kampuchea, emblem of CPUSA and Azerbaijan.
• Natural landscapes, exemplified on the emblems of Armenia, Macedonia, Romania, and Karelo-Finland.
• Torches, exemplified on the Emblem of Yugoslavia.
• Sword and shield, exemplified on the Soviet Committee for State Security emblem and the Mother Motherland.
• Cross and sickle, the symbols of the Christian communism and Christian socialism
• Portraits of various communist leaders, such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Josip Broz Tito, etc.
• Che Guevara's image, in particular as it appears in Guerrillero Heroico (“Heroic Guerilla”), is a common symbol of the Cuban Revolution,“Che Guevara: Revolutionary & Icon”, by Trisha Ziff, Abrams Image, 2006{{rp|19}} Guevarism, and revolution in general.{{rp|73}}“Communists, Capitalists still buy into Iconic Che Photo, Author says” by Brian Byrnes, CNN, May 5, 2009
• The Arm and hammer, exemplified in the logo of the Socialist Labor Party of America

Notable examples of communist states that use no overtly communist imagery on their flags, emblems or other graphic representations are Cuba and the former Polish People's Republic.

Examples of these symbols in use.

File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|Flag of the Soviet Union

File:Danghui.svg|Emblem of the Chinese Communist Party

File:中國工農紅軍軍旗.svg|Flag of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army

File:Flag of the Workers' Party of Korea.svg|Flag of the Workers' Party of Korea with a hammer, sickle and paintbrush.

File:DHKP.svg|Flag of the Turkish Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front

File:বাংলাদেশ কমিউনিস্ট পার্টির পতাকা.svg|Flag of the Communist Party of Bangladesh

File:Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1954–1991).svg|Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1954 to 1991

File:Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.svg|Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1950 to 1992

File:Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (1951–1991).svg|Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1951 to 1991

File:Flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (1952–1991).svg|Flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic from 1952 to 1991

File:Flag of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (1953–1991); Flag of Kazakhstan (1991–1992).svg|Flag of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic from 1953 to 1992

File:Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1951–1990).svg|Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1951 to 1990

File:Flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (1956–1991).svg|Flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic from 1956 to 1991

File:Flag of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (1953–1988).svg|Flag of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1953 to 1988

File:Flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (1952–1990).svg|Flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1952 to 1990

File:Flag of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (1953–1990).svg|Flag of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1953 to 1990

File:Flag of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic.svg|Flag of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic from 1952 to 1992

File:Flag of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic.svg|Flag of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic from 1953 to 1991

File:Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1952–1990).svg|Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1952 to 1990

File:Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic.svg|Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic from 1953 to 1992

File:Flag of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (1953–1990).svg|Flag of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1953 to 1990

File:Flag of the Karelo-Finnish SSR.svg|Flag of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic from 1953 to 1956

File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg|Emblem of the Soviet Army

File:Comintern Logo.svg|Logo of the Communist International

File:Logo of the Fourth International.svg|Symbol of the Fourth International

File:Coat of arms of the Soviet Union (1923–1936).svg|First State Emblem of the Soviet Union (1923–1936)

File:Emblem of Laos (1975-1991).svg|State emblem of Lao People's Democratic Republic (1975–1991)

File:КПСС.svg|Logo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

File:Communist Party of Vietnam flag logo.svg|Logo of the Communist Party of Vietnam

File:LPRP logo.svg|Logo of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party

File:Nepal Communist Party.svg|Logo of the Nepal Communist Party

File:Logo_Partito_Comunista_Italiano.svg|Logo of the Italian Communist Party

File:CPUSA.svg|Logo of the Communist Party USA with a hammer, sickle and gear.

File:Christian communism logo.svg|The cross and sickle, symbol of Christian communism and Christian socialism.

File:CPI_symbol.svg|Logo of the Communist Party of India with a sickle and wheat.

File:State arms of the German Democratic Republic.svg|The National emblem of East Germany, a compass, hammer and circle of rye.

File:Hammer_und_Ähre.svg|The Emblem of the Hungarian People's Republic from 1946 to 1949, a hammer and ear of wheat.

File:Emblem of Angola.svg|The Emblem of Angola.

File:FRELIMO_Emblem.svg|Logo of FRELIMO used from 1987 to 2004 with a hammer and hoe.

File:Coat of arms of the People's Republic of the Congo.svg|Coat of arms of the People's Republic of the Congo with a gold hammer, hoe, and star.

File:Flag of the Communist Party of Ireland.svg|Flag of the Communist Party of Ireland, a red and yellow version of the Sunburst flag.

File:Flag_of_the_Party_of_Communists_of_the_Republic_of_Moldova.svg|Flag of the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, including a Book.

File:Flag of the Communist Party of Cuba.svg|The flag of the Communist Party of Cuba.

File:Young Mao Zedong flag.png|Flag of the Maoist Communist Party of China.

File:Polish United Workers' Party flag.svg|Flag of the Polish United Workers' Party.

File:Flag of Benin (1975–1990).svg|Flag of People's Republic of Benin (1975–1990)

File:Flag of the Workers' Party of North Korea.svg|Flag of the Workers' Party of North Korea

File:Flag of the Workers' Party of South Korea.svg|Flag of the Workers' Party of South Korea

File:Flag of North Korea.svg|Flag of North Korea

File:Emblem of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.svg|Emblem of North Korea

File:Flag of the EZLN.svg|Flag of the EZLN and the Neozapatista ideology

File:Estelada roja.svg|Catalan socialist independentist red estelada

File:Flag of the Popular Front (Spain).svg|Flag of the Popular Front

File:Flag of Kurdistan Workers' Party.svg|Flag of the Kurdistan Workers' Party

File:Flag of Yippies.svg|Flag of the Youth International Party

File:Flag of South Yemen.svg|Flag of South Yemen (1967–1990)

File:Coat of arms of South Yemen (1970-1990).svg|Coat of Arms of South Yemen (1970–1990)

File:Emblem of SFR Yugoslavia.svg|Emblem of SFR Yugoslavia (1945–1992)

File:Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg|Flag of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992)

File:Emblem of the Transcaucasian SFSR (1930-1936).svg|Emblem of the Transcaucasian SFSR (1930–1936)

File:Flag of the Transcaucasian SFSR (variant).svg|Flag of the Transcaucasian SFSR

File:Flag of the Hungarian Working People's Party.svg|Flag of the Hungarian Working People's Party.

File:Coat of arms of Hungary (1957-1990).svg|Coat of arms of Hungarian People's Republic (1957–1990)

File:Order of Victory.svg|Soviet Order of Victory Award (1945)

File:China Emblem PLA.svg|Emblem of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

File:RAF-Logo.svg|Logo of the Red Army Faction (West Germany)

File:Tupamaro Venezuela logo.png|Logo of the Revolutionary Movement Tupamaro (Venezuela)

File:United Socialist Party of Venezuela logo.gif|Logo of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela

File:Logo_–_Parti_communiste_français_(2018).svg|Logo of the French Communist Party

File:Rødt_logo_(bokmål).svg|Logo of the Red Party (Norway)

File:American Party of Labor flag.svg|Flag of the American Party of Labor

File:Bandera CNT-AIT.svg|Flag of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (Spain)

File:Flag of the FSLN.svg|Flag of the Sandinistas (Nicaragua)

File:M-26-7.svg|Flag of the 26th of July Movement (Cuba)

File:Flag of ELN.svg|Flag of the National Liberation Army (Colombia)

File:Flag of the Rebel Armed Forces.svg|Flag of the Rebel Armed Forces (Guatemala)

File:Flag of the Revolutionary Movement 13th November.svg|Flag of the Revolutionary Movement 13th November (Guatemala)

File:BanderaPVP.svg|Flag of the Partido por la Victoria del Pueblo (Uruguay)

File:Flag of the MIR - Chile.svg|Flag of the Revolutionary Left Movement (Chile)

File:Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (bandeira).svg|Flag of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola

File:Flag of Angola.svg|The flag of Angola

File:Awami Tahreek (Sindh).svg|Flag of the Awami Tahreek (Pakistan)

File:Tupamaro flag.png|Flag of the Revolutionary Movement Tupamaro (Venezuela)

File:Emblema Partido Intransigente.svg|Flag of the Intransigent Party (Argentina)

File:Antifalogo.svg|The logo for Antifa

File:Starry Plough flag (with fringe).svg|The Starry Plough flag used by the Irish Citizen Army

File:StarryPlough-darkblue.svg|A modern variant of the Starry Plough used by the Irish National Liberation Army

File:Irish Republican Socialist Party Flag.svg|Flag of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and the Irish People's Liberation Organisation

File:The logo of Labour Party in Ireland 2021.svg|2021 logo of the Labour Party (Ireland)

File:Chinese Peasants' Association Flag.svg|Flag of the Chinese Peasants' Association

File:Republic of China flag defaced with Plough.png|Flag of the Guangdong Peasants' Association during the period of the First United Front

File:Soviet_Red_Army_Hammer_and_Plough.svg|Star, hammer and plough cockade of the Red Army (1918, soon replaced with a hammer and sickle cockade).

File:CHROMO-LITHOGRAPH SOVIET TATARSTAN USSR EMBLEM Tatar Sûrâlar Cumhuriyeti armasi. i.e. Emblem of Soviet Tatar Republic.png|Tatarstani USSR Emblem by an unknown artist showcasing the friendship between two farmers

File:Flag_of_JCP.svg|The emblem of the Japanese Communist Party. It represents the two aspects of industry and agriculture, with the ear of rice and the cog in front of four red flags.

File:Flag of Vietnam.svg|The flag of Vietnam, an example of a red flag with a gold star.

File:Flag of the Mongolian People's Republic (1945–1992).svg|Flag of the Mongolian People's Republic.

File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg|alt=Flag of the People's Republic of China.|Flag of the People's Republic of China.

File:Flag of Democratic Kampuchea.svg|Flag of Democratic Kampuchea.

File:Logo of the Swiss Party of Labour.svg|Logo of the Swiss Party of Labour, a Phrygian cap with a Swiss cross on it.

File:Emblem of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.svg|Emblem of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, with a gold ear of grain and a gear on a red background.

File:Flag_of_Afghanistan_(1978–1980).svg|The flag of Afghanistan from 1978 to 1980.

File:Socialist Labor Party of America logo.svg|Emblem of the Socialist Labor Party of America, an arm and hammer.

File:American Labor Party logo.svg|Emblem of the American Labor Party, a cogwheel with two hands shaking.

File:Pioneers pin rs.svg|Young Pioneers pin featuring a stylized portrait of Vladimir Lenin.

File:LittleRedBook English.jpg|Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (aka the "Little Red Book"), associated with Maoism.

File:Marx Engels Lenin.svg|Flag featuring the "Three Heads" of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin.

File:Marx_-_Engels_-_Lenin_-_Stalin.svg|The "Four Heads" of Marxism: Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin.

File:Marx Engels Lenin Stalin Mao vector portraits.svg|The "Five Heads" of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao.

File:Che por Jim Fitzpatrick.svg|Che Guevara's image, symbol of Guevarism.

File:Camilo, Fidel, y Che.svg|A flag with the faces of Camilo Cienfuegos, Fidel Castro, and Che Guevara.

File:Да здравствует пятая годовщина великой пролетарской революции (плакат).jpg|A revolutionary worker in socialist realist style.

File:Fist_.svg|Stylized raised fist, used both as a symbol in itself and as a salute.

File:Zapatismo Idea.jpg|The portraits of Karl Marx, Emiliano Zapata, and Subcomandante Marcos, all symbols used in the Neozapatismo ideology.

File:DSE badge.svg|Badge of the Democratic Army of Greece, with a stylized letter D (Δ).

{{Portal|Communism|Heraldry}}

{{Div col}}

• Anarchist symbolism
• Bans on communist symbols
• Communist chic
• Fascist symbolism
• Fist and rose
• Hammer and sickle
• List of socialist songs
• Nazi symbolism
• Raised fist
• Red flag (politics)
• Red star
• Rose symbolism
• Socialist-style emblems
• The Internationale

;National symbols

• Emblem of Yugoslavia
• Emblems of the Soviet Republics
• Flag of East Germany
• Flags of the Soviet Republics
• National Emblem of the People's Republic of China
• National emblem of East Germany
• Workers of the world, unite!

{{Div col end}}

{{reflist}}

• Arvidsson, Stefan (2017). Style and mythology of socialism: socialist idealism, 1871-1914. Routledge.
• Barisone, Silvia, Czech, Hans-Jörg & Doll, Nikola (2007). Kunst und Propaganda im Streit der Nationen 1930 - 1945: eine Ausstellung des Deutschen Historischen Museums Berlin in Zusammenarbeit mit The Wolfsonian-Florida International University. Dresden: Sandstein.
• Groys, Boris (2011 [1992]). The total art of Stalinism: avant-garde, aesthetic dictatorship, and beyond. Verso Books.
• King, David (2009). Red star over Russia: a visual history of the Soviet Union from 1917 to the death of Stalin : posters, photographs and graphics from the David King collection. London: Tate.

• [https://heartinaheartlessworld.blog/ "Blog: Heart in a Hearless World"]

{{Communism}}

Category:Red symbols