Before the USSR
Before 1922, there was no Soviet Union. The Russian Empire used a very different collection of imperial, naval and military symbols. The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 created a new political order and a new visual language based around the colour red.
The change in flags reflected a much wider change in Russian society. The old imperial symbols were associated with the monarchy, while revolutionary red banners represented a break with the previous political system.
The red revolutionary banner
Red banners had been used by socialist and revolutionary movements before the Bolsheviks came to power. Red became associated with revolution, workers and the struggle against the old political order.
During the upheavals of 1917, red flags appeared in demonstrations, meetings and military contexts. They were not yet a single standardised national design, but they established the colour that would dominate Soviet symbolism for the next seven decades.
1917 and the early Soviet state
After the October Revolution, Soviet institutions used a range of red flags and revolutionary emblems. The designs were not completely standardised at first, and different organisations used their own versions.
Early Soviet symbolism was closely connected with the revolutionary movement rather than with the established traditions of the former Russian Empire. This period laid the foundations for the later state flag of the USSR.
1922 — creation of the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was established in December 1922. A common state flag was required to represent the new federation of Soviet republics.
The creation of the USSR was an important turning point in flag history. The Soviet government was building symbols for a completely new type of state, and the flag needed to communicate the ideas of the revolution while representing the union of its constituent republics.
The hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle became the central Soviet emblem. The hammer represented industrial workers and the sickle represented agricultural workers. Together they symbolised the alliance of workers and peasants.
The emblem became one of the most recognisable political symbols of the twentieth century. It appeared not only on the national flag but on government buildings, military banners, medals, posters and official documents.
The red star
The five-pointed red star became another major Soviet symbol. It was associated with the Communist Party, the revolutionary movement and the international socialist project.
The star also became strongly associated with the Soviet armed forces. It appeared on military equipment, uniforms and insignia and became an instantly recognisable part of Soviet visual identity.
The familiar Soviet flag
The best-known Soviet design was a red field bearing the golden hammer and sickle beneath a five-pointed star. The precise proportions and placement changed during the USSR's history, but the basic symbolism remained.
The combination was deliberately simple and highly visible. A red field could be recognised at a distance, while the hammer, sickle and star immediately identified the flag with the Soviet political system.
How the Soviet flag changed
The Soviet flag was not completely unchanged from 1922 to 1991. The legal specifications, proportions and details of the emblem were revised at different points in the USSR's history.
These changes reflected the Soviet state's attempts to standardise its symbols. Despite the alterations, the essential design — red field, hammer and sickle and red star — remained remarkably consistent.
The Soviet republics
Each Soviet republic also had its own flag. These often retained a red base while incorporating local colours, landscapes or national lettering alongside Soviet symbols.
The republic flags showed the unusual structure of the USSR: it was presented as a federation of separate Soviet republics, while political power remained concentrated in the Soviet system.
The flag during the Second World War
The Soviet red banner became one of the most important symbols of the Eastern Front during the Second World War. The Red Army's banners became closely connected with the Soviet struggle against Nazi Germany.
The flag became particularly powerful as a symbol of Soviet victory. Images of Soviet troops raising the red banner over Berlin became among the most famous photographs and visual representations of the end of the war in Europe.
The Soviet flag and the Cold War
After 1945, the Soviet flag became one of the defining symbols of the Cold War. It represented the Soviet Union and its communist political system in contrast with the United States and the Western alliance.
The flag appeared at international events, diplomatic buildings, military parades and political ceremonies. It was also used throughout the Soviet sphere of influence, although the countries of Eastern Europe generally had their own national flags.
The USSR ends
The Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991. The Soviet flag was lowered from the Kremlin and the flags of the newly independent republics replaced Soviet symbols.
The end of the USSR brought one of the biggest changes to the political map of Europe and Asia in the twentieth century. The former Soviet republics went on to use national flags reflecting their own histories and identities.
The legacy of the Soviet flag
The Soviet flag remains one of the most recognisable political flags of the twentieth century. It is associated with both the achievements and the repression of the Soviet system, so its meaning remains politically contested.
It is still encountered today in historical displays, museums, films, books and political movements. For some people it represents the Soviet victory in the Second World War and the achievements of Soviet science and industry; for others it represents authoritarian rule, political repression and the loss of national independence experienced by some Soviet peoples.
Soviet Flag Timeline
The Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government and red revolutionary banners became central symbols of the new political order.
Soviet institutions used various red flags and revolutionary emblems while the new state structure developed.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was created, bringing several Soviet republics into a new federal state.
The hammer and sickle and red star became firmly established as major symbols of the Soviet state and Communist movement.
The red banner became a major symbol of the Soviet war effort and eventual victory over Nazi Germany.
The Soviet flag became one of the world's most recognisable symbols of communism and the Soviet superpower.
The Soviet Union dissolved and the Soviet flag was replaced by the flags of the independent states that emerged from the USSR.
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Sources & further reading
This FlagAtlas article is an educational overview of historical flag development. Historical symbols can have different meanings depending on period and context, so individual flags should be studied alongside the political history of the states that used them.