Communist symbolism represents a variety of themes, including revolution, the

proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philo ...

, peasantry, agriculture, or

international solidarity International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. Communist states, parties and movements use these symbols to advance and create solidarity within their cause. These symbols often appear in yellow on a red background. The flag of the Soviet Union incorporated a yellow-outlined red star and a yellow

hammer and sickle The hammer and sickle (Unicode: "☭") zh, s=锤子和镰刀, p=Chuízi hé liándāo or zh, s=镰刀锤子, p=Liándāo chuízi, labels=no is a symbol meant to represent proletarian solidarity, a union between agricultural and industri ...

on red. The flags of Transnistria, Vietnam,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, North Korea, Angola and Mozambique would all incorporate similar symbolism under communist rule. The

have become the pan-communist symbol, appearing 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. In

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, Indonesia, Ukraine and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, communist symbols are banned and displays in public for non-educational use are considered a criminal offense.

Hammer and sickle

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. The hammer and sickle were first used during the

1917 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

, but it did not become the official symbol of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic until 1924. Since the Russian Revolution, the hammer and sickle have come to represent various communist parties and communist states.

Red star

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 Tsarist Russia may refer to: * Grand Duchy of Moscow (1480–1547) *Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721) *Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of ...

. 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 workers and peasants. By the 1920s, the red star began to be used as an official symbol of the state, and finally in 1924, it became the part of the Soviet flag and the official emblem of the Soviet Union. In the succeeding years, the five-pointed red star came to be considered as a symbol of communism as well as broader socialism in general. It was widely used by

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

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 The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II. After the Vistula– ...

. Most states in the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

incorporated the red star into state symbols to signify their socialist nature.

Red flag

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. The red flag gained its modern association with communism in the 1871 French Revolution. 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.

Red and black flag

The red and black flag has been a symbol of general communist movements, though generally used by

anarcho-communists Anarcho-communism, also known as anarchist communism, (or, colloquially, ''ancom'' or ''ancomm'') is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private property but retains res ...

. The flag was used as the symbol of the anarcho-syndicalists during the Spanish Civil War. The black represents

anarchism Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessa ...

and the red represents

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

and socialist ideals. Over time, the flag spilled into statist leftist movements, these movements include the Sandinistas and the

26th of July Movement The 26th of July Movement ( es, Movimiento 26 de Julio; M-26-7) was a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization and later a political party led by Fidel Castro. The movement's name commemorates its 26 July 1953 attack on the army barracks on San ...

, 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.

Guerrillero Heroico

This famous photo captured by photographer Alberto Korda of Che Guevara in 1960 has become a world symbol of revolution. This image can be found on t-shirts, flags, hats, in street art, parodied in popular media, and even in the autonomous areas of Chiapas, Mexico, controlled by the EZLN.

''The Internationale''

''The Internationale'' is an anthem of the Communist movement. It is one of the most universally recognized songs in the world and has been translated into nearly every spoken language. Its original

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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 The raised fist, or the clenched fist, is a long-standing image of mixed meaning, often a symbol of political solidarity. It is also a common symbol of communism, socialism, and other revolutionary social movements. It can also represent a salute ...

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 Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

. 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 Tienanmen Square protests of the same year.

Plough or Starry Plough

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 and showed silver stars on a green background. The flag depicts an asterism (an identified part) of the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

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 Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

, 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 A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

to the stars. 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.

In China, the

Plough flag The Plough flag () is a red banner with a white or yellow plough positioned in the center of it, widely used in the period of the Northern Expedition as the flag of the Chinese Peasants' Association. Symbolism The plough symbolizes the peas ...

(), a red flag with white or yellow plough, is widely used in the period of the First Revolutionary Civil War as the flag of the Chinese peasant associations, an organization led by the Chinese Communist Party. It is believed that Peng Pai () was the first user in 1923 at the peasants' association of Hailufeng. The Plough flag has many different versions and some are combined with the flag of Blue Sky, White Sun or Red Field; other are different on the details of the plough.

National emblems

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.

Other communist symbols

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 Revolutionary songs are political songs that advocate or praise revolutions. They are used to boost morale, as well as for political propaganda or agitation. Amongst the most well-known revolutionary songs are "La Marseillaise" and "The Internatio ...

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 belong 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

. * 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 ''Le Temps des cerises'' (, ''The Time of Cherries'') is a song written in France in 1866, with words by Jean-Baptiste Clément and music by Antoine Renard, extremely famous in French-speaking countries. The song was later strongly associat ...

'' exemplified in the emblem of the

Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia ( cs, Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy, KSČM) is a communist party in the Czech Republic. As of 2021, KSČM has a membership of 28,715, and is a member party of The Left in the European Parliament ...

. * Rifle such as the AK-47 on the flag of Mozambique and

Mosin–Nagant The Mosin–Nagant is a five-shot, bolt-action, internal magazine–fed military rifle. Known officially as the 3-line rifle M1891 and informally in Russia and former Soviet Union as Mosin's rifle ( ru , винтовка Мосина, ISO 9: ) ...

Albanian lek The lek (; indefinite singular ''lek'', definite plural ''lekët'', indefinite plural ''lekë''; sign: Lekë in Albanian or Lek in English, sometimes L; code: ALL) is the currency of Albania. Historically, it was subdivided 100 ''qintars'' (; ...

. * 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 Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

, 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 Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe capi ...

* Portraits of various communist leaders, such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong,

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...

, 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 Guevarism, and revolution in general.“Communists, Capitalists still buy into Iconic Che Photo, Author says” by Brian Byrnes, '' CNN'', May 5, 2009 * The

Arm and hammer The arm and hammer is a symbol consisting of a muscular arm holding a hammer. Used in ancient times as a symbol of the god Vulcan, it came to be known as a symbol of industry, for example blacksmithing and gold-beating. It has been used as a s ...

, exemplified in the logo of the

Socialist Labor Party of America The Socialist Labor Party (SLP)"The name of this organization shall be Socialist Labor Party". Art. I, Sec. 1 of thadopted at the Eleventh National Convention (New York, July 1904; amended at the National Conventions 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924 ...

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.

Gallery

Examples of these symbols in use.

Hammer and sickle

File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg, Flag of the Soviet Union File:Flag of the Chinese Communist Party.svg, Flag of the Communist Party of China 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 The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front ( tr, Devrimci Halk Kurtuluş Partisi-Cephesi or DHKP-C) is a far-left Marxist–Leninist Communist party in Turkey. It was founded in 1978 as Revolutionary Left (Turkish: or ), and has been inv ...

File:বাংলাদেশ কমিউনিস্ট পার্টির পতাকা.svg, Flag of the Communist Party of Bangladesh File:Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (1951–1991).svg, Flag of the

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

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 The State Emblem of the Soviet Union; be, Дзяржаўны герб СССР; kk, ССРО мемлекеттік елтаңбасы; lt, TSRS Valstybinis herbas; lv, PSRS valsts ģerbonis; et, NSVL riigivapp} was adopted in 1923 and was ...

(1923-1936) File:Emblem of the Uzbek SSR.svg, Emblem of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic File:Emblem of Laos (1975-1991).svg, State emblem of

Lao People's Democratic Republic Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

(1975-1991) File:КПСС.svg, Logo of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

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

Communist Party of Vietnam The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), also known as the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP), is the founding and sole legal party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Founded in 1930 by Hồ Chí Minh, the CPV became the ruling party of North ...

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 The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...

with a hammer, sickle and gear. File:FRELIMO_Emblem.svg, Logo of FRELIMO used from 1987 to 2004 with a hammer and hoe. File:CPI_symbol.svg, Logo of the

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

with a sickle and wheat. File:Cross and Sickle.png, The cross and sickle, symbol of Christian communism and

Red star

File:Flag of Benin (1975–1990).svg, Flag of

People's Republic of Benin The People's Republic of Benin (french: République populaire du Bénin; sometimes translated as Benin Popular Republic or Popular Republic of Benin) was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which would becom ...

(1975-1990) File:Flag of North Korea.svg, Flag 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 The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of south ...

File:Flag of Yippies.svg, Flag of the Youth International Party File:Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg, Flag of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–1992) File:Flag of South Yemen.svg, Flag of

South Yemen South Yemen ( ar, اليمن الجنوبي, al-Yaman al-Janubiyy), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 19 ...

(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:Emblem of the Transcaucasian SFSR (1930-1936).svg, Emblem of the Transcaucasian SFSR (1930-1936) File:Coat of arms of Hungary (1957-1990).svg, Coat of arms of Hungarian People's Republic (1957-1990) File:Orden-Pobeda-Marshal Vasilevsky 09.jpg, 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)

Red and black flag

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.png, 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 The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, abbr. MPLA), for some years called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan left-wing, social de ...

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

Plough

File:Starry Plough flag (1914).svg, The

Starry Plough flag Starry may refer to: * ''Starry'' (The Killjoys album), 1994 *Starry (Purr Machine album) *Donn A. Starry (1925–2011), United States Army general *Starry Lee (born 1974), Hong Kong politician *Starry Internet, a fixed wireless ISP service See a ...

used by the Irish Citizen Army File:StarryPlough.svg, A modern variant of the Starry Plough File:Plough Flag.svg, Flag of the

Chinese Peasants' Association The Chinese National Peasants' Association (), otherwise known as the Chinese Peasants' Association (), was a peasant organization created in 1927 with the specific aim of transforming the peasantry via Socialism. It was led by the Chinese Commun ...

File:Unknown Chinese Communist Flag (1920s?).png, Another version of the flag 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.

Other symbols

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

. File:Pioneers pin rs.svg, Young Pioneers pin featuring a stylized portrait of Vladimir Lenin File:Lenin - lebte, Lenin - lebt, Lenin - wird leben^ Lenin Lived, Lenin is Alive, Lenin Will Live - panoramio.jpg, Statue of Vladimir Lenin File:Stamp Josef Stalin 2.jpg, Stalin stamp from German Democratic Republic. Stalin's image was commonly used by Marxist–Leninist states and movements File:LittleRedBook English.jpg,

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung ''Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung'' () is a book of statements from speeches and writings by Mao Zedong (formerly romanized as Mao Tse-tung), the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, published from 1964 to about 1976 and wid ...

(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.svg, The "Five Heads" of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao File:Marx Engels Lenin Stalin Mao Gonzalo.svg, The "Six Heads" of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Gonzalo File:Che por Jim Fitzpatrick.svg, Che Guevara's image, symbol of Guevarism File:Да здравствует пятая годовщина великой пролетарской революции (плакат).jpg, A revolutionary worker in socialist realist style File:Fist_.svg, Stylized

, 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)

References

Bibliography

* 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 992. ''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.

External links

"Blog: Heart in a Hearless World"
{{European communist parties Red symbols

Hammer and sickle

Red star

Red flag

Red and black flag

Guerrillero Heroico

''The Internationale''

Plough or Starry Plough

National emblems

Other communist symbols

Gallery

Hammer and sickle

Red star

Red and black flag

Plough

Other symbols

See also

References

Bibliography

External links