The flag of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 ...

, known in Spanish as ', was the official flag of Spain between 1931 and 1939 and the flag of the Spanish Republican government in exile until 1977. Its present-day use in Spain is associated with the modern republican movement, different trade unions and various left-wing political movements.

History

The Spanish republican flag began to be used on April 27, 1931, thirteen days after

municipal elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

results led to the abolition of the monarchy and the proclamation of the

. This same flag had been previously displayed by certain Republican groups as an alternative to the red-and-yellow flag that they identified with the Bourbon monarchy in Spain. As a result of this previous use, the young republic proclaimed in 1931 eagerly adopted this symbol.La Tricolor. Breve historia de la Bandera Republicana
/ref> The Republican flag was adopted on April 27 and presented to the army of the nation on May 6 with the following words: "The national uprising against tyranny, victorious since April 14, has hoisted a flag that is invested by means of the feelings of the people with the double representation of the hope of freedom and of its irreversible triumph." The Republican flag was formed by three horizontal bands of the same width, red, yellow, and dark purple. The National Flag would have the Spanish Republican coat of arms at the centre (quarterly of Castile, Leon, Aragon and Navarre, enté en point for Granada, ensigned by a

mural crown A mural crown ( la, corona muralis) is a crown or headpiece representing city walls, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the Romans a military decoration. Later ...

, between the two

Pillars of Hercules The Pillars of Hercules ( la, Columnae Herculis, grc, Ἡράκλειαι Στῆλαι, , ar, أعمدة هرقل, Aʿmidat Hiraql, es, Columnas de Hércules) was the phrase that was applied in Antiquity to the promontories that flank t ...

). This coat of arms originated in 1868 and had been used then by the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

and later by the

First Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic ( es, República Española), historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic, was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874. The Republic's founding ensued after th ...

. The

civil ensign A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag ...

or merchant flag would be a simple tricolour without the coat of arms. The term "la tricolor" to refer to the flag is reminiscent of the

French tricolor The national flag of France (french: link=no, drapeau français) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the ''Tricolour'' (), although the flag of Irela ...

which, since the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

of the late 18th Century, has made a flag composed of three equal strips into the symbol of a Republic. However, having horizontal strips rather than vertical ones, as in the French flag, made it possible to preserve many elements of the previous Spanish flag, used during centuries of Monarchial rule. During the Civil War there was also a military version of the flag with proportion 2:3 and without the coat of arms used by Republican Army units in different locations. Despite not displaying the arms, this plain flag did not correspond to the civil ensign approved in 1931 for the use of merchant ships. The International Brigades added a three-pointed red star to the yellow band of the military Republican flag. The simplified military flag of the Second Spanish Republic was also used by the

Spanish Maquis The Maquis were Spanish guerrillas who waged an irregular warfare against the Francoist dictatorship within Spain following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War until the early 1960s, carrying out sabotage, robberies (to help fund ...

between the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

and the early 1960s, and later by the

Spanish National Liberation Front Spanish National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Español de Liberación Nacional), better known by its acronym FELN, was a Spain, Spanish Republican antifascism, antifascist opposition group based in Belgium and France active between 1963 and 1970. ...

(FELN). Versions of this flag were used in the 1970s by the radical anti-

Francoist Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

groups

Revolutionary Antifascist Patriotic Front The Revolutionary Antifascist Patriotic Front (FRAP) (''Frente Revolucionario Antifascista y Patriota'', sometimes also called ''Frente Revolucionario Antifascista y Patriótico'') was a radical Spanish anti-Francoist, Marxist–Leninist revolutio ...

(FRAP) and First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (GRAPO). The Republican flag is now widely used by

trade unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

and

left-wing 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 ...

political organizations, such as United Left, the Marxist-Leninist Party ''(RC)'' and some factions of the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gove ...

. It is also used by republican platforms.

Colors

The Spanish Republican Flag has three colours: red, yellow, and dark purple. The third colour, dark purple ( es, morado oscuro, links=no), represents Castile and León by recalling the ''Pendón Morado'', the ancient armorial banner of Castile. The colours of red and yellow symbolise the territories of the former

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

. These three colours symbolised a new era for

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in which no part thereof was excluded and all Spaniards were represented.

''Morado''

''Morado'', which is a generic word denoting the colour purple or violet, was previously a familiar colour in

because it is one of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

liturgical colours Liturgical colours are specific colours used for vestments and hangings within the context of Christian liturgy. The symbolism of violet, blue, white, green, red, gold, black, rose and other colours may serve to underline moods appropriate to ...

that is displayed on

vestment Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...

altar cloth An altar cloth is used in the Christian liturgy to cover the altar. It serves as a sign of reverence as well as a decoration and a protection of the altar and the sacred vessels. In the orthodox churches is covered by the antimension, which also c ...

s, and other ecclesiastical textile furnishings to signify certain seasons of the Catholic liturgical year, and, being a historically

nation, this colour had annual and public use throughout Spain. Also, it was used in antiquity as the heraldic colour of the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th cent ...

. The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the Kingdom of León bore a purple

lion rampant The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Chr ...

and the flag reputed to have been used in the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros ( es, Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Castile against the rule of Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its height, th ...

displayed a yellow castle on a purple background. ''Morado'', however, was and is prone to variations in

hue In color theory, hue is one of the main properties (called color appearance parameters) of a color, defined technically in the CIECAM02 model as "the degree to which a stimulus can be described as similar to or different from stimuli that ...

and fading from time and use, which often resulted in "''morado''" denoting a range of hues of

purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, ...

, which presently are considered distinct colours/hues, e. g. crimson or maroon. Because it is rarely present on flags, in practice the ''morado'' of the lowest band of the Flag was coloured violet,

( purpure), or even lilac, contingent on available materials and dyes.

Controversies

Spanish

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...

s resented the ''morado'' of the new tricolored flag and a famous ''

soleá ''Soleares'' (plural of ''soleá'', ) is one of the most basic forms or '' palos'' of Flamenco music, probably originating among the Calé Romani people of Cádiz or Seville in Andalusia, the most southern region of Spain. It is usually accompa ...

'' was composed when the Flag began to be used. These verses also indirectly expressed dissatisfaction for the reforms of the new republican government: Modern historians, such as Margarita Márquez Padorno or Mirta Núñez Díaz-Balart, suggest that despite popular belief, the Castilian ''Pendón Morado'' never existed or that it was actually red in colour and the morado colour was used merely for aesthetic reasons or due to a lack of historical knowledge. Until 2001, the official badge of the

Real Madrid C.F. Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn ...

had a purple band based either on the Castilian or Spanish republican colours which was added after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931. The colour of the band was changed from ''morado'' to

navy blue Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color ...

in 2001.

Depictions, derivatives and variants

File:Cubierta constitucion1931.jpg, Cover of the Constitution of the Second Spanish Republic File:Republique-allegorie.jpg, Allegory of the Spanish Republic File:Stamp150aniversaryUSconstitution1937SpanishRepublic.png, Statue of Liberty Spanish stamp honoring the 150th anniversary of the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...

File:Alegoría-República española y francesa.jpg, Allegory of the Spanish Republic embracing

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed in ...

, symbolizing the French Republic. 1931 File:Spanish Medical Aid Armband.jpg,

Spanish Medical Aid Committee The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...

armbandSpanish Medical Aid Committee
/ref> File:American Medical Bureau armband.svg,

American Medical Bureau The American Medical Bureau (AMB), also known as the American Medical Bureau to Save Spanish Democracy, was a humanitarian aid institution associated to the Lincoln Battalion, providing a medical corps, nursing systems for casualties, as well as ...

(AMB) armband File:Tumbazana.jpg, Grave of President

Manuel Azaña Manuel Azaña Díaz (; 10 January 1880 – 3 November 1940) was a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933 and 1936), organizer of the Popular Front in 1935 and the last President of the Repu ...

(1880-1940) in

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...

, France File:GDR Medal of Hans Beimler - Spanish Civil War BAR.png,

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

medal of Hans Beimler File:Orde van de Spaanse Republiek in Ballingschap.gif,

Order of the Spanish Republic The Order of the Spanish Republic (Spanish: "Orden de la República Española") was founded in 1932 in the Second Spanish Republic for civil and military merit to the state. It replaced the orders of merit of the former Spanish Monarchy and had ...

in Exile File:Bandera del GRAPO.svg, PCE(r) and GRAPO flag File:Reconstrucción Comunista RC flag.svg, PML (RC) flag File:Reconstrucción Comunista RC flag (RC) alternative.svg, PML (RC) alternative flag

Civil use

File:Estandarte Presidencial NA.svg,

Presidential Standard The presidential standard or presidential flag is the flag that is used in many countries as a symbol of the head of state or president. In some countries it may be for exclusive use of the president or only raised where the president is present. An ...

Niceto Alcalá-Zamora Niceto Alcalá-Zamora y Torres (6 July 1877 – 18 February 1949) was a Spanish lawyer and politician who served, briefly, as the first prime minister of the Second Spanish Republic, and then—from 1931 to 1936—as its president. Early life ...

(1931-1936) File:Estandarte Presidencial MA.svg, Presidential Standard of Manuel Azaña (1936-1939) File:Ministerial Flag of the Spanish Republic.png, Ministerial Standard File:Yacht Flag of the Second Spanish Republic.svg,

Yacht ensign A yacht ensign is a flag allowed by some nations to be hoisted as the national ensign (instead of the civil ensign) by yachts. As with any other civil ensign, the yacht ensign is the largest flag on board, and is normally flown at the stern (re ...

used on recreational boats or ships (1931-1939)

Military use

File:Bandera republica batalla ebro.jpg,

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Rep� ...

flag used in the

Battle of the Ebro The Battle of the Ebro ( es, Batalla del Ebro, ca, Batalla de l'Ebre) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between Ju ...

File:Flag of the 44 Division Spanish Popular Army.svg, Flag of the 44th Division of the Spanish Popular Army Image:Flag of the International Brigades.svg, The flag of the International Brigades File:Fin flash of the Spain 1931-1939.svg,

Fin flash Military aircraft insignia are insignia applied to military aircraft to identify the nation or branch of military service to which the aircraft belong. Many insignia are in the form of a circular roundel or modified roundel; other shapes such as ...

of the Spanish Republican Air Force File:I-15 Polikarpov Tinker.jpg,

Polikarpov I-15 The Polikarpov I-15 (russian: И-15) was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed ''Chaika'' (''russian: Чайка'', "Seagull") because of its gulled upper wings,Gunston 1995, p. 299.Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 10. it was ...

of the Spanish Republican Air Force File:Roundel of the Spanish Republican Air Force.svg, Roundel of the Spanish Republican Air Force File:Fin flash of the Aeronáutica Naval.png, Fin flash of the ''Aeronáutica Naval'', the

naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based ...

of the

Spanish Republican Navy The Spanish Republican Navy was the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. History In the same manner as the other two branches of the Spanish Republi ...

(1931-1936) File:Flag of Viceadmiral of the Fleet Spanish Republic.svg, Spanish Republican Navy. Ensign of the Viceadmiral of the Fleet File:Captain at Sea Pennant Spanish Republican Navy - Squadron.png, Spanish Republican Navy.

Captain at Sea Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

Pennant File:Senior Officer Pennant - Armada de la República Española.PNG, Spanish Republican Navy.

Senior Officer A senior officer is an officer of a more senior grade in military or other uniformed services. In military organisations, the term may refer to any officer above junior officer rank, but usually specifically refers to the middle-ranking group of ...

Pennant

Present-day use

File:77 aniversario 2 república eibar3.JPG, Flag of the Second Spanish Republic in

Eibar Eibar ( eu, Eibar, es, Éibar) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. It is the head town of Debabarrena, one of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Gipuzkoa. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eusta ...

File:Izqrepublicana.jpg, Office of the Izquierda Republicana party in León File:Manifestación III República.jpg, Pro-Republican demonstration;

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

2006 File:Manifestación en Oviedo.jpg, Spanish Republican flags in a demonstration in Oviedo, April 2009 File:Manifestación en Tenerife.jpg, Pro-Republican demonstration in

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, Canary Islands, April 2007 File:Sevillarepublica.jpg, Pro-Republican demonstration in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, April 2006 File:Montañarepublica.JPG, Monument to former Los Llanos de Aridane Republican major Francisco Rodríguez Betancourt. The flag on the left with its oversized coat of arms is a recent commercial version. File:Madrid - Manifestación 19J - 110619 131356.jpg, Madrid 19 June 2011 demonstration File:Manifa1.jpg, 2012 demonstration in

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in the auto ...

File:Manifestación republicana en Sol (2 de junio de 2014).JPG, Republican demonstration in the

Puerta del Sol The Puerta del Sol (English: "Gate of the Sun") is a public square in Madrid, one of the best known and busiest places in the city. This is the centre ('' Km 0'') of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous clo ...

on the day that Juan Carlos I announced his decision to abdicate File:Spanish Republican flag in Barcelona.jpg, Use as a symbol in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

during the campaign for the

2017 Catalan independence referendum An independence referendum was held on 1 October 2017 in the Autonomous communities of Spain, Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, passed by the Parliament of Catalonia as the Law on the Referendum on Self-determination of Catalonia and cal ...

File:Republican Grafitti on a Garage Door in Cartagena - panoramio.jpg, Spray-painted on a garage door in Cartagena

References

External links

Armada Española - Segunda República (1931 - 1939)
Flags of the World
Asturias RepublicanaMinisterio de Defensa - Insignias Jefes de Estado; Presidente de la II RepúblicaSecond Spanish Republic National Anthem
* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI51gBYqgq4 La Bandera Republicana ondea en París {{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of The Second Spanish Republic National symbols of Spain

Second Spanish Republic Republicanism in Spain