A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

that has often historically been associated with

communist ideology Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

, particularly in combination with the

hammer and sickle The hammer and sickle (Unicode: ) is a communist symbol representing proletarian solidarity between industrial and agricultural workers. It was first adopted during the Russian Revolution at the end of World War I, the hammer representing wo ...

, but is also used as a purely

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

symbol in the 21st century. It has been widely used in

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

ornaments An ornament is something used for decoration. Ornament may also refer to: Decoration *Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts *Ornamental turning *Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals tha ...

, and

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

s. A golden star or yellow star is also a closely-associated symbol to the red star in the context of contemporary

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, similarly representing

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

, and national unity. Some former

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

nations have passed laws banning it, describing it as a symbol of far-left

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...

ideology. The red star has also been used in a non-communist context and before the emergence of this movement, in symbols of countries and states since the 19th century. It appears for example on the flags of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and the U.S. state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The red star has also been used as logo by private agencies and corporations, such as the oil giant

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Independ ...

and beer multinational

Heineken Heineken Lager Beer (), or simply Heineken (), is a Dutch pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 February 1864, ...

History

The star's origins as a symbol of communist mass movements dates from the time of the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

and the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, but the precise first use remains unknown. The red star as a symbol of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

was proposed by the Military Collegium for the organization of the Red Army and the creator of the Red Star emblem was the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

commander of the Petrograd Military District, Konstantin Eremeev. On the other hand, one account of the symbol's origin traces its roots to the Moscow troop

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

toward the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. At this time, many troops were fleeing from the Austrian and German fronts, joining the local Moscow garrison upon their arrival in the city. To distinguish the Moscow troops from the influx of retreating front-liners, officers gave out tin stars to the Moscow garrison soldiers to wear on their hats. When those troops joined the

and the

s they painted their tin stars red, the color of socialism, thus creating the original red star. The red star was used in communist media as early as in 1908 with the publication of the novel

Red Star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. ...

by Bolshevik revolutionary

Alexander Bogdanov Alexander Aleksandrovich Bogdanov (; – 7 April 1928), born Alexander Malinovsky, was a Russian and later Soviet physician, philosopher, science fiction writer and Bolshevik revolutionary. He was a polymath who pioneered blood transfusion, a ...

, which describes a technologically advanced communist civilization on Mars. Another claimed origin for the red star relates to an alleged encounter between

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

and

Nikolai Krylenko Nikolai Vasilyevich Krylenko (, ; 2 May 1885 – 29 July 1938) was an Old Bolshevik and Soviet politician, military commander, and jurist. Krylenko served in a variety of posts in the Soviet law, Soviet legal system, rising to become Minis ...

. Krylenko, an

Esperantist An Esperantist () is a person who speaks, reads or writes Esperanto. According to the Declaration of Boulogne, a document agreed upon at the first World Esperanto Congress in 1905, an Esperantist is someone who speaks Esperanto and uses it for ...

, wore a green-star lapel badge; Trotsky inquired as to its meaning and received an explanation that each arm of the star represented one of the five traditional continents. On hearing that, Trotsky specified that soldiers of the Red Army should wear a similar red star. One interpretation sees the five points as representing the five fingers of the worker's hand, as well as the five populated continents (counting

the Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...

as one). A lesser-known suggestion is that in communist symbolism, the five points on the star were intended to represent the five

social groups In the social sciences, a social group is defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties. Fo ...

that would lead Russia to communism: the

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

, the military, the industrial labourers, the

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

workers or

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

ry and the

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...

. In Soviet heraldry, the red star symbolized the

and military service, as opposed to the hammer and sickle, which symbolized peaceful labour. Regardless of the star's exact origin, it was incorporated into the

's uniforms and heraldry as early as 1918. Curtiss JN-3

Shortly before the founding of the Soviet Union, in mid-March 1916 the U.S. Army Signal Corps' aviation section used the red star for the national insignia for U.S. aircraft on the aircraft of the Signal Corps' 1st Aero Squadron during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

to apprehend the Mexican revolutionary

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

Use in the USSR and its constituent republics

The symbol became one of the most prominent of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, adorning nearly all official buildings, awards and insignia. Sometimes the

appeared inside or below the star. In 1930 the Soviet Union established the

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

and awarded its insignia to

and

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". The Soviet and

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

military newspaper bore and bears the name ''Red Star'' (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: '' Krasnaya Zvezda''). File:Red star Red Army 05.gif, Red Army cap badge (1918–1922) File:Вступайте в красную конницу, 1920.jpg, Red Cavalry poster depicting a red star on a

budenovka A budenovka ( rus, будёновка, r=budyonovka, p=bʊˈdʲɵnəfkə) is a distinctive type of hat, an archetypal part of the Communist military uniforms of the Russian Civil War following the Russian Revolution (1917–1922) and later c ...

hat (1920) File:Kremlin Star.jpg, Kremlin Star,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(1937) File:Orden-Pobeda-Marshal Vasilevsky 09.jpg, Soviet Order of Victory, USSR (1945) File:Red Star Plate by Adamovich 1921.jpg, Plate by Adamovich, Russian SFSR (1921) File:Roundel of the Soviet Union (1945–1991).svg, Roundel of the

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

As a holiday ornament

During the 1930s, Soviet publications encouraged the practice of decorating a New Year's tree, known as a ''yolka'' (). These trees were often decorated with a red star, a practice that has continued in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

since the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Gallery of the heraldry of Soviet republics

File:State Emblem of the Soviet Union.svg,

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of the

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...

File:Emblem of the Azerbaijan SSR.svg,

of the

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent re ...

File:Emblem of the Byelorussian SSR (1981-1991).svg,

of the

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 19 ...

File:Emblem of the Estonian SSR.svg,

of the

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit (Republics of the Soviet Union, union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the Occupation o ...

File:Emblem of the Georgian SSR.svg,

of the

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Georgia, the Georgian SSR, or simply Georgia, was one of the republics of the Soviet Union from its second occupation (by the Red Army) in 1921 to its independence in 1991. Cotermin ...

File:Emblem of Kazakh SSR.svg,

of the

Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Kazakhstan, the Kazakh SSR, KSSR, or simply Kazakhstan, was one of the transcontinental country, transcontinental Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Un ...

File:Emblem of the Kirghiz SSR.svg,

of the

Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic The Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirghiz SSR), also known as the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kyrgyz SSR), KySSR or Kirgiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirgiz SSR), was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1 ...

File:Emblem of the Latvian SSR.svg,

of the

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation and annexation of Latvia began between J ...

File:Emblem of the Lithuanian SSR.svg,

of the

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; ; ), also known as Soviet Lithuania or simply Lithuania, was ''de facto'' one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944 ...

File:Emblem of the Moldavian SSR (1981-1990).svg,

of the

Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic The Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic or Moldavian SSR (, mo-Cyrl, Република Советикэ Сочиалистэ Молдовеняскэ), also known as the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan SSR, Soviet Moldavia, Sovie ...

File:Emblem of the Russian SFSR.svg,

of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

File:Emblem of the Tajik SSR.svg,

of the

Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, also commonly known as Soviet Tajikistan, the Tajik SSR, TaSSR, or simply Tajikistan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1929 to 1991 in Central Asia. The Tajik Rep ...

File:Emblem of the Turkmen SSR.svg,

of the

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Turkmenistan, the Turkmen SSR, TuSSR, Turkmenistan, or Turkmenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union located in Central Asia existed as a republic from 1925 to 199 ...

File:Emblem of the Ukrainian SSR.svg,

of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

File:Emblem of the Uzbek SSR.svg,

of the

Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Communist ...

File:Emblem of the Transcaucasian SFSR (1930-1936).svg, Emblem of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (1923–1936) File:Emblem of the Karelo-Finnish SSR.svg, Emblem of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (1941–1956) File:Emblem of the Latvian SSR (1918-1920).svg, Coat of arms of the

Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic The Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic (, LSPR) was a short-lived socialist republic formed during the Latvian War of Independence. It was proclaimed on 17 December 1918 with the political, economic, and military backing of Vladimir Lenin and ...

(1919–1920) File:Emblem of the Armenian SSR.png, Coat of Arms of the

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia ...

(1936–1990)

Gallery of Soviet flags

File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg, Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics File:Flag of Armenian SSR.svg, Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.svg, Flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Byelorussian SSR.svg,

Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted on 25 December 1951. Prior to this, the flag was red with the Cyrillic characters ''БССР'' (''BSSR'') in gold in the top-left corner, surrounded by a gold border. Between 1937 ...

File:Flag of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic.svg, Flag of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Georgian SSR.svg, Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of the Kazakh SSR.svg, Flag of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Kyrgyz SSR.svg, Flag of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Latvian SSR.svg, Flag of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Lithuanian SSR.svg, Flag of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Moldavian SSR.svg, Flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.svg,

Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The penultimate Soviet Union, USSR-era flag was adopted by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, RSFSR) in 1954 and used until 1991. The flag of the Russian SFSR was a Defacement (flag), ...

File:Flag of Tajik SSR.svg, Flag of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of the Turkmen SSR.svg, Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Ukrainian SSR.svg,

Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The first flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (UkSSR) was adopted on 10 March 1919 to serve as the symbol of state of the Ukrainian SSR. Details of the official flag changed periodically before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 199 ...

File:Flag of the Uzbek SSR.svg, Flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic File:Flag of Oryol.svg, Flag of

Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, , ɐˈrʲɵl, a=ru-Орёл.ogg, links=y, ), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, situated on the Oka Rive ...

File:Flag of the Karelo-Finnish SSR.svg,

Flag of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by the Karelo-Finnish SSR on 3 March 1953. The flag's design was based on the flag of the Soviet Union, flag of the former Soviet Union, with the additional horizontal blue (1:6 ...

(1953–1956) File:Flag of Transcaucasian SFSR (1925-1936).svg,

Flag of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic The Flag of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (, ) was adopted by the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic in 1925. It consists of a red star bordered by gold in the canton (flag), canton, surrounded by a sem ...

(1922–1936)

Use in other socialist countries

Following its adoption as an emblem of the Soviet Union, the red star became a symbol for communism around the world. Several

Communist state A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

s subsequently adopted the red star symbol, often placing it on their respective flags and

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

– for example on the

flag of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The flag of Yugoslavia was the official flag of the Yugoslavia, Yugoslav state from 1918 to 1992. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from the Pan-Slavism, Pan-Slavic movement, which ultimately led to the unification of the South Slavs a ...

Separatist Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...

and socialist movements also sometimes adopted the red star, as on the Estelada flag in the

Catalan countries The Catalan Countries (, ) refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencian Community, and parts of Aragon ('' La Franja'') and Murcia ( Carche), as ...

Eastern Bloc

The red star became a common element of the flags and heraldry of socialist states in the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

, appearing in heraldry for virtually all of the countries, and on the flags of

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, and

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. From 1991 to 1995,

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

dropped its Soviet-style emblem in favor of an emblem featuring the Pahonia; the Soviet-era heraldry was re-adopted in 1995, and continues to be used today with minor modifications in 2012 and 2020. File:Flag of Bulgaria (1971 – 1990).svg, Flag of the

People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; , NRB; ) was the official name of Bulgaria when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; ) together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agraria ...

(1971–1990) File:Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg, Flag of the

Socialist Republic of Romania The Socialist Republic of Romania (, RSR) was a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist One-party state, one-party socialist state that existed officially in Romania from 1947 to 1989 (see Revolutions of 1989). From 1947 to 1965, the state was ...

(1965–1989) File:Flag of Albania (1946-1992).svg, Flag of the

People's Socialist Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the P ...

(1946–1992) File:Flag of Hungary (1949-1956; 1-2 aspect ratio).svg, Flag of the

Hungarian People's Republic The Hungarian People's Republic (HPR) was a landlocked country in Central Europe from its formation on 20 August 1949 until the establishment of the current Hungary, Republic of Hungary on 23 October 1989. It was a professed Communist_state# ...

(1949–1956) File:Coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Romania.svg, Coat of arms of the

File:Coat of arms of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg, Coat of arms of the

(1971–1990) File:Coat of arms of Hungary (1957-1990).svg, Coat of arms of the

(1957–1990) File:Coat of arms of the People's Republic of Albania.svg, Coat of arms of the

File:Coat of arms of Czechoslovakia (1961-1989).svg, Coat of arms of

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...

(1961–1989) File:Coat of arms of Belarus.svg, Emblem of

(1995–2012) File:Coat of arms of Belarus (1995-2021).svg, Emblem of

(2012–2020) File:Coat of arms of Belarus (2020–present).svg, Emblem of

(since 2020)

Yugoslavia

In former Yugoslavia the red star served not only a communist symbol, but also as a more generic symbol of resistance against

Fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

and the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia, as well as of opposition to its associated ethnic policies. Tito's partisans wore the red star as an identification symbol during World War II. File:Flag of SFR Yugoslavia.svg,

Flag of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The flag of Yugoslavia was the official flag of the Yugoslavia, Yugoslav state from 1918 to 1992. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from the Pan-Slavism, Pan-Slavic movement, which ultimately led to the unification of the South Slavs a ...

File:Flag of the Socialist Republic of Serbia.svg, Flag of the

Socialist Republic of Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...

and flag of the

Socialist Republic of Montenegro The Socialist Republic of Montenegro ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora, Социјалистичка Република Црна Гора), commonly referred to as Socialist Montenegro or simply Montenegro, was ...

File:Flag of Slovenia (1945-1991).svg, Flag of the

Socialist Republic of Slovenia The Socialist Republic of Slovenia (, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Slovenija, Социјалистичка Република Словенија), commonly referred to as Socialist Slovenia or simply Slovenia, was one ...

File:Flag of Croatia (1947–1990).svg, Flag of the

Socialist Republic of Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), commonly abbreviated as SR Croatia and referred to as simply Croatia, was a ...

File:Flag of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg, Flag of the

Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...

File:Flag of North Macedonia (1946–1992).svg, Flag of the

Socialist Republic of Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

File:Emblem of SFR Yugoslavia.svg, Coat of arms of the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

File:Coat of Arms of the Socialist Republic of Serbia.svg, Coat of arms of the Yugoslav

File:Coat of Arms of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia.svg, Coat of arms of the Yugoslav

File:Coat of Arms of the Socialist Republic of Croatia.svg, Coat of arms of the Yugoslav

File:Coat of Arms of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg, Coat of arms of the Yugoslav

File:Coat of arms of Macedonia (1946-2009).svg, Coat of arms of the Yugoslav

File:Coat of Arms of the Socialist Republic of Montenegro.svg, Coat of arms of the Yugoslav

Asia

As communist movements spread across Asia, some entities used a red star, while others used a yellow star (often on a red field) with the same symbolism. The

Far Eastern Republic The Far Eastern Republic ( rus, Дальневосточная Республика, Dal'nevostochnaya Respublika, p=dəlʲnʲɪvɐˈstotɕnəjə rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə, links=yes; ), sometimes called the Chita Republic (, ), was a nominally indep ...

of 1920 to 1922 used a yellow star on its military uniforms, and the

flag of the People's Republic of China The national flag of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, is a Chinese red field with five golden stars charged at the canton. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off t ...

has five yellow stars on a red field. The

flag of Vietnam The national flag of Vietnam, formally the National flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( Vietnamese: ), locally recognized as the golden-starred red banner () or the Fatherland flag (), was designed in 1940 and used during a failed commun ...

also has a yellow star on a red field. Examples of communes and villages in China named after the red star include Hongxing Village in Huilong Township, Hubei, China and Kizilto in Xinjiang (named Hongxing Commune during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

). File:Emblem of North Korea (1948–1993).svg, Emblem of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

(1948–1993) File:Emblem of Laos 1975-1991.svg, Emblem of

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

(1975–1992) File:State emblem of the People's republic of Mongolia (1960–1992).svg, State emblem of the

Mongolian People's Republic The Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) was a socialist state that existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia. Its independence was officially recognized by the Nationalist government of Republic of China (1912� ...

(1960–1992) File:Coat of arms of South Yemen (1970-1990).svg, Coat of arms of

South Yemen South Yemen, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, abbreviated to Democratic Yemen, was a country in South Arabia that existed in what is now southeast Yemen from 1967 until Yemeni unification, its unification with the Yemen A ...

(1970–1990) File:Flag of Vietnam.svg,

Flag of Vietnam The national flag of Vietnam, formally the National flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( Vietnamese: ), locally recognized as the golden-starred red banner () or the Fatherland flag (), was designed in 1940 and used during a failed commun ...

File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg,

Flag of the People's Republic of China The national flag of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, is a Chinese red field with five golden stars charged at the canton. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off t ...

File:Flag of North Korea.svg, Flag of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea File:Flag of the People's Republic of Mongolia (1940-1992).svg, Flag of the

File:Flag of South Yemen.svg, Flag of South Yemen (1967–1990) File:Flag of Afghanistan (1980–1987).svg, Flag of the

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, later known as the Republic of Afghanistan, was the Afghan state between History of Afghanistan (1978–1992), 1978 and 1992. It was bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, by Iran to the west, by the ...

(1980–1987) File:Scan of red star covid test.jpg, Red star seen on a stamp on the qualification certificate of an

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

lateral flow test, manufactured in

Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

Fujian Province Fujian is a province in southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefecture city by population is Qua ...

Africa

Socialist countries in Africa also incorporated the red or gold stars into their heraldry. This practice was also adopted by countries that formed following

anti-colonial Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholars of decolon ...

national liberation struggles, which often involved

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

organizations. File:Emblem of Mozambique.svg, Emblem of Mozambique File:Flag of Mozambique (1983).svg, Flag of Mozambique File:Flag of Burkina Faso.svg,

Flag of Burkina Faso The national flag, national flag of Burkina Faso () is formed by two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green, with a yellow five-pointed star resting in the center. The flag was adopted on 4 August 1984. The flag uses the Pan-African colou ...

File:Emblem of the People's Republic of Benin.svg, Emblem of the

People's Republic of Benin The People's Republic of Benin (; sometimes translated literally as the Benin Popular Republic or Popular Republic of Benin) was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which became present-day Benin in 1990 ...

File:Flag of Angola.svg,

Flag of Angola The national flag of Angola is a horizontal bicolour of red and black, charged in the center with a yellow emblem consisting of a machete crossed by a half- cogwheel and crowned with a five-pointed star. It was adopted on 11 November 1975, ...

File:Flag of Ethiopia (1987–1991).svg,

Flag of Ethiopia The Flag of Ethiopia () consists of a green, yellow, and red tricolour with the national emblem, a golden pentagram on a blue disc, superimposed at the center. While the colors green, yellow, and red in combination held symbolic importance sinc ...

(1987–1991) File:Flag of Djibouti.svg,

Flag of Djibouti The national flag of Djibouti is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of light blue and light green, with a white, equilateral triangle at the hoist. In the center of the triangle is a red star. The flag combines the basic layout and colors ...

File:Flag of Zimbabwe.svg,

Flag of Zimbabwe The national flag of Zimbabwe consists of seven even horizontal stripes of green, gold, red and black with a white triangle containing a red five-pointed star with a Zimbabwe Bird. The present design was adopted on 18 April 1980. The soapstone ...

File:Flag of Benin (1975-1990).svg, Flag of Benin (1975–1990) File:Flag of the People's Republic of Congo.svg, Flag of the

People's Republic of the Congo The People's Republic of the Congo () was a Marxist–Leninist socialist state that existed in the Republic of the Congo from 1969 to 1992. The People's Republic of the Congo was founded in December 1969 as the first Marxist-Leninist state ...

(1969–1992) File:Presidential Standard of Madagascar (1976-1993).svg, Presidential Standard of the DR

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

File:Emblem of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar.svg, Emblem of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar

State military units

By March 2010, the

Government of Russia The Russian Government () or fully titled the Government of the Russian Federation () is the highest federal executive governmental body of the Russian Federation. It is accountable to the president of the Russian Federation and controlled by ...

readopted the Soviet red star (but now with a blue outline reflecting the three colors – white, blue and red – of the Russian flag) as a military insignia. The

Russian Air Force The Russian Air Force () is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reb ...

used this star as a roundel up to 2013, when Russia re-instated the Soviet-era red star. the

Armed Forces of Belarus The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are the military forces of Belarus. It consists of the Ground Forces and the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence. As a landlocked country, Belarus has ...

still use the old

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

red star. The coat of arms of

Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan (, , ) are the unified armed forces of Kazakhstan. They consist of three branches ( Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces, Naval Forces) as well as four independent formations ( Air Assault Forces, Spec ...

includes a modified version of the Soviet red star. File:Badge of the Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League (1921-1924).svg, Early

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

and red star emblem of the Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League, used from 1921 to 1924. File:Badge of the Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League (1925-1942).svg, Early

taijitu In Chinese philosophy, a ''taijitu'' () is a Character (symbol), symbol or diagram () representing ''Taiji (philosophy), taiji'' () in both its monist (''Wuji (philosophy), wuji'') and its Dualism in cosmology, dualist (yin and yang) forms in a ...

and red star emblem of the Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League, used from 1925 to 1942. File:Emblem of Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League.svg, Emblem of Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League. File:Emblem of the Korean People's Army (1948).svg, First emblem of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

used from February 1948, the taeguk was dropped several months later. File:Roundel of the Soviet Union (1945–1991).svg, Soviet Military Air Force (1943–1991), Russian Military Air Force (1992–2010),

Belarusian Air Force The Air Force and Air Defence Forces of the Republic of Belarus is the air force of the Armed Forces of Belarus, formed in 1992 from the 26th Air Army of the Soviet Air Forces which had been serving in the Byelorussian SSR. History Soviet ...

, and Tajik Air Force roundel File:Roundel of Russia.svg, Russian Military Air Force roundel File:Emblem of the Armed Forces of Belarus.svg, Symbol of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

of the

Republic of Belarus A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although a ...

File:Coat of arms military-of-kazakhstan.svg, Emblem of the

File:Emblem of the Korean People's Army.svg, Emblem of the

File:China Emblem PLA.svg, Emblem of the Chinese

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

File:Roundel of South Yemen (1969–1980).svg,

People's Republic of Yemen South Yemen, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, abbreviated to Democratic Yemen, was a country in South Arabia that existed in what is now southeast Yemen from 1967 until its unification with the Yemen Arab Republic in 19 ...

Air Force roundel (1967–1980) File:Roundel of South Yemen (1980–1990).svg,

Air Force roundel (1980–1990)

By states with limited recognition

Transnistria Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...

and the

Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR; , ) is a disputed territory administered as a republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was proclaimed by Russian-backed paramilitar ...

are proto-states located in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

. Due to their historical association with the Soviet Union, they have adopted socialist imagery – including the red star – into their flags and heraldry. The Zapatista autonomous territories also make use of the symbol. File:Flag of Transnistria (state).svg,

Flag of Transnistria Transnistria (officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic or PMR), a breakaway state internationally recognised as part of Moldova, has a state flag, a presidential standard, and a customs flag. Additionally, the flag of Russia shares equal ...

File:COA LPR oct 2014.svg, Coat of Arms of the

By sports teams

Several sporting clubs from countries ruled by communist parties used the red star as a symbol and named themselves after it, such as the Serbian club

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

( / ), the East German Roter Stern Leipzig, the Angolan Estrela Vermelha do Huambo, the Estrela Vermelha from

Beira, Mozambique Beira () is the capital and largest List of cities in Mozambique, city of Sofala Province, in the central region of Mozambique. Beira is where the Pungwe River meets the Indian Ocean. It is the fourth-largest city by population in Mozambique, af ...

or the Czechoslovak

Rudá Hvězda Brno Rudá Hvezda Brno, also known as Red Star Brno and RH Brno was a Czechoslovak football club from the city of Brno. The club existed from 1956 until 1962, playing four seasons in the Czechoslovak First League, the country's top flight. After the ...

. Some sports teams from non-communist countries used it, such as French

from Paris, Swiss club FC Red Star Zürich, English Seaham Red Star F.C., and even an American women's soccer club ( Chicago Stars FC (formerly Chicago Red Stars)—though in that case the star is based on the

flag of Chicago The flag of Chicago consists of two light blue horizontal bars, or stripes, on a field of white, each bar one-sixth the height of the full flag, and placed slightly less than one-sixth of the way from the top and bottom. Four bright red stars ...

and not on the communist logo). The American soccer clubs

Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that competes in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, t ...

and D.C. United also use red stars in their logos, referencing the flags of

and the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

respectively. The German rowing club Pirnaer Ruderverein 1872 began (and continues) to use red star since the 19th century. File:Fahne Pirnaer Ruderverein 1872.svg, Pirnaer Ruderverein 1872

Use by socialist groups

Armed revolutionary organizations

In 1970, the

Red Army Faction The Red Army Faction (, ; RAF ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang ( ), was a West German far-left militant group founded in 1970 and active until 1998, considered a terrorist organisat ...

, a

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

militant group, used a red star paired with a

Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (, ) is a submachine gun developed in the 1960s by German firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. It uses a similar modular design to the Heckler & Koch G3, and has over 100 variants and clones, including selective fire, Se ...

in their highly recognizable insignia. In 1994, the red star was included in the flag of the armed

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

Zapatista Army of National Liberation The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (, EZLN), often referred to as the Zapatistas (), is a far-left political and militant group that controls a substantial amount of territory in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. Since 1994, t ...

(EZLN) in

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. A number of communist parties in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

utilize the red star. Likewise, a number of Kurdish revolutionary organizations connected to the

Kurdistan Communities Union The Kurdistan Communities Union (, KCK) is a Kurdish political organization committed to implementing Abdullah Öcalan's ideology of democratic confederalism. The KCK also serves as an umbrella group for several confederalist political parties o ...

utilize the red star in their iconography. Those include the flags of the

Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...

and the battle flag pennants of the

People's Defence Forces The People's Defence Forces (, HPG) was the military wing of the group Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). During the 7th Congress of the PKK in January 2000, the HPG replaced the former military wing of the PKK, the People's Liberation Army of Ku ...

and

Free Women's Units The Free Women's Units (), shortened from the Kurdish name as YJA STAR, was the women's military wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). YJA STAR operates according to jineology, the feminist philosophy developed by the Kurdish ideologic ...

Turkish Kurdistan Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan () is the southeastern part of Turkey where Kurds form the predominant ethnic group. The Kurdish Institute of Paris estimates that there are 20 million Kurds living in Turkey, the majority of them in the ...

, the

People's Protection Units The People's Defense Units (YPG), also called People's Protection Units, is a libertarian socialist US-backed Kurds in Syria, Kurdish militant group in Syria and the primary component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The YPG mostl ...

and

Women's Protection Units The Women's Protection Units (YPJ) or Women's Defense Units is an all-female militia involved in the Syrian civil war. The YPJ is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the armed forces of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and Ea ...

Syrian Kurdistan Syrian Kurdistan or Rojava () is a region in northern Syria where Kurds form the majority. It is surrounding three noncontiguous enclaves along the Turkish and Iraqi borders: Afrin in the northwest, Kobani in the north, and Jazira in the nor ...

, and the Eastern Kurdistan Units and Women's Defense Forces in

Iranian Kurdistan Iranian Kurdistan or Eastern Kurdistan () is an unofficial name for the parts of northwestern Iran with either a majority or sizable population of Kurds. Geographically, it includes the West Azerbaijan province, Kurdistan province, Kermanshah pr ...

. The

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian Islamist-Socialist militant opposition group the Mojahedin-e-Khalq uses the red star with the rifle, sickle and the map of Iran in the background. File:RAF-Logo.svg,

(West German militant group) (RAF) File:Bandera del GRAPO.svg,

First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups The First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups () was a Spanish clandestine Marxist–Leninist group aiming for the formation of a Spanish Republican state. The group was anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and strongly opposed Spain's me ...

(GRAPO) File:Bandera FPRM Manipur.png,

People's Liberation Army of Manipur The People's Liberation Army of Manipur (PLA-MP or PLAM), often shortened to the People's Liberation Army, is a Separatism, separatist militant group fighting for the creation of an independent and socialist Manipur, a state in northeastern Ind ...

(PLAM) File:Flag of the EZLN.svg,

(EZLN) File:MLKP Badge.svg, Marxist Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) File:Birleşik Özgürlük Güçleri (United Freedom Forces) logo.svg,

United Freedom Forces The United Freedom Forces (, or BÖG) is a joint expatriate militia of several revolutionary socialist organizations from Turkey, most notably the Revolutionary Communard Party (DKP), active in the Rojava conflict of the Syrian Civil War. ...

(BÖG) File:International Freedom Battalion's Badge.svg,

International Freedom Battalion The International Freedom Battalion (; ; ), commonly abbreviated as IFB or EÖT, is a Revolutionary socialism, revolutionary socialist armed group consisting of Left-wing politics, leftist Foreign fighters in the Syrian civil war, foreign fighte ...

(IFB) File:IRPGF Flag.svg,

International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces The International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF) was a collective of anarchist fighters from around the world. Its formation was announced on 31 March 2017. According to the group, their goals were to defend the social revolutio ...

(IRPGF) File:Flag of Koma Civakên Kurdistanê.svg,

(KCK) File:Flag of Kurdistan Workers' Party.svg,

(PKK) File:Flag of Hêzên Parastina Gel.svg,

(HPG) File:Flag of YJA-Star.svg,

(YJA-STAR) File:Flag of the YPS - Vertical.svg,

Civil Protection Units The Civil Protection Units (, ; YPS), also known as Civil Defense Units, was a primarily Kurdish people, Kurdish rebel group and main armed force in Turkish Kurdistan. The YPS was formed by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to better organize and ...

(YPS) File:People's Protection Units Flag.svg,

(YPG) File:YPJ Flag.svg,

(YPJ) File:Flag of Hêzên Rojhilata Kurdistan.svg, Eastern Kurdistan Units (HRK) File:The Official Logo Of Komala.png, Komalah File:Flag of the People's Mujahedin of Iran.svg,

People's Mujahedin of Iran The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) (), is an Iranian dissident organization. It was an armed group until 2003, afterwards transitioning into a politica ...

(MEK) File:Flag of the Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists.svg, Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists (BOAK) File:Flag of the Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan.svg, Flag of the Communist (Maoist) Party of Afghanistan

Political parties and movements

The Brazilian leftist Worker's Party uses a red star as its symbol with the party acronym () inside.

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

and his supporters in Venezuela have used the red star in numerous symbols and logos, and have included it in the logo of the

United Socialist Party of Venezuela The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (, PSUV, ) is a Socialism, socialist political party which has been the ruling party of Venezuela since 2007. It was formed from a merger of some of the political and social forces that support the Bolivar ...

(PSUV). It was also used throughout 2007 as a symbol of the "5 Engines of the Bolivarian Socialist Revolution". It is also used by the militant South African

shack A shack (or, in some areas, shanty) is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction. Unlike huts, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually r ...

-dweller's movement

Abahlali baseMjondolo Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM, , in English: "the residents of the shacks") is a socialist shack dwellers' movement in South Africa which primarily campaigns for land, housing and dignity, to democratise society from below and against xenophobia. ...

. Like in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and Africa, several European socialist parties continue to use a star as a part of their logos. The red star is also featured prominently in the independence flags of various separatist movements in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. File:PT (Brazil) logo 2021.svg, Symbol of

Workers' Party (Brazil) The Workers' Party (, PT) is a Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Brazil, political party in Brazil that is currently the country's ruling party. Some scholars classify its ideology in the 21st century as social demo ...

File:Vereinigte Sozialistische Partei Venezuelas logo.svg, Symbol of the

File:DYFI-flag.svg, Symbol of the Democratic Youth Federation of India File:Logo – Parti communiste français (2018).svg, Symbol of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

File:Pce 2014.svg, Symbol of the

Communist Party of Spain The Communist Party of Spain (; PCE) is a communist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is currently part of Sumar. Two of its politicians are Spanish government ministers: Yolanda Díaz (Minister of L ...

File:Portuguese Communist Party logo.svg, Symbol of the

Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party (, , PCP) is a Communism, communist and Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist List of political parties in Portugal, political party in Portugal. It is one of the strongest List of communist parties, communist par ...

File:Socialistische Partij (nl 2006) Logo.svg, Symbol of the Dutch

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

File:PVDAPTB-2022-icon-profile01.png, Symbol of the

Workers' Party of Belgium The Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA) is a Marxist and socialist political party in Belgium. It is the only Belgian party represented in parliament that is a fully national party, representing both Flanders and Wallonia. Having historically be ...

File:Logo of The Left (Slovenia).svg, Symbol of the Slovenian party The Left File:Potere al Popolo! - Logo (Italy, 2017).svg, Symbol of the Italian party Power to the People File:Rødt logo (bokmål).svg, Symbol of the Norwegian Red Party File:Uplogo2transparente-sinnombre.png, Symbol of the Ecuadorian party Popular Unity File:Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova logo.png, Symbol of the

Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (, PSRM) is a democratic socialist political party in Moldova. A populist party, it holds Eurosceptic and Russophilia, Russophilic views, both of which are reflected by its long-time leader and ...

File:Abahlali baseMjondolo Logo.jpg, Symbol of the

File:Bandera Andalucía Libre.svg, Flag of the Andalusian Nation party File:Flag of Castile (with star).svg, Castilian nationalist flag File:Bandeira galega nacionalista.svg, Galician nationalist flag Estreleira File:Estelada roja.svg, Catalan pro-independence flag

Estelada The Estelada (; pl. ''Estelades''; full name ''Senyera estelada'', , from ''estel'', "star") is a flag flown by Catalan independence, Catalan independence supporters to express their support for an independent Catalonia or independent ''Països ...

Vermella File:Yemeni Socialist Party Flag.svg, flag of the

Yemeni Socialist Party The Yemeni Socialist Party (, ''al-Hizb al-Ishtiraki al-Yamani'', YSP), officially the Socialist Party Organization (), is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Yemen, political party in Yemen. A successor of Yemen's ...

File:Emblem of the Yemeni Socialist Party (1978‐1990).svg,

, pre 1990

Uses without socialist symbolism

Some red stars adopted in emblems and flags have a significance that does not originally relate to socialism. Among these, the most well-known include the current state

flag of California The Bear Flag is the US state flags, official flag of the U.S. state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 California Republic#Bear Flag Revolt, Bear Flag Revolt and was also known as the Bear Flag. A predec ...

(echoing the Californian red star flag of 1836) and the flag of

(designed in 1869, officially adopted in 1902). The

flag of the District of Columbia The flag of Washington, D.C., consists of three red stars above two red bars on a white background. It is an armorial banner based on the coat of arms granted to Lawrence Washington (George Washington's great-grandfather) of Sulgrave Manor ...

(designed in 1921, adopted in 1938) recalls George Washington's coat of arms.

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

also wears a 5-point red star headband with gold or yellow background.

Crescent moon and star

The crescent moon and star was a symbol used by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Various states with Ottoman history have thus adopted this symbol into their present-day flags. File:Flag of Tunisia.svg,

Flag of Tunisia The national flag of Tunisia is a rectangular panel of red color with an aspect ratio of 2:3. In the center of the cloth in a white disk is placed a red crescent, surrounding a red five-pointed star on three sides. The Beylik of Tunis, Tunisian Be ...

File:Flag of Algeria.svg,

Flag of Algeria The national flag of Algeria () consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged in the center with a red star and crescent, a symbol of Islam as the nation's prominent faith. The flag was adopted on 3 July 1962. A similar version wa ...

File:Flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.svg,

Flag of Northern Cyprus The flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus () is the national flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and is based on the flag of Turkey, with the colors reversed and two additional horizontal red stripes at the top and bottom. T ...

File:Emblem of Turkey.svg,

Emblem of Turkey Turkey has no official national emblem, but the star and crescent, crescent and star (, ) design from the Flag of Turkey, national flag is in use on Turkish passports, Turkish identity cards and at the diplomatic missions of Turkey. The cresc ...

Assorted Flags and Coats of Arms

File:Flag of New Zealand.svg,

Flag of New Zealand The flag of New Zealand (), also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensigna blue field with the Union Jack in the ''canton (flag), canton'' or upper hoist corneraugmented or ''Defacement (flag), defaced'' wit ...

. File:Flag of Panama.svg,

Flag of Panama The national flag of Panama was made by María de la Ossa de Amador and was officially adopted by the "ley 48 de 1925". The Panamanian flag day is celebrated on November 4, one day after Panamanian separation from Colombia, and is one of a ser ...

. File:Flag of Syria 2011, observed.svg,

Flag of Syria Since gaining full independence from France in 1946, Syria has used a number of different flags, all featuring the pan-Arab colours, pan-Arab colors of green, black, white, and red. Initially a green, white and black triband charged with thre ...

(opposition group during the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

). Was the independence flag first used in 1932. File:Flag of California.svg,

Flag of California The Bear Flag is the US state flags, official flag of the U.S. state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 California Republic#Bear Flag Revolt, Bear Flag Revolt and was also known as the Bear Flag. A predec ...

. File:California Lone Star Flag 1836.svg, California Lone Star Flag – 1836. File:Flag of Washington, D.C..svg, Flag of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

File:Bandeira do Acre.svg, Flag of Acre State, Brazil. File:Flag of Nagasaki, Nagasaki.svg, Flag of

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

city. File:Flag of Birmingham, Alabama.svg, Flag of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. File:Gharghur coa.svg, Arms of

Għargħur Għargħur () is a village in the Eastern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and has a population of 2,768, as of March 2014. Għargħur Festa In Malta, each village celebrates a different patron saint or two de ...

, Malta. File:Escudo de Moríñigo.svg, Moríñigo coat of arms. File:Wappen Wallis matt.svg,

Coat of arms of Valais The coat of arms and the flag of the Swiss canton of Valais is in red and white, divided vertically with thirteen five-pointed stars in opposite colours (''Per pale argent and gules 13 mullet (heraldry), mullets counterchanged''). The stars repr ...

File:Flag of Canton of Valais.svg, Flag of Valais File:Blason Crain.svg,

Crain, Yonne Crain () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. See also *Communes of the Yonne department The following is a list of the 423 communes of the Yonne department of France France, offi ...

coat of arms. File:Blason ville fr Chauriat (Puy-de-Dôme).svg, Chauriat coat of arms.

Symbol of animal relief

The red star was adopted as the symbol of the International Red Star Alliance, a Geneva international treaty signed in 1914 with the purpose of bringing about international cooperation on behalf of sick and wounded war animals, while securing the neutral status of the personnel engaged in such work. Besides the International Alliance, national Red Star societies were also established. Regarding animal relief, the International Red Star Alliance had an analogous role of that of the

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. To identify their neutral status, white

brassard A brassard or armlet is an armband or piece of cloth or other material worn around the upper arm; the term typically refers to an item of uniform worn as part of military uniform or by police or other uniformed persons. Unit, role, rank b ...

s with red stars were worn by military veterinary personnel in

in a similar way medical personal worn brassards with red crosses. Following the War, the American Red Star turned to focus on domestic issues, including care for animals during disasters. The organization waxed and waned over the decades, and exists as the

American Humane Association The American Humane Society (previously American Humane), is an American animal welfare organization founded in 1877 that works to rescue, care for, and protect animals by taking action wherever and whenever they are in need. It was previously ...

's Red Star Animal Emergency Services.

Red stars in labels and logos

File:Heineken logo.svg, Label of a

bottle File:AKO Crabmeat 003.jpg, Logo of AKO, product of the

File:Macy's logo.svg, Logo of

Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

department stores File:Texaco Logo.jpg,

logo, circa 1913 File:Caltex logo.png,

Caltex Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. Headquartered in Singapore, it is also the brand name of non-Chevron petroleum companies in some countries (such as ...

logo, circa 1936 File:Red Star Line (1818–1835).svg,

House flag A maritime flag, also called a naval flag, is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. The flag flown ...

of the Kermit Line (1818–1835) and

Red Star Line The Red Star Line was a shipping line founded in 1871 as a joint venture between the International Navigation Company of Philadelphia, which also ran the American Line, and the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine of Antwerp, Belgi ...

(1871–1935). File:House flag of Kermit Line (1835–1867).svg, House flag of the Kermit Line (1835–1867) File:House flag of the Columbia Steamship Company.svg, House flag used by Columbia Transportation Division of the Oglebay Norton Corporation, used, among others, on board the

SS Edmund Fitzgerald SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men. When launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North Americ ...

. The red star was used by the

oil company in various forms from 1909 to 1981. Its overseas division

also used the red star until 1996. Red Star Yeast was produced for a century in Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Oakland before its subsumption as a brand by

Lesaffre Lesaffre is a French yeast manufacturer, and the world's largest producer. History The company was founded by Louis Lesaffre, the co-founder of Bonduelle, in the mid-19th century. One of its subsidiaries, Bio Springer, was founded by Baron Ma ...

. A brand of Erguotou, a type of

Baijiu ''Baijiu'' (), or ''shaojiu'' (), is a colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). Each type of baijiu uses its own type of ''qū'' for fermentation to create a distinct and characteristic flavo ...

, was named " Hongxing" ( zh, s=红星, l=Red Star) in 1949 to celebrate the founding of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

's Red Star operating system takes its name from the communist red star. Red stars were included in the symbolism of many

shipowner A shipowner, ship owner or ship-owner is the owner of a ship. They can be merchant vessels involved in the shipping industry or non commercially owned. In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, us ...

s, such as Puget Sound Navigation Co. (1898–1927), Bombay Steam Navigation Co (since the 19th century), London & Overseas Freighters (1948–1997) and Columbia Transportation Division of the Oglebay Norton Corporation. The two companies were independently named Red Star Line in the 19th century.

Legal status

The red star and the

are regarded as occupation symbols as well as symbols of

totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public s ...

and

state terror State terrorism is terrorism conducted by a state against its own citizens or another state's citizens. It contrasts with ''state-sponsored terrorism'', in which a violent non-state actor conducts an act of terror under sponsorship of a state. G ...

by several countries that were formerly either members of or occupied by the

. Accordingly,

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

have banned the symbol among others deemed to be symbols of totalitarian political ideologies and the Soviet Union or its republics. In

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the Parliament passed in 2009 a ban that referred generally to "fascist, communist or other totalitarian symbols", while not specifying any of them. Following a constitutional complaint, it has been abolished by the Constitutional Tribunal as contrary to articles in the

Constitution of Poland The Constitution of the Republic of Poland ( or ''Konstytucja RP'' for short) is the supreme law of the Republic of Poland, which is also commonly called the Third Polish Republic ( or ''III RP'' for short) in contrast with the preceding syste ...

guaranteeing the

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

. A similar law was considered in

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, but eventually failed in a parliamentary committee due to its conflict with freedoms guaranteed by the

constitution of Estonia The Constitution of Estonia () is the fundamental law of the Republic of Estonia and establishes the state order as that of a democratic republic where the supreme power is vested in its citizens. The first Constitution was adopted by the free ...

. The

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

has ruled, in a similar manner, against the laws that ban political symbols, which were deemed to be in clear opposition with basic human rights, such as freedom of speech, confirmed again in 2011 in case ''Fratanolo v. Hungary''. The decision has been compared to the

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

concerning the symbols of

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

, which continue to be banned in several

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

member states, including

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. There have been calls for an EU-wide ban on both Soviet and Nazi symbols, notably by politicians from Lithuania, Estonia, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, Hungary and

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. The European Commissioner for Justice,

Franco Frattini Franco Frattini (14 March 1957 – 24 December 2022) was an Italian politician and magistrate. He served as the President of the Council of State (Italy), Council of State from January to December 2022. Frattini previously served as Italian Min ...

, felt it "might not be appropriate" to include communist symbols in the context of discussions on xenophobia and anti-Semitism. In 2003, Hungarian politician Attila Vajnai was arrested, handcuffed and fined for wearing a red star on his lapel during a demonstration. He appealed his sentence to the

, which decided that the ban was a violation of the freedom of expression, calling the Hungarian ban "indiscriminate" and "too broad". In

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, the red star was historically associated with the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

that fought against fascist occupation in World War II, but was also later a state symbol of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

during the dictatorship of

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

. On 21 March 2011, Slovenia issued a two-euro commemorative coin to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Franc Rozman, a partisan commander, featuring a large star that represented a red star. This led to criticism from the Slovenian democratic parties without a communist history.

Red Stars that are not five-pointed

Emblems and flags where the red stars displayed are not five-pointed are much rarer. These include the following: File:Flag of the International Brigades.svg, Three-pointed red star in the flag of the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

. File:Flag of Aruba.svg, Four-pointed red star in the flag of Aruba. File:Flag of Burundi.svg, Six-pointed red stars outlined in green in the

flag of Burundi A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have ...

. File:Flag of Chicago, Illinois.svg, Six-pointed red stars in the

. File:Naval Ensign of Singapore.svg, Eight-pointed red star in the

Naval Ensign A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign. It can also be known as a war ensign. A large v ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. File:Magen David Adom.svg, Emblem of

Magen David Adom The Magen David Adom (, abbr. MDA, pronounced ''MAH-dah'' per its Hebrew acronym, ) is Israel's national emergency medicine, emergency medical, Emergency management, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service. The literal meaning of the name is ...

, the Israeli national aid society.

References

External links