query: which two tools were featured on the flag of the soviet union

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union Flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (); commonly known as the Soviet flag () was the official national flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1923 to 1991. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from several sources, but emerged during the Russian Revolution. The flag is also an international symbol of the communist movement as a whole. The nicknames for the flag were The Hammer and Sickle and The Red Banner. The design is a solid field of red adorned with a unique gold emblem in the

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union that constituted the USSR were all defaced or modified versions of the Soviet flag. On 15 April 1996 Boris Yeltsin signed a presidential decree giving the Soviet flag (called the Victory Banner, after the banner that was raised above the Reichstag on 1 May 1945) status similar to that of the national flag. The hammer and sickle were removed from the flag, leaving only the star, but they were reinstated later. On certain holidays, the Victory Banner is flown along with the Russian flag. Flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ();

pos: Flags of the Soviet Republics Flags of the Soviet Republics The Flags of the Soviet Socialist Republics were all defaced versions of the flag of the Soviet Union, which featured a golden hammer and sickle, (the only exception being the Georgian SSR, which used a red hammer and sickle), and a gold-bordered red star on a red field. When Byelorussia and Ukraine were the founding members of the United Nations in 1945, all of their flags were red with only small markings in upper left corners and needed distinct flags for each other. In February 1947, with UN pressure, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet

pos: Flag of Armenia inserted into a star with initials "ЗСФСР" (ZSFSR) written in Russian sans-serif script. These letters stand for "Закавказская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика" ("Zakavkazskaya Sovetskaya Federativnaya Socialisticheskaya Respublika", "Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic"). In 1936, the TSFSR was broken up into its three constituent regions, which were named the Georgian SSR, the Armenian SSR, and the Azerbaijan SSR. As a republic of the USSR, the Armenian SSR introduced its first flag in 1936. Very similar to the flag of the Soviet Union, it was red and featured a yellow hammer and sickle in the corner. Underneath that, there were "H-Kh-S-H" initials

pos: Flags of the Soviet Republics defaced with the ASSR name in its own language(s) and the official language of the SSR; flags matching this pattern are not displayed in the gallery below: Flags of the Soviet Republics The Flags of the Soviet Socialist Republics were all defaced versions of the flag of the Soviet Union, which featured a golden hammer and sickle, (the only exception being the Georgian SSR, which used a red hammer and sickle), and a gold-bordered red star on a red field. When Byelorussia and Ukraine were the founding members of the United Nations in 1945, all of their flags were red

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union Flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (); commonly known as the Soviet flag () was the official national flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1923 to 1991. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from several sources, but emerged during the Russian Revolution. The flag is also an international symbol of the communist movement as a whole. The nicknames for the flag were The Hammer and Sickle and The Red Banner. The design is a solid field of red adorned with a unique gold emblem in the

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union statute on the flag was adopted which resulted in a change of the hammer's handle length and the shape of the sickle. A final modification to the flag was adopted in 1980 in which the colour was brightened to a lighter shade of red. The flag continued to be the official national flag until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Its imagery is now the basis for the flags of many communist parties: a yellow hammer and sickle on a red background. The flag of the Soviet Union consisted of a plain red flag with a gold hammer crossed with

pos: Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic RSFSR on July 10, 1991. Flags of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics of RSFSR were defacements of the 1954 flag of RSFSR, with texts or acronyms of the name of the republic in official languages. Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The last Soviet-era (before 1991) flag was adopted by the Russian SFSR in 1954. The flag of RSFSR was a defacement of the flag of the Soviet Union. The constitution stipulated: Like the flag of the Soviet Union, the hammer and sickle represented the working class; more specifically, the hammer represented the urban industrial workers and the

pos: Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on September 23, 1974. Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by the Turkmen SSR on August 1, 1953. Although similar to the Flag of the Soviet Union, the design is identical to the flag of the Kirghiz SSR with a ratio of 1:2. The two blue stripes () between the red () represents the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the red represents the "revolutionary struggle of the working masses", the hammer and sickle represents the peasants' and workers' union,

pos: Flag of Tajikistan similar to the Soviet Union design but with the addition of a white and a green stripe. This flag also contains the red-white-green color order where the white stripe is larger than the green, which is currently used in the national flag. As a Soviet republic, the red symbolized the workers' revolution, the white symbolized cotton, and the green symbolized agriculture. The Soviet era flag was two-sided. Its backside was a mirror of the obverse face without the hammer, sickle, and star. Following independence on September 9, 1991, Tajikistan adopted its first post-independence flag by removing the Soviet symbolism from

pos: Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by the Turkmen SSR on August 1, 1953. Although similar to the Flag of the Soviet Union, the design is identical to the flag of the Kirghiz SSR with a ratio of 1:2. The two blue stripes () between the red () represents the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the red represents the "revolutionary struggle of the working masses", the hammer and sickle represents the peasants' and workers' union, and the red star is the symbol of the communist party. In 1926,

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union five-pointed star bordered in gold above them. The ratio of width to length is 1:2.' On 19 August 1955 "Statute on the State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" was adopted by a decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This resulted in a change of the hammer's handle length and the shape of the sickle. A final modification to the flag was adopted on 15 August 1980, which changed the flag field into a bright red. These modifications stayed in use until the disintegration of the USSR on 25 December 1991, at which

pos: Flag of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by the Kazakh government on 24 January 1953. This flag resembles the flag of the Soviet Union in a defaced form but with the three horizontal stripes consisted of the 2/9 (two-ninths) of the blue (azure) bar in lower part of flag and the hammer and sickle in the near centre. Between 1937 and the adoption of the above flag in 1940, the flag was red with a gold hammer and sickle in the top-left corner, with the Latin characters "QAZAQ SSR" and

pos: Flag of Belarus were added for the red star, and golden hammer and sickle. The final specifications of the flag was set in Article 120 of the Constitution of the Byelorussian SSR and are very similar to the current Belarusian flag. The flag had a length-to-width ratio of one to two (1:2), just like the flag of the Soviet Union (and the other fourteen union republics). The main portion of the flag was red (representing the Revolution), with the rest being green (representing the Belarusian forests). A pattern of white drawn on red decorated the hoist portion of the flag; this design is

pos: Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (country) was adopted by the Georgian SSR on April 11, 1951. The flag was designed by the artist Severian Maysashvili Davidovich (1900–1980). On the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR in which the new national flag was adopted with the description: It was the only Union Republic flag in which the hammer and sickle was not gold in colour. Before 1937 the flag was red with the Georgian characters სსსრ ("SSSR") in gold in the top-left corner. Between 1922

pos: Flags of the Soviet Republics Union adopted a resolution, which each of its republics were recommended to develop and adopt new national flags. So they expressed the idea of a union state, asked to use the symbols of the State flag of the Soviet Union, such as the gold hammer and sickle and the red star, as well as maintain the predominance of red color on the flag of the Union republics. National, historical and cultural features of each republic was instructed to express the other colors and the order of their location, as well as the location based on the national ornament. After the

pos: Hammer and sickle recognizable symbol for Marxism, Marxist parties, or socialist states. In the Soviet Union, the hammer and sickle came to take on a gendered meaning, with the sickle coming to be associated with women and the hammer men. Two federal subjects of the post-Soviet Russian Federation use the hammer and sickle in their symbols: the Vladimir Oblast has them on its flag and the Bryansk Oblast has them on its flag and coat of arms, which is also the central element of its flag. In addition, the Russian city of Oryol also uses the hammer and sickle on its flag. The

pos: Bukharan People's Soviet Republic radical social and educational reforms. Just two weeks after the proclamation of the People's Republic, Communist Party membership in Bukhara soared to 14,000 as many local inhabitants were eager to prove their loyalty to the new regime. As the Soviet Union stabilized, it could afford to purge itself of so-called opportunists and potential nationalists. A series of expulsions stripped membership down to 1000 by 1922. The above was reflected in the Bukharan People's Soviet Republic's flag, as designed upon its foundation, combining the Communist Hammer and Sickle with the traditional Crescent, which had appeared in the flag of the Emirate

pos: Flag of Ossetia has identical proportions to the flag of North Ossetia-Alania (1:2), but slightly different colours (most noticeably a darker shade of yellow). Under the Soviet Union, North Ossetia had a predominantly red flag with a blue trim on the left edge, the hammer and sickle and the words "North Ossetian ASSR" in both Russian and Ossetian. Shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was replaced with the present flag, which was adopted on October 2, 1991. Flag of Ossetia The flag used by the Republic of South Ossetia and the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is a tricolour, top to

pos: Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic 1952 Armenian SSR flag was discarded when the tricolor flag of Armenia based on the 1918 flag of the First Republic of Armenia was introduced. Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Armenian SSR was adopted on 17 December 1952 by the government of the Armenian SSR. The flag is similar to the flag of the Soviet Union but has a -width horizontal blue stripe in the middle. The red represents the "revolutionary struggle of the working masses" and the golden hammer and sickle represents the peasants' and workers' union. The first flag of the Armenian

pos: Military colours, standards and guidons the obverse had the unit inscription below the coat of arms of the Soviet Union, which had the Soviet Union state motto ("Workers of the world, unite!") and the red star with the hammer and sickle inside (both were on the flag of the Soviet Union) above it (the latter was near the hoist). Naval flags until 1935 sported different designs. (Distinguished units would be given a second color, the Revolutionary Red Banner of Honor, by the all-Union CEC (before 1924 by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee).) The Soviet Navy colours had the 1935 official design with them (it was

pos: Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Armenian SSR was adopted on 17 December 1952 by the government of the Armenian SSR. The flag is similar to the flag of the Soviet Union but has a -width horizontal blue stripe in the middle. The red represents the "revolutionary struggle of the working masses" and the golden hammer and sickle represents the peasants' and workers' union. The first flag of the Armenian SSR was introduced in the constitution, accepted on 2 February 1922 by the First Congress of Soviets of the Armenian SSR. That flag existed only

pos: Flag of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic the Russian SFSR was used but it has the words "Карельская АССР" ("Karel'skaya ASSR") and "Karjalan ASNT" were written below the hammer and sickle. Flag of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Karelo-Finnish SSR was adopted by the Karelo-Finnish SSR on 13 March 1953. This flag is similar to the flag of the Soviet Union but with the blue (1/6 width), and green (1/5 width) placed on the bottom. At the top of the flag at the flagpole placed golden hammer and sickle and the red star with a gold border. The green color symbolizes the forest

pos: National symbols of Belarus their respective laws. Uses of the national symbols are covered in the relevant law of each symbol. The national flag has been in use since June 7, 1995, one of two symbols adopted in the 1995 referendum. The main elements of the flag is a red and green bicolor, then decorated with an ornament pattern at the hoist position. The current flag is a modification of the 1951 flag used while the country was a republic of the Soviet Union. In the Soviet version, a hammer and sickle was placed near the top-hoist corner and the ornament colors were inverted.

pos: Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The last Soviet-era (before 1991) flag was adopted by the Russian SFSR in 1954. The flag of RSFSR was a defacement of the flag of the Soviet Union. The constitution stipulated: Like the flag of the Soviet Union, the hammer and sickle represented the working class; more specifically, the hammer represented the urban industrial workers and the sickle represented the rural and agricultural peasants. The red star represented the CPSU and Communism. The red in the flag represented the Russian Revolution and revolution in general. The blue stripe symbolized the wide Russian

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union such a flag was never mass-produced. This flag was the official flag for four months, and was replaced as the official flag by the more familiar hammer and sickle design during the third session of the CIK of the USSR on 12 November 1923. In the third session of the CIK of the USSR, the description of Soviet flag in the Constitution was changed, and article 71 was edited to be: 'The state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consists of a red or scarlet field, and in the canton a golden sickle and hammer, and a red

pos: Flag of Azerbaijan had a hammer and sickle inserted into a star with initials "ЗСФСР" written in Russian sans-serif script. These letters stand for "Закавказская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика". In 1936, the TSFSR was broken up into its three constituent regions, which were named the Azerbaijani SSR, the Georgian SSR, and the Armenian SSR. During the Soviet rule, Azerbaijan SSR had eight different flags. Most of the flags only had slight differences. The adaptations were the result of the disastrous early years of the Soviet Union in the Caucasus. The first unofficial Soviet Azerbaijani flag was used when Russians conquered Baku on 28

pos: Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic flag was used from 1937, notably during World War II. Interesting because it was used until Joseph Stalin's death when a major vexillological reform was undertaken within the Soviet Union. This change incorporated an update for all the flags of the Soviet Republics as well as for the flag of the Soviet Union itself. The flag of the Russian SFSR was now a defaced version of the flag of the Soviet Union, with the main difference being a minor repositioning of the hammer and sickle and most notably adding a blue vertical stripe to the hoist. This version of the

pos: Flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by the Azerbaijan SSR on October 7, 1952. It was the flag of the Soviet Union, with an horizontal blue band on the bottom fourth. The 1952 flag was discarded on February 5, 1991 when the flag of Azerbaijan SSR based on the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was re-introduced. Flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic was a plain red flag with a golden hammer and sickle and a gold-bordered red star in its upper canton and an horizontal blue band on the bottom fourth. The last version of the flag

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union building of communism. The flag's design was legislated in 1955, which gave a clear way to define and create the flag. This resulted in a change of the hammer's handle length and the shape of the sickle. The adopted statute stated that: The final design of the flag was adopted in 1980. The design was kept the same except that the background colour was changed. The colour was brightened from a near-burgundy crimson to a light to medium red. That flag remained the national flag of the Soviet Union up until late 1991, when a tricolour was formally adopted by

pos: 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt legal scholars as the Soviet Union itself was not constitutionally succeeded by the Russian Federation, but merely dissolved. Others argued that the international community had already established the precedent of recognizing the Soviet Union as the legal successor of the Russian Empire, and so recognizing the Russian Federation as the Soviet Union's successor state was valid. On 25 December 1991, Gorbachev announced his resignation as Soviet president. The red hammer and sickle flag of the Soviet Union was lowered from the Senate building in the Kremlin and replaced with the tricolor flag of Russia. The next day, 26 December 1991,

pos: Flag of the Soviet Union upper hoist quarter. The red flag was a traditional revolutionary symbol long before 1917, and its incorporation into the flag paid tribute to the international aspect of workers' revolution. The iconic hammer and sickle design was a modern industrial touch adopted from the Russian Revolution. The union of the hammer (workers) and the sickle (peasants) represents the victorious and enduring revolutionary alliance. The famous emblem is topped by a gold-bordered red star representing the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The first flag with the gold border star, hammer and sickle was adopted on 13 November 1923. In 1955, a

pos: Flag of Belarus Flag of Belarus The national flag of Belarus (, "Sciah Biełarusi"; , "Flag Belarusi") is a red and green flag with a white and red ornament pattern placed at the staff (hoist) end. The current design was introduced in 2012 by the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus, and is adapted from a design approved in a referendum in May 1995. It is a modification of the 1951 flag used while the country was a republic of the Soviet Union. Changes made to the Soviet-era flag were the removal of symbols of communism (the hammer and sickle

pos: Flag of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Karelo-Finnish SSR was adopted by the Karelo-Finnish SSR on 13 March 1953. This flag is similar to the flag of the Soviet Union but with the blue (1/6 width), and green (1/5 width) placed on the bottom. At the top of the flag at the flagpole placed golden hammer and sickle and the red star with a gold border. The green color symbolizes the forest resources, and blue represents the abundance of rivers and lakes. Prior to this, the flag was red with a gold hammer and sickle in

pos: Flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic the Turkmen flag was red with a large gold hammer and sickle in the top-left corner, similar to the flag of the Soviet Union. From 1937, the flag was red with the Latin characters ("T.S.S.R.") in gold in the top-left corner, in a sans-serif font. From the 1940, the flag was the same, but with the characters in Cyrillic characters "ТССР" ("TSSR"). On September 26, 1973, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR modified the regulation of the flag of Turkmen SSR. The position of the star and hammer and sickle was moved closer to the flag

neg: Flags of the Soviet Republics Their final versions prior to re-adoption of the non-Soviet national flags were as follows: Other Union Republics and autonomous republics existed within the Soviet Union, mostly using flags on a similar pattern, or the flag of their "parent" Union Republic, further defaced. Today, the only former Soviet Union territories that use modified versions of their original Soviet flag are the republic of Transnistria (a state of limited recognition, formerly part of the Moldavian SSR) and Belarus (since 1995). The official flags of the ASSRs were seldom used, and were generally the flag of the republic to which the ASSR belonged,

neg: Flag of Russia the Soviet Union) was introduced in 1954 (see flag of Russian SFSR), and this remained the republic's flag until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. All of the Soviet Republics' flags were created by introducing a small but noticeable change to the flag of the Soviet Union. For Russia, the change was an introduction of the left-hand blue band. The previous Soviet design was different, a plain red flag with different variants of the "RSFSR" abbreviation in the canton. Today, the Soviet flag is used by the supporters and members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

neg: National symbols of Lithuania Soviet occupation of Lithuania, the Lithuanian flag and the national anthem were replaced; the Lithuanian Coat of Arms was not shown in official capacities. On the other hand, in keeping with the Soviet policy of encouraging what were seen as harmless expressions of ethnic identity, Lithuanian national costumes were often featured on postal stamps and elsewhere. Lithuania was occupied by Soviet Union in 1940-1941, later it was controlled Nazi government during World War II and was a Soviet Socialist Republic from 1944 until 1990. The latter situation is generally seen by Lithuanians as an occupation. Public displays of both the

neg: Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Soviet Union and two of its republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia) all became members of the nascent United Nations (UN) in 1945. Since all of their flags were red with only small markings in upper left corner, the UN demanded changes to the flags in 1949. To comply, the Ukrainian Soviet authorities dropped the lettering and added a blue horizontal stripe ( of the width). The Ukrainian SSR adopted this new design as its official flag on July 5, 1950. Other constituent republics of the Soviet Union soon followed suit and customised the bottom third of their flags. While the

neg: Flag of Kyrgyzstan since that year. Although the colour of the flag is identical to the former Soviet flag, the red is said to be inspired by the pennant lifted by Manas, the country's folk hero. Under Soviet rule, the Union Republic – coterminous with modern-day Kyrgyzstan – utilized a flag derived from the flag of the Soviet Union and representing Communism, that was adopted in 1953. It declared itself independent on August 31, 1991, approximately four months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the Soviet-era flag maintained its status as the national flag for seven months after independence was declared.

neg: NUSSU Rag and Flag NUSSU Rag and Flag NUSSU Rag and Flag is an annual charity project featured prominently in the National University of Singapore Students' Union (NUSSU) Freshmen Orientation Programme. The project comprises two separate but related events: students taking to the streets asking the public for donations on Flag Day and, subsequently, a procession of thematic floats that will perform within the university grounds on Rag Day. Started in 1958/9 by the University of Malaya Students’ Union (later University of Singapore Students’ Union, and now, the National University of Singapore Students' Union), the early Rag and Flag Days were enthusiastic highlights of

neg: Flag of Turkmenistan afterthought to represent the "status of permanent neutrality", which was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 12, 1995. The flag of the Russian Empire was the official flag of Turkmenistan until the Russian Revolution. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkmenistan had a flag similar to all other Soviet Republics; see Flag of the Turkmen SSR. After independence in 1991, Turkmenistan adopted a flag very similar to the current design, on February 19, 1992. However, the designs on the left were different. In 1997, an olive branch was added to symbolise the peace-loving nature

neg: Mikhail Gorbachev the flag of the Soviet Union was lowered from the Kremlin and was replaced with the Russian tricolor flag. The next day, 26 December, the Soviet of the Republics, the upper chamber of the Supreme Soviet, declared that the Soviet Union had ceased to exist as a functioning state, and formally voted both itself and the Union out of existence. Two days after Gorbachev left office, on 27 December 1991, Yeltsin moved into Gorbachev's old office. Gorbachev had aimed to maintain the CPSU as a united party but move it in the direction of Scandinavian-style social democracy. But when the

neg: Flag of Lithuania that is used today. Any of the debates failed to produce a historical flag. Discussions of the national flag continued; its opponents considered gold an inappropriate color, since the combination of yellow, green, and red did not follow the existing rules of heraldry. However, no changes were made during the inter-war period. During World War II, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union (1940–1941, 1944–1990) and Nazi Germany (1941–1944). The use of the national flag during this period was prohibited and prosecuted. Two flags were used during the period of Soviet occupation (1944–1989): immediately after the war, the flag consisted

neg: Flag of Ukraine was agreed to use the blue–yellow flag until the issue was resolved in the independent Ukraine. The first flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted on March 10, 1919, to serve as the symbol of state of the Soviet Ukraine. Details of the official flag changed periodically before the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, but all were based on the red flag of the October Revolution in Russia and an exact replica of the Soviet Russia. The first flag was red with the gold Cyrillic sans-serif letters У.С.С.Р. (USSR, acronym for Ukrayinskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Sovetskaya Respublika in

neg: Flag of Lithuania Flag of Lithuania The flag of Lithuania () consists of a horizontal tricolor of yellow, green, and red. It was adopted on 25 April 1918 during Lithuania's first period of independence (in the 20th century) from 1918 to 1940, which ceased with the occupation first by Soviet Russia and Lithuania's annexation into the Soviet Union, and then by Nazi Germany (1941–1944). During the post-World War II Soviet occupation, from 1945 until 1989, the Soviet Lithuanian flag consisted first of a generic red Soviet flag with the name of the republic, then changed to the red flag with white and green

neg: Estonian Border Guard Empire. On 5 June 1936, a new Border Guard Act was entered into force. Despite legal agreements with the Soviet Union, a tragic incident occurred on 8 February 1938, when Soviet border guards entered Estonian territory and killed two Estonian border guards and one civilian. On the 10th anniversary of the Border Guard, the agency received its flag. In 1940, the agency was partially disbanded by the occupying Soviet Union forces. The eastern border structures were demolished. By then there were roughly 1100 border guards. Large number of Estonian Border Guard officers were repressed and sent to Gulags. The restoration

neg: Belorussiya-class cruiseferry forward superstructure slightly expanded. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the sale of the "Belorussiya" class ships to different operators around the world, some of the ships have received further rebuildings. During their career under the Soviet flag, the "Belorussiya" class ships were used on domestic traffic between Crimea and the Caucasus, as well as considerable cruising both for Soviet passengers as well as under charter to travel companies outside the Eastern Bloc. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ships were initially transferred under Ukrainian flag, then towards the end of the 1990s they were transferred

neg: Flag of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Kirghiz SSR was adopted by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Kirghiz SSR decreed by its Decree on December 22, 1952. The 1978 constitution of the Kirghiz SSR states that the ratio of the flag is 1:2 with the blue/white/blue stripes in the middle taking of the flag height and the white stripes of flag height. The red, blue and white colors were derived from the Pan-Slavic colors. According to the constitution in detail in article 168: The flag differences from the flag of the Soviet Union

neg: Flag of Uzbekistan was approved in 1952. The flag is similar to the Soviet design but with the blue stripe in 1/5 width and the two 1/100 white edges in between. Uzbekistan declared itself independent on September 1, 1991, approximately three months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. A search for a national flag began soon after, with a contest being held to determine the new design. More than 200 submissions were made, and a commission was formed in order to evaluate these suggestions coming from a variety of stakeholders. The winning design was adopted on November 18, 1991, after being selected

neg: Flag of Ukraine of 1943. Its official date of creation is October 14, 1942,[1] day of Intercession of the Theotokos feast. The battle flag of the UPA was a 2:3 ratio red-and-black banner. The flag continues to be a symbol of the Ukrainian nationalist movement. The colours of the flag symbolise 'Ukrainian red blood spilled on Ukrainian black earth'. In 1949, the flag of the Soviet Ukraine was changed once again. The Soviet Union managed to obtain two additional seats in the United Nations by adding as members Ukraine along with Byelorussia. The change was due to the fact that all the Soviet

neg: Union State a state flag or coat of arms. There have been several drafts for flags and coats of arms. Two proposals have been made for the flag of the Union. In all cases, they are modifications to the flag of the Soviet Union, but representing the state (not communism). In both cases, two gold stars are placed in the canton of the red flag (to represent the two states of the Union). A proposed coat of arms is a modification of the double-headed eagle holding the coats of arms of Russia and Belarus. Belarus and Russia had been collecting a value

neg: Flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic Republic of Uzbekistan and the flag remained in use until 18 November 1991, although the republic remained within the Soviet Union before its dissolution on 26 December 1991. On July 22, 1925, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Soviets of the Uzbek SSR adopted Resolution No. 67 "On the Emblem and Flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic". The resolution approved the first flag of the Uzbek SSR with the folowing description : The 2nd All-Uzbek Congress of Soviets on March 31, 1927 adopted the Constitution of the Uzbek SSR, which was published on July 11, 1927. The flag

neg: Flag of Russia diplomatic representations of the USSR. The 1:2 red flag was used, until replaced in 1954 with the universal design of the Soviet flag with a blue stripe along the mast. Contrary to the belief that the USSR state flag outranked the flag of the RSFSR, the actual use of the USSR flag was limited. The USSR flag in Russia flew only over two buildings, that of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union and the Council of People's Commissars. That decision was adopted on 23 March 1925, also establishing that the flag of the RSFSR had to be raised

neg: Olympic Games ceremony their work during the Games. Next, two other national flags are hoisted on flagpoles one at a time while the corresponding national anthems are played: the flag of Greece to again honor the birthplace of the Olympic Games, and the flag of the country hosting the next Summer or Winter Olympic Games. In Moscow, Soviet Union, during the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, the flag raised to represent the next games host was that of the City of Los Angeles instead of the flag of the boycotting United States. In Sydney and Athens, two Greek flags were raised because Greece was

neg: Japan–Soviet Union relations 1985, did Japanese trade resume its growth. Japan's trade was also constrained by the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (CoCom), which controlled exports of strategic high technology. In 1987 the United States discovered that Toshiba Machine Tool had shipped machine tools on the restricted list to the Soviet Union, tools used to manufacture quieter submarine propellers. Although the Japanese government moved reluctantly to punish Toshiba (and the United States imposed sanctions on Toshiba exports to the United States in response), the final outcome was stronger surveillance and punishment for CoCom violations in Japan. Japan–Soviet Union relations Relations between the

neg: Australia–Russia relations the Soviet Union in Australia, and barred Simonov from teaching Bolshevism politics in Australia; an act for which he was later imprisoned for six months. Michael Considine, Member of the House of Representatives for Barrier assumed the unrecognised role of representative of the Soviets. Anti-Russian sentiment became stronger during this period, and was exemplified by the March 1919 anti-Russian pogroms in Brisbane, which were dubbed the "Red Flag Riots", and until the United Kingdom's recognition of the Soviet Union in 1924, bilateral relations between Australia and the Soviet Union continued to be "de jure" non-existent. On 8 August 1924, the

neg: Flag of the Soviet Union time the flag ceased to be a national flag. Today, the Soviet flag is used by the opposition, mainly left-wing rallies and demonstrations in the former Soviet space. The flags often used are those of the union republics (in particular those where the demonstrations are held). The Soviet Union was the world's first constitutionally socialist state, making it the inspiration of future socialist states. This led to the inspirations for the flags of the Republic of Angola, the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The flags of the Soviet republics

neg: Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic red flag was used. The final BySSR flag was used until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. A flag based on this design is used as the current national flag of Belarus. In the end of the 1940s, the political need had arisen to have somewhat visually different designs of the flags of the USSR republics, especially for those that were UN members. For the BSSR flag, the image of the Belarusian folk design had been finally chosen as a distinctive feature of the flag. Then the picture of the embroidery on the «ruchnik» (handtowel) had been found

neg: Flag desecration flag during the visit of the US Vice President Joe Biden. Due to the mass demonstrations and protests, he was freed from prison two days later. South Korean "Criminal Act" punishes flag desecration in various ways: The flag of the Soviet Union was burned many times by protestors against its government's policies, for instance in Brazil by those protesting the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia of 1968, and in New York City in 1985 by protesters against the Soviet–Afghan War. The Soviet flag has also been burned during the Euromaidan in Ukraine. The desecration of national symbols is not specifically

neg: Kyrgyzstan a symbol replicated in many facets of Kyrgyz architecture. The red portion of the flag represents peace and openness of Kyrgyzstan. Under Soviet rule and before 1992, it had the flag of the Soviet Union with two big blue stripes and a white thin stripe in the middle. The traditional national sports reflect the importance of horse riding in Kyrgyz culture. Very popular, as in all of Central Asia, is "Ulak Tartysh", a team game resembling a cross between polo and rugby in which two teams of riders wrestle for possession of the headless carcass of a goat, which they

neg: Flag of Lithuania Soviet again recognized the tricolor as the national flag, by amending article 168 of the Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the Lithuanian SSR. The flag was defined as rectangular tricolor which consists of three equally sized horizontal stripes: the upper is yellow, the middle is green, the lower is red; the flag ratio was to be 1:2 (as that of Soviet flags). This flag was confirmed by the Provisional Constitution of 11 March 1990 № I-10. After independence from the Soviet Union, the tricolor flag was written into the new Constitution of Lithuania, which was adopted by a referendum in 1992.

neg: Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Soviet flag was flown in the later months of 1991, even after the failed coup d'état, the blue-yellow flag was gradually re-introduced between 14 March 1990 beginning at town of Stryi until its independence on 24 August 1991. In 2015 the use of the flag was officially banned in Ukraine. Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The first flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 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 break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, but

neg: Flag of the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic the Yakut language was approved by a decree of the People's Commissar of Education of the Soviet Union. The inscription on the flag was changed into the new Cyrilic alphabet, and the inscription "АССР" was written once, due to both language having the same abbreviation. On June 12, 1954, by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Yakut ASSR "On the State Flag of the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic", a new state flag of the Yakut ASSR was adopted, which was approved by the Law of the Yakut ASSR of June 23, 1954. The law

neg: Voluntary Sports Societies of the Soviet Union Each VSS had its own flag, emblem, sports uniform, pin. Societies, which were awarded orders (e.g. VSS Spartak - Order of Lenin) had their images on the flag and other symbols. The most represented VSS at the Olympics usually were Spartak, Burevestnik, Trud, Zenit, Avangard. For example, from 409 competitors for the USSR at the 1976 Summer Olympics 58 were from Spartak, 48 from Burevestnik, 28 from Trud, 13 from Zenit and 11 from Avangard. According to the Olympic rules of the 20th century, only amateur athletes were eligible to participate. Top Soviet athletes were funded by the state and

neg: Flag of Ukraine the Ukrainian People's Republic. When Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, the flag was outlawed and before 1949 there was no official state flag until adoption of the red-azure flag of the Ukrainian SSR. People who hoisted the blue-yellow flags in Soviet Ukraine were prosecuted as criminals. The blue and yellow flag was provisionally adopted for official ceremonies in September 1991 following Ukrainian independence, before finally officially being restored on 28 January 1992 by the parliament of Ukraine. Ukraine has celebrated Flag Day each year on August 23 since 2005. The Law of Ukraine states that the colours of

neg: Green Bridge (Vilnius) War I, but was blown up by the Wehrmacht in 1944. The present-day bridge was completed in 1952 and named after Soviet General Ivan Chernyakhovsky. After Lithuania's declaration of independence in 1990, the bridge was returned to its historical name. The bridge long featured four sets of sculptures – prominent examples of so-called Soviet realism. Each featured two people, representing social classes idealized by the Soviet authorities (soldiers, workers, farmers, students). Three sculptures were in height (including the pedestal); the soldiers reached due to the raised flag. In 2013, a debate about the future of the Soviet-era statues pitted Lithuanian

neg: Flag of the Soviet Union the Agreement states: 'the USSR has a flag, coat of arms and a state seal.' The description of the first flag was given in the 1924 Soviet Constitution, accepted in the second session of the Executive Committee (CIK) of the USSR on 6 July 1923. The text of article 71 states: 'The state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consists of a red or scarlet field with states coat of arms'. It was ordered with the unusual ratio of 4:1 in proportion and consisted of a red flag with the state coat of arms in the center. However,

neg: Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and 1937, the flag was red, with the Cyrillic characters "ССРГ" ("SSRG") in the top left-hand corner. Between 1937 and the adoption of the above flag in the 1940s, the flag was red, with the Georgian characters საქართველოს სსრ ("Sakartvelos SSR") in gold in the top-left corner. The 1951 flag fell into disuse in November 1990 when the flag based on the Democratic Republic of Georgia was introduced until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic The flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (country) was adopted by the Georgian SSR on April 11,

neg: Flag of Ukraine of Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika and glasnost years, the individual Soviet republics had strengthened their sense of national identity, which led to the Collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. This concerned the three Baltic states and Western Ukraine, which were the last territories annexed into Soviet Union. These efforts were accompanied with attempts to restore the respective historical national symbols. In 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR re-established Lithuania's historic coat of arms as the state symbol. The Parliaments of Latvia and Estonia soon followed. The events in the Baltic countries soon led to similar processes in Ukraine.

neg: Flag and coat of arms of Moldavia as emblems on the tricolour adopted by Alexandru Ioan Cuza after the union of the Danubian Principalities in 1859; the arms of Moldavia are nowadays represented in the coat of arms of Romania, as well as in that of the short-lived Moldavian Democratic Republic and present-day Moldova (having previously featured in the coat of arms of Bessarabia within the Russian Empire). Flag and coat of arms of Moldavia The flag and coat of arms of Moldavia, one of the two Danubian Principalities, together with Wallachia, which formed the basis for the Romanian state, were subject to numerous changes throughout their

neg: Dissolution of the Soviet Union of the old blue-black-white flag of Estonia, and agreed to a new state language law that made Estonian the official language of the Republic. On October 2, the Popular Front formally launched its political platform at a two-day congress. Väljas attended, gambling that the front could help Estonia become a model of economic and political revival, while moderating separatist and other radical tendencies. On November 16, 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR adopted a declaration of national sovereignty under which Estonian laws would take precedence over those of the Soviet Union. Estonia's parliament also laid claim to the

neg: Flag of the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic The flag the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted in 1954 by the government of the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The flag is identical to the flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. During the Korenizatsiya period, most of the autonomous republics of the USSR, including Yakut ASSR, were encouraged to create a flag to suit their national tradition. Yakutia itself adopted a flag which depicted Aurora on its canton during this period. After 1937, the korenizatsiya policies were reversed. A new flag of the Yakut ASSR, which is

neg: National symbols of Estonia 21 November 1918, proclaiming the blue-black-white flag the state flag. The Law on State Flag was adopted by the Parliament (Riigikogu) on 27 June 1922. After the forcible annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union in June, 1940, this flag was banned. The flag was created by Aleksander Mõtus. The colors of the flag are said to symbolize: The invasion by the Soviet Union in June 1940 led to the flag's ban. It was taken down from the most symbolic location, the tower of Pikk Hermann in Tallinn, on June 21, 1940 when Estonia was still formally independent. On the

neg: 39th Army (Soviet Union) construction in parts where the Chinese gave the keys to the property. To the sound of the Soviet anthem was lowered naval flag of the Soviet Union, and then was replaced by a Chinese flag. Conclusion took 8 months. After retiring in Port Arthur for a while there were still Soviet specialists who taught Chinese sailors. Reduction and then disbanding the 39th Army began in 1955. The Army was disbanded in 1956 as part of Maritime Military District. After the war, the army was stationed for many years in Mongolia, with its headquarters at Ulaanbaatar. Soviet perceptions of threat from

neg: Philippines–Soviet Union relations the issuance of import and export taxes. The most exported products of the Philippines were food products, manufactured goods and alcohol products such as beer, rum and gin while the Soviet Union exported industrial equipment, minerals, tools, machinery, coal and oil to the Philippines. During the 1972–1984 period the Philippines recorded a favorable balance of trade with the Soviet Union but in 1985 onwards the Philippines exports of traditional products to the Soviet Union were insufficient. A feasibility study was conducted in 1982 as part of a joint venture of the Philippines and the Soviet Union for the construction of

neg: Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The first flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 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 break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, but all had as their basis the red flag of the October Revolution. According to the decree of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of Ukrainian SSR on 21 November 1949, the blue in the bottom symbolises the mightiness and beauty of the people, and the blue banner of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Before

neg: 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships ongoing, the nation of Czechoslovakia was dissolved into two separate nations, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on New Years Day, 1993. The team remained unified throughout the tournament, however the Czechoslovakian flag and anthem were replaced with the flag and anthem of the International Ice Hockey Federation after January 1. Meanwhile, the former Soviet Union, which had competed in 1992 as the Commonwealth of Independent States was replaced in this tournament by Russia. "Japan was relegated to Pool B for 1994." Eight teams contested the second tier this year in Lillehammer and Hamar Norway from December 27 to January 5.

neg: Flag of Lithuania bars at the bottom. The flag was then re-adopted on 20 March 1989, almost a year before the re-establishment of Lithuania's independence and almost three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The last alteration to the current flag occurred in 2004, when the aspect ratio changed from 1:2 to 3:5. The earliest known flags with a Lithuanian identity were recorded in the 15th-century "Banderia Prutenorum", written by Jan Długosz. At the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, two distinct flags were present. The majority of the 40 regiments carried a red banner depicting a mounted knight in pursuit. This

neg: Flag of Russia the Soviet Union, this flag was used in films set in the prerevolutionary period and was seen as an historical flag, especially after the 1940s. It, rather than the black-yellow-white color combination, was readopted by Russia on 22 August 1991. That date is celebrated yearly as the national flag day. The President of Russia uses a Presidential Standard (), which, since 1994, is officially defined as the square tricolor with the coat of arms (in this case the two-headed eagle is depicted without the shield) in the middle. During the annual Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, a variant of the

neg: Kongsberg Gruppen and progress coincided with national and international unrest, which had a serious impact on the company, as an outcome of so-called Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal, after illegal export to the Soviet Union machine tools banned by Cocom. The outcome was a need to restructure the entire company. In 1987, the company was part of the Toshiba-Kongsberg scandal, which involved a subsidiary of Toshiba and the Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk. The two provided the Soviet Union with technology (Toshiba milling machines and Kongsberg computer numerical controls) that could be used to produce quiet submarine propellers, in violation of the CoCom agreement. The US always relied

neg: Zimbabwe national rugby union team a variety of opponents and enjoy a decent amount of success, defeating opponents such as Spain and the Soviet Union; in the victory over the Soviet Union, history was made as Richard Tsimba became the first black player for Zimbabwe. In 1987, Zimbabwe was invited to partake in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup to represent the African continent, instead of South Africa, who were under sanction due to apartheid; unfortunately, the Sables would lose all 3 of their matches, although came on the verge of upsetting Romania (losing by 1 point), a game which featured a two try performance

neg: Union Jack red cross of St George for the Kingdom of England, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland (which two were united in the first Union Flag), and the red saltire of St Patrick to represent Ireland. Notably, the home country of Wales is not represented separately in the Union Flag, as the flag was designed after the invasion of Wales in 1282. Hence Wales as a home country today has no representation on the flag; it appears under the cross of St George, which represents the former Kingdom of England (which included Wales). The terms "Union Jack" and "Union

neg: Flag of Uzbekistan the zodiac. On December 27, 2010, President Islam Karimov signed an amendment to the law that strengthened the protection of the country's symbols, including its flag and emblem. It banned the utilization of the flag of Uzbekistan for promotional and commercial purposes, including its usage in advertisements and documents. It also forbade any organizations that are not affiliated with the Uzbek government from adopting logos that resemble the national symbols. Under Soviet rule, the Union Republic – situated in what is now modern-day Uzbekistan – utilized a flag derived from the flag of the Soviet Union and representing Communism, that

neg: Nazi–Soviet economic relations (1934–41) Union, let alone come close to victory, even with more intense rationing. Estimates of any Soviet gains from the German weapons and technology are difficult, though they were certainly less vital for the Soviets than the Soviet raw material imports were for Germany. The "Lützow" was never completed, and the Soviets used it as an immobile gun battery until its sinking on September 17, though it was later refloated. however, Soviet aviation experts were satisfied with their modest aircraft purchases. Although many of the machine tools and other equipment exported to the Soviet Union was destroyed or captured in the

neg: Latvia half of the 1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev started to introduce political and economic reforms in the Soviet Union that were called glasnost and perestroika. In the summer of 1987, the first large demonstrations were held in Riga at the Freedom Monument—a symbol of independence. In the summer of 1988, a national movement, coalescing in the Popular Front of Latvia, was opposed by the Interfront. The Latvian SSR, along with the other Baltic Republics was allowed greater autonomy, and in 1988, the old pre-war Flag of Latvia flew again, replacing the Soviet Latvian flag as the official flag in 1990.

neg: German–Soviet Commercial Agreement (1940) at enemy”. On February 11, 1940, Germany and the Soviet Union entered into an intricate trade pact in which the Soviet Union would send Germany 650 million Reichsmarks in raw materials in exchange for 650 million Reichmarks in machinery, manufactured goods and technology. The trade pact helped Germany to surmount the British blockade. The main raw materials specified in the agreement were one million tons of grain, 900,000 tons of oil and more than 500,000 tons of various metal ores (mostly iron ore) in exchange for synthetic material plants, ships, turrets, machine tools and coal. The first stipulation of the

neg: Union State even a flag for the Union State. Nevertheless, a song called "Sovereign Union of Nations" ( "Derzhavny soyuz narodov", "Dzyarzhauny sayuz narodau") has been proposed as the Union's unofficial anthem. The song, which was modified from the National Anthem of the Soviet Union, refers to a wider union of the two nations. On November 16, 2010, it was announced by the Union State website that the Constitutional Act was 99% ready. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko promised to introduce a common currency on 1 January 2004. The currency was not introduced, and the plan was pushed back by one year. On

neg: World Chess Championship 1990 final time in seven years. Karpov later alleged that a Dutch sponsor had offered to pay him to lose the match against Timman. The first twelve games were played in New York City (8 October – 7 November), the other twelve taking place in Lyon, France (26 November – 30 December). Kasparov won and retained his title. Although still a Soviet citizen, Kasparov refused to play under the flag of the Soviet Union. Instead, he wanted to use the Russian flag; not the flag of the RSFSR, but the old tri-color—which, incidentally, would be re-adopted after the collapse of the

neg: Ukraine Ukraine. At the meeting in Brest, Belarus on 8 December, followed by the Alma Ata meeting on 21 December, the leaders of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine formally dissolved the Soviet Union and formed the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). On 26 December 1991 the Council of Republics of the USSR Supreme Council adapted declaration "In regards to creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States" () which de-jure dissolved the Soviet Union and the Soviet flag was lowered over the Kremlin. Ukraine was initially viewed as having favourable economic conditions in comparison to the other regions of the Soviet Union. However,

neg: Flag of the Soviet Union idea was dismissed as too visually aggressive. Lenin apparently said "A sword is not one of our symbols." The first official flag was adopted in December 1922 at the First Congress of Soviets of the USSR. It was agreed that the red banner 'was transformed from the symbol of the Party to the symbol of a state, and around that flag gathered the peoples of the soviet republics to unite into one state — the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. On 30 December 1922, the Congress adopted a Declaration and Agreement on the establishment of the USSR. Article 22 of

neg: Flag of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic flag was restored again in 1944 after the re-capture of Estonia from Nazi Germany. On February 6, 1953, the final version of the Estonian SSR flag was adopted. Though similar to the flag of the Soviet Union, it has the six spiky blue wavy stripes with the white stripe on the bottom. Neither the Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the Estonian SSR, nor in the statute of the national flag of the Estonian SSR did not mentioned the shade of blue wavy stripes on the flag. Soviet vexillologist V. N. Streltsov in Odessa described it as "electric blue". During that period,

neg: Flag of Germany this day. This flag came into force on 1 January 1957, upon the establishment of the Saarland as a state of West Germany. While the use of black-red-gold had been suggested in the Soviet zone in 1946, the Second People's Congress in 1948 decided to adopt the old black-white-red tricolour as a national flag for East Germany. This choice was based on the use of these colours by the National Committee for a Free Germany, a German anti-Nazi organisation that operated in the Soviet Union in the last two years of the war. In 1949, following a suggestion from Friedrich

neg: Jack (flag) The Second Confederate naval jack was a rectangular cousin of the Confederate Army's battle flag and was in use from 1863 until 1865. The Union Jack of Norway and Sweden 1844–1905 was a rectangular cross flag divided per saltire, combining the national colours of Sweden (hoist and fly) and Norway (top and bottom). The naval jack was also used as flag for the common diplomatic representations abroad. The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Union from 1918 until 1991. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the "union jack" its a red flag with a star and

neg: Flag of Estonia Flag of Estonia The national flag of Estonia () is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white. The normal size is . In Estonian it is colloquially called the ""sinimustvalge"" (literally "blue-black-white"), after the colours of the bands. First adopted on 21 November 1918 after its independence, it was used as a national flag until 1940 when the Soviet Union and Germany occupied Estonia. After World War II, from 1944 to 1990, the Soviet Estonian flag consisted first of a generic red Soviet flag with the name of the republic, then changed to the

neg: History of the Soviet Union particular a sweeping collectivization of agriculture and a rapid development of heavy industry. Stalin's power within the party and the state was established and eventually evolved into Stalin's cult of personality. Soviet secret-police and the mass-mobilization. The Communist Party were Stalin's major tools in molding the Soviet society. Stalin's brutal methods in achieving his goals, which included party purges, political repression of the general population, and forced collectivization, led to millions of deaths: in Gulag labor camps, during the man-made famine, and during forced resettlements of population. World War II, known as "the Great Patriotic War" in the Soviet Union,

neg: National symbols of Belarus National symbols of Belarus Upon the independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union, the country resurrected national symbols that were used before the Soviet era. These included a flag of red and white stripes and a coat of arms consisting of a charging knight on horseback. These national symbols were replaced by Soviet-era symbols in a disputed 1995 vote. Those two symbols, along with the national anthem, are the constitutionally defined national symbols of Belarus. In the 1994 Constitution of Belarus, Article 19 lists the official symbols of the country. Article 19 reads: Each national symbol is further defined by

neg: Hitori Kumagai a December 1985 letter in English to CoCom headquarters in Paris, outlining which products had violated the regulations and details of what had been exported (or were likely to be exported) to the Soviet Union. Kumagai attached documentation of the nine-axis machine tools, and included his contact information. Concerned about a possible assassination attempt, he recorded in detail what he knew about the Soviet Union in the spring of 1986 and gave his friend a copy for safekeeping. Kumagai told his friend that if anything happened to him, he should pass the information on to the address on the letter.

neg: Australian Red Ensign Australian Red Ensign The Australian Red Ensign resulted from the Commonwealth Government's 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition which required two entries: a flag for official Commonwealth Government use and another for the merchant navy. The winning design was based on the traditional British Red Ensign and featured the Southern Cross and Commonwealth Star. The Australian red ensign is a predominantly red version of the Australian National Flag, using the same shade of red as the Cross of Saint George which is part of the Union Jack present in the canton. Following federation in 1901, the topic of national colours for

neg: Soviet Union Accords, which declared the Soviet Union dissolved and established the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in its place. While doubts remained over the authority of the accords to do this, on 21 December 1991, the representatives of all Soviet republics except Georgia signed the Alma-Ata Protocol, which confirmed the accords. On 25 December 1991, Gorbachev resigned as the President of the USSR, declaring the office extinct. He turned the powers that had been vested in the presidency over to Yeltsin. That night, the Soviet flag was lowered for the last time, and the Russian tricolor was raised in its place.