Why did the swastika become a symbol of fascism. Swastika - solar symbol

With the filing of the anti-Russian media and information, it is not known who works for many people, the Swastika is currently associated with fascism and Adolf Hitler. This opinion has been hammered into the heads of people for the last 70 years. Few people now remember that the Swastika was depicted on Soviet money in the period from 1917 to 1923 as a legalized state symbol; that on the sleeve patches of soldiers and officers of the Red Army in the same period there was also a Swastika in a laurel wreath, and inside the Swastika were the letters R.S.F.S.R. There is even an opinion that Comrade I.V. Stalin himself presented the Golden Swastika-Kolovrat as a party symbol to Adolf Hitler in 1920. So many legends and conjectures have accumulated around this ancient symbol that perhaps it is worth telling in more detail about this oldest solar cult symbol on Earth.

The swastika symbol is a rotating cross with curved ends pointing clockwise or counterclockwise. As a rule, now all over the world all Swastika symbols are called in one word - SWASTIKA, which is fundamentally wrong, because. each Swastika symbol in ancient times had its own name, purpose, protective power and figurative meaning.

Swastika symbolism, as the most ancient, is most often found during archaeological excavations. More often than other symbols, it was found in ancient burial mounds, on the ruins of ancient cities and settlements. In addition, the swastika symbolism was depicted on various details architecture, weapons, clothing and household utensils from many peoples of the world. Swastika symbolism is ubiquitous in ornamentation as a sign of Light, Sun, Love, Life. In the West, there was even an interpretation that the Swastika symbol must be understood as an abbreviation of four words starting with a Latin letter L:
Light - Light, Sun; Love - Love; Life - Life; Luck - Fate, Luck, Happiness(see postcard below).

English speaking greeting card early 20th century

The oldest archaeological artifacts depicting swastika symbols now date back to approximately 4-15 millennium BC. (on the right is a vessel from the Scythian Kingdom 3-4 thousand BC). According to archaeological excavations, Russia and Siberia are the richest territories for the use of the swastika as a religious and cultural symbol. Neither Europe, nor India, nor Asia can compare with Russia or Siberia in the abundance of swastika symbols covering Russian weapons, banners, national costumes, household utensils, objects everyday life and agricultural purposes, as well as houses and temples. Excavations of ancient mounds, cities and settlements speak for themselves - many ancient Slavic cities had a clear shape of the Swastika, oriented to the four cardinal points. This can be seen on the example of Arkaim, Vendogard and others (below is the reconstruction plan of Arkaim).

Plan-reconstruction of Arkaim L. L. Gurevich

The swastika and swastika-solar symbols were the main and, one might even say, almost the only elements of the most ancient Proto-Slavic ornaments. But this does not mean at all that the Slavs and Aryans were bad artists.
Firstly, there were a great many varieties of the image of the Swastika symbols. Secondly, in ancient times, not a single pattern was applied to any object just like that, because each element of the pattern corresponded to a certain cult or security (amulet) value, because. each symbol in the pattern had its own mystical power. By combining various mystical forces together, white people created a favorable atmosphere around themselves and their loved ones, in which it was easiest to live and create. These were carved patterns, stucco, painting, beautiful carpets woven by industrious hands (see photo below).

Traditional Celtic rug with swastika pattern

But not only Aryans and Slavs believed in the mystical power of swastika patterns. The same symbols were found on clay vessels from Samarra (the territory of modern Iraq), which date back to the 5th millennium BC. Swastika symbols in left-handed and right-handed forms are found in the pre-Aryan culture of Mohenjo-Daro (Indus River basin) and ancient China around 2000 BC. e. In Northeast Africa, archaeologists have found a burial stele of the Meroz kingdom, which existed in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. The fresco on the stele depicts a woman entering the afterlife, and the Swastika flaunts on the clothes of the deceased.

The rotating cross also adorns the golden weights for scales that belonged to the inhabitants of Ashanta (Ghana), and the clay utensils of the ancient Indians, beautiful carpets woven by the Persians and Celts. Man-made belts created by the Komi, Russians, Sami, Latvians, Lithuanians and other peoples are also filled with swastika symbols, and at present it is difficult even for an ethnographer to figure out which of the peoples to attribute these ornaments to. Judge for yourself.

Since ancient times, the swastika symbolism has been the main and dominant among almost all peoples on the territory of Eurasia: Slavs, Germans, Mari, Pomors, Skalvians, Curonians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Mordovians, Udmurts, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Indians, Icelanders, Scots and many others.

In many ancient Beliefs and religions, the Swastika is the most important and brightest cult symbol. So, in ancient Indian philosophy and Buddhism (fig. on the right. Buddha's foot) The swastika is a symbol of the eternal cycle of the universe, a symbol of the Buddha's Law, to which everything that exists is subject. (Dictionary "Buddhism", M., "Republic", 1992); in Tibetan Lamaism - a security symbol, a symbol of happiness and a talisman.
In India and Tibet, the Swastika is depicted everywhere: on the walls and gates of temples (see photo below), on residential buildings, as well as on fabrics in which all sacred texts and tablets are wrapped. Very often, sacred texts from the Book of the Dead are framed with swastika ornaments, which are written on burial covers before kroding (cremation).

At the gate of the Vedic Temple. Northern India. 2000

"Warships in the roadstead (in the inland sea)". 18th century

You can observe the image of many Swastikas both on an old Japanese engraving of the 18th century (picture above), and on peerless mosaic floors in the halls of the St. Petersburg Hermitage (picture below).

Pavilion Hall of the Hermitage. Mosaic floor. Photo 2001

But you will not find any messages about this in the media, because they have no idea what the Swastika is, what ancient figurative meaning it carries, what it has meant for many millennia and now means for the Slavs and Aryans and many peoples inhabiting our Earth. In these media, alien to the Slavs, the Swastika is called either a German cross or a fascist sign and relegates its image and meaning only to Adolf Hitler, Germany 1933-45, to fascism (National Socialism) and the Second World War. Modern "journalists", "is-Torics" and guardians of "universal values" seemed to have forgotten that the Swastika is the Ancient Russian symbol, that in the past, representatives of the highest authorities, in order to enlist the support of the people, always made the Swastika a state symbol and placed its image on money . So did the princes and tsars, the Provisional Government (see p. 166) and the Bolsheviks, who later seized power from them (see below).

Now, few people know that the matrices of a banknote in denominations of 250 rubles, with the image of the Swastika symbol - Kolovrat against the background of a double-headed eagle, were made by special order and sketches of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II. The Provisional Government used these matrices to issue banknotes in denominations of 250, and later 1000 rubles. Beginning in 1918, the Bolsheviks put into circulation new banknotes in denominations of 5,000 and 10,000 rubles, which depict three Kolovrat Swastikas: two smaller Kolovrats in side ties are intertwined with large numbers 5000, 10,000, and a large Kolovrat is placed in the middle. But, unlike the 1000 rubles of the Provisional Government, which had the State Duma depicted on the reverse side, the Bolsheviks placed a double-headed eagle on banknotes. Money with the Swastika-Kolovrat was printed by the Bolsheviks and was in use until 1923, and only after the appearance of banknotes of the USSR they were withdrawn from circulation.

The authorities of Soviet Russia, in order to get support in Siberia, created in 1918 sleeve patches for the Red Army soldiers of the South-Eastern Front, they depicted a Swastika with the abbreviation R.S.F.S.R. inside (see below). But so did: The Russian Government of A. V. Kolchak, calling under the banner of the Siberian Volunteer Corps (see top left); Russian emigrants in Harbin and Paris, and then the National Socialists in Germany.

Created in 1921 according to the sketches of Adolf Hitler, the party symbols and the flag of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party) subsequently became the state symbols of Germany (1933-1945). Few people now know that in Germany the National Socialists used not a Swastika , and a symbol similar to it in outline - Hakenkreuz (lower left), which has a completely different figurative meaning - a change in the world around us and a person's worldview.

For many millennia, the different inscriptions of swastika symbols have had a powerful influence on the way of life of people, on their psyche (Soul) and subconsciousness, uniting representatives of various tribes for the sake of some bright goal; gave a powerful surge of light divine forces, revealing the internal reserves in people for all-round creation for the benefit of their Clans, in the name of justice, prosperity and well-being of their Fatherland.

At first, only clergymen of various Tribal cults, Religions and religions used it, then representatives of the highest state power- princes, kings, etc., and after them all kinds of occultists and politicians turned to the Swastika.

After the Bolsheviks completely captured all levels of power, the need for the support of the Soviet regime by the Russian people disappeared, because it is easier to seize the values ​​​​created by the same Russian people. Therefore, in 1923, the Bolsheviks abandoned the Swastika, leaving only the five-pointed star, the Hammer and Sickle as state symbols.

In ancient times, when our Ancestors used x "Aryan Runes, the word Swastika , translated as Coming from Heaven. Since the rune SVA meant Heaven (hence Svarog - Heavenly God), - FROM - Rune of direction; Runes - TIKA - movement, advent, flow, run. Our children and grandchildren still pronounce the word tick, i.e. run. In addition, the figurative form TIKA and is now found in everyday words Arctic, Antarctica, mysticism, homiletics, politics, etc.

Ancient Vedic sources tell us that even our galaxy has the shape of a Swastika, and our Yarila-Sun system is located in one of the arms of this Heavenly Swastika. And since we are in the galactic sleeve, our entire galaxy (its ancient name Svasti) is perceived by us as the Perunov Way or the Milky Way.
Any person who loves to look at the night scattering of stars can see the constellation to the left of the constellation Makosh (B. Ursa) swastikas (see below). It shines in the sky, but it has been excluded from modern star charts and atlases.

As a cult and everyday solar symbol that brings happiness, luck, prosperity, joy and prosperity, the Swastika was originally used only among the white people of the Great Race, professing the Old Faith of the First Ancestors - Ynglism , druidic cults of Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, and many millennia later other peoples of the Earth began to revere her Sacred Image: followers of Hinduism, Bon, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity of various directions, representatives of nature-religious denominations of Europe and America. The only ones who do not recognize the symbolism as sacred are the representatives of Judaism. Some people may object: they say, in the oldest synagogue in Israel, the Swastika is depicted on the floor and no one destroys it. Indeed, the swastika symbol is present on the floor in the Israeli synagogue, but only for everyone who comes to trample it underfoot.

The legacy of the Ancestors brought the news that for many millennia the Slavs used the Swastika symbols. They numbered 144 species: Swastika, Kolovrat, Salting, Holy Gift, Svasti, Svaor, Solstice, Agni, Fash, Mara; Inglia, Solar Cross, Solard, Vedara, Svetolet, Fern Flower, Perunov Color, Swati, Race, Bogovnik, Svarozhich, Svyatoch, Yarovrat, Odolen-Grass, Rodimich, Charovrat, etc.

Swastika symbols carry a huge secret meaning. They have great wisdom. Each Swastika symbol opens before us the Great picture of the universe. The legacy of the Ancestors says that the knowledge of Ancient Wisdom does not accept a stereotypical approach. The study of ancient symbols, Runic writings and ancient Traditions must be approached with an open heart and a pure Soul.
Not for self-interest, but for knowledge!
Swastika symbols in Russia, for political purposes, were used by all and sundry: monarchists, Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, but much earlier, representatives of the Black Hundred began to use their Swastika, then the Russian Fascist Party in Harbin intercepted the baton.

At the end of the 20th century, the Russian National Unity organization began to use the Swastika symbolism (see left). Knowledgeable person never says that the Swastika is a German or fascist symbol. So they say only the essence of unreasonable and ignorant people, because they reject what they are not able to understand and know, and also try to wishful thinking.

But if ignorant people reject any symbol or any information, this still does not mean that this symbol or information does not exist.

The denial or distortion of truth in favor of some violates the harmonious development of others. Even the ancient symbol of the Greatness of the Fertility of the Mother of the Raw Earth, called in antiquity SOLARD , some incompetent people rank as fascist symbols. A symbol that appeared many thousands of years before the rise of National Socialism. At the same time, it is not even taken into account that the SOLARD of the RNE is combined with the Star of the Lada-Virgin Mary (see on the left), where the Divine Forces (Golden Field), the Forces of Primary Fire (red) united together, Heavenly Forces(blue) and Forces of Nature (green). The only difference between the original Symbol of Mother Nature and the sign used by the RNU is the multicolor of the Original Symbol of Mother Nature (left) and the two-color one of the Russian National Unity.

Ordinary people had their own names for Swastika symbols. In the villages of the Ryazan province, she was called "feather grass" - the incarnation of the Wind; on the Pechora "hare" - here the graphic symbol was perceived as a particle Sunlight, ray, sunbeam; in some places the Solar Cross was called a “horse”, “horse shank” (horse head), because a long time ago the horse was considered a symbol of the Sun and Wind; were called Swastikas-Solyarniks and "flinters", again in honor of Yarila-Sun. The people very correctly felt both the Fiery, Fiery Nature of the symbol (Sun) and its Spiritual essence (Wind).

The oldest master of Khokhloma painting, Stepan Pavlovich Veseloe (1903-1993), from the village of Mogushino, Nizhny Novgorod region, following the traditions, painted the Swastika on wooden plates and bowls, calling it “saffron milk cap”, the Sun, and explained: “This is the wind of a blade of grass swaying, moving.”

In the village, until now, girls and women wear elegant sundresses, ponevs and shirts for holidays, and men - blouses embroidered with swastika symbols of various shapes. Lush loaves and sweet cookies are baked, decorated on top with Kolovrat, Salting, Solstice and other Swastika patterns.

As mentioned earlier, before the second half of the 20th century, the main and almost the only patterns and symbols that existed in Slavic embroidery were Swastika ornaments.

But in the second half of the 20th century, in America, Europe and the USSR, they began to decisively eradicate this Solar symbol, and they eradicated it in the same way as they had previously eradicated: the ancient folk Slavic and Aryan Culture; ancient Faith and folk traditions; the true Heritage of the Ancestors, undistorted by the rulers, and the long-suffering Slavic people themselves, the bearer of the ancient Slavic-Aryan Culture.

And now they are trying to ban any kind of rotating Solar Crosses, in many ways the same people or their descendants, but using different pretexts: if earlier this was done under the pretext of class struggle and anti-Soviet conspiracies, now it is a fight against the manifestation of extremist activity.
For those who are not indifferent to the ancient Native Great Russian Culture, several typical patterns of Slavic embroidery of the 18th-20th centuries are given. On all enlarged fragments you can see the Swastika symbols and ornaments for yourself.
The use of swastika symbols in ornaments in the Slavic lands is simply incalculable. They are used in the Baltic States, Belarus, the Volga region, Pomorie, Perm, Siberia, the Caucasus, the Urals, Altai and the Far East and other regions.

Academician B. A. Rybakov called the Solar symbol - Kolovrat, a link between the Paleolithic, where it first appeared, and modern ethnography, which provides innumerable examples of swastika patterns in fabrics, embroidery and weaving.

But after the Second World War, in which Russia, as well as all the Slavic and Aryan peoples suffered huge losses, the enemies of the Aryan and Slavic Culture began to equate fascism and the Swastika.

The Slavs used this Solar sign throughout their existence.
Streams of lies and fictions regarding the Swastika overflowed the cup of absurdity. "Russian teachers" in modern schools, lyceums and gymnasiums in Russia teach children complete nonsense, which The swastika is a German fascist cross, made up of four letters "G" , denoting the first letters of the leaders of Nazi Germany: Hitler, Himmler, Goering and Goebbels (sometimes replaced by Hess). Listening to such "unfortunate teachers", one might think that Germany in the time of Adolf Hitler used exclusively Russian alphabet , and not at all the Latin script and the German Runic.
Is it in German surnames: HITLER, HIMMLER, GERING, GEBELS (HESS) , there is at least one Russian letter"G" - No! But the flow of lies does not stop.
Swastika patterns and elements have been used by the peoples of the Earth over the past 10-15 thousand years, which is confirmed even by archaeologists.
Ancient thinkers have repeatedly said: "The development of man is hampered by two troubles: ignorance and ignorance." Our Ancestors were knowledgeable and knowledgeable, and therefore used various Swastika elements and ornaments in everyday life, considering them as symbols of the Yarila-Sun, Life, Happiness and prosperity.

In general, only one symbol was called the Swastika. This is an equilateral cross with curved short rays. Each beam has a 2:1 ratio (see left).
Only narrow-minded and ignorant people can denigrate everything that is pure, bright and expensive that remains among the Slavic and Aryan peoples. Let's not be like them! Do not paint over the Swastika symbols in the ancient Slavic Temples and Christian temples, on the Kummirs of the Light Gods and the Images of the Wise Ancestors. Do not destroy, at the whim of ignoramuses and Slav-haters, the so-called "Soviet staircase", the mosaic floor and ceilings of the Hermitage or the domes of the Moscow St. Basil's Cathedral just because they have been painted on them for hundreds of years various options Swastikas.

Everyone knows that the Slavic prince Prophetic Oleg nailed his shield to the gates of Tsargrad (Constantinople), but few now know what was depicted on the shield. Nevertheless, a description of the symbolism of his shield and armor can be found in historical chronicles. (Drawing of the shield of the Prophetic Oleg on the right).Prophetic people, i.e. possessing the gift of Spiritual Foresight and knowing the Ancient Wisdom, which the Gods and Ancestors left to people, were endowed by the Priests with various symbols. One of these most notable people was the Slavic prince - Prophetic Oleg.
In addition to being a prince and an excellent military strategist, he was also a high-level priest. The symbolism, which was depicted on his clothes, weapons, armor and the princely banner, tells about this in all the detailed images.

The Fiery Swastika (symbolizing the land of the Ancestors) in the center of the nine-pointed Star of Inglia (the symbol of the Faith of the First Ancestors) was surrounded by the Great Kolo (Circle of Patron Gods), which radiated eight rays of Spiritual Light (the eighth degree of Priestly initiation) to the Svarog Circle. All this symbolism spoke of the enormous Spiritual and physical strength, which is sent to protect the Motherland and the Holy Old Faith.

They believed in the Swastika as a talisman, "attracting" good luck and happiness. On the Ancient Russia it was believed that if you draw Kolovrat on your palm, you will definitely be lucky. Even modern students draw the Swastika on the palm of their hand before exams. The swastika was also painted on the walls of the house so that happiness reigned there, this exists in Russia, and in Siberia, and in India.

For those readers who wish to receive more information about the Swastika, we recommend the Ethno-religious essays of Roman Vladimirovich Bagdasarov

The four-beam swastika is a hexagon, with axial symmetry of the 4th order. The correct -beam swastika is described by a point symmetry group (Schoenflies symbolism). This group is generated by rotation of the -th order and reflection in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation - the so-called "horizontal" plane in which the pattern lies. Due to the operation of reflecting the swastika achiral and does not have enantiomer(that is, a "double" obtained by reflection, which cannot be combined with the original figure by any rotation). As a result, in oriented space, right- and left-handed swastikas do not differ. The right- and left-handed swastikas differ only on the plane, where the pattern has purely rotational symmetry. For even, an inversion appears, where is a rotation of the 2nd order.

You can build a swastika for anyone; when you get a figure similar to the sign of the integral. For example, the symbol borjgali(see below) is a swastika with . A swastika-like figure will generally be obtained if we take any area on the plane and multiply it by rotating it times about the vertical axis , which does not lie in the vertical plane of symmetry of the area .

Origin and meaning

Illustration from ESBE.

The word "swastika" is a compound of two Sanskrit roots: सु, su, "good, good" and अस्ति, asti, "life, existence", that is, "well-being" or "well-being". There is another name for the swastika - "gammadion" (Greek. γαμμάδιον ), since the Greeks saw in the swastika a combination of four letters "gamma" (Γ).

The swastika is a symbol of the Sun, good luck, happiness and creation. In Western European medieval literature the name of the sun god of the ancient Prussians Swiikstiks(Svaixtix) is first found in Latin-language monuments - the beginning of the 17th century: "Sudauer Buchlein"(mid-15th century), "Episcoporum Prussiae Pomesaniensis atque Sambiensis Constitutiones Synodales" (1530), "De Sacrificiis et Idolatria Veterum Borvssorvm Livonum, aliarumque uicinarum gentium" (1563), "De Diis Samagitarum" (1615) .

The swastika is one of the ancient and archaic solar signs - an indicator of the apparent movement of the Sun around the Earth and the division of the year into four parts - four seasons. The sign fixes two solstices: summer and winter - and the annual movement of the Sun.

Nevertheless, the swastika is considered not only as a solar symbol, but also as a symbol of the fertility of the earth. It has idea of ​​four cardinal points, centered around the axis. The swastika also suggests the idea of ​​movement in two directions: clockwise and counterclockwise. Like "Yin" and "Yang", a dual sign: rotating clockwise symbolizes male energy, counterclockwise - female. In ancient Indian scriptures, male and female swastikas are distinguished, which depicts two female, as well as two male deities.

About the meaning of the swastika, the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus F. A. and Efron I. A. writes as follows:

The swastika is "correct" and reverse. Accordingly, the swastika of the opposite direction symbolizes darkness, destruction. In ancient times, both swastikas were used simultaneously. This has a deep meaning: day replaces night, light replaces darkness, new birth replaces death - and this is the natural order of things in the Universe. Therefore, in ancient times there were no "bad" and "good" swastikas - they were perceived in unity.

One of the oldest forms of the swastika is Asia Minor and is an ideogram of the four cardinal points in the form of a figure with four cross-shaped curls. The swastika was understood as a symbol of the four main forces, the four cardinal points, the elements, the seasons and the alchemical idea of ​​the transformation of the elements.

Use in religion

In many religions, the swastika is an important religious symbol.

Buddhism

Other religions

Widely used by Jains and followers of Vishnu. In Jainism, the four arms of the swastika represent the four levels of existence.

Usage in history

The swastika is a sacred symbol and is found already in the Upper Paleolithic period. The symbol is found in the culture of many nations. Ukraine, Egypt, Iran, India, China, Maverannahr, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, the Mayan state in Central America - this is the incomplete geography of this symbol. The swastika is presented in oriental ornaments, on monumental buildings and household utensils, on various amulets and Orthodox icons.

In the ancient world

The swastika was found on clay vessels from Samarra (the territory of modern Iraq), which date back to the 5th millennium BC, and in ornaments on ceramics of the South Ural Andronovo culture. The left- and right-handed swastika is found in the pre-Aryan culture of Mohenjo-Daro (Indus River basin) and ancient China around 2000 BC.

One of the oldest forms of the swastika is Asia Minor and is an ideogram of the four cardinal points in the form of a figure with four cross-shaped curls. Back in the 7th century BC, images similar to the swastika were known in Asia Minor, consisting of four cross-shaped scrolls - rounded ends are signs of cyclic movement. There are interesting coincidences in the image of Indian and Asia Minor swastikas (dots between the branches of the swastika, jagged thickenings at the ends). Other early forms swastikas - a square with four plant-like roundings along the edges are a sign of the earth, also of Asia Minor origin.

In Northeast Africa, a stele of the kingdom of Meroe was discovered, which existed in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. e. The fresco on the stele depicts a woman entering the afterlife, and a swastika also flaunts on the clothes of the deceased. The rotating cross also adorns the golden weights for scales that belonged to the inhabitants of Ashanta (Ghana), and the clay utensils of the ancient Indians, and the carpets of the Persians. The swastika is often found on the charms of the Slavs, Germans, Pomors, Curonians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Mordovians, Udmurts, Bashkirs, Chuvashs and many other peoples. The swastika is found wherever there are traces of Buddhist culture.

In China, the swastika is used as a sign of all the deities worshiped in the Lotus School, as well as in Tibet and Siam. In ancient Chinese manuscripts, it included such concepts as "region", "country". Known in the form of a swastika are two curved mutually truncated fragments of a double helix, expressing the symbolism of the relationship "Yin" and "Yang". In maritime civilizations, the double helix motif was an expression of the relationship between opposites, a sign of the Upper and Lower Waters, and also signified the process of life becoming. On one of the Buddhist swastikas, each blade of the cross ends with a triangle indicating the direction of movement and crowned with an arch of a flawed moon, in which, like in a boat, the sun is placed. This sign represents the sign of the mystical arba, the creative quaternary, also called Thor's hammer. A similar cross was found by Schliemann during the excavations of Troy.

The swastika was depicted in pre-Christian Roman mosaics and on the coins of Cyprus and Crete. An ancient Cretan rounded swastika made of plant elements is known. The Maltese cross in the form of a swastika of four triangles converging in the center is of Phoenician origin. It was also known to the Etruscans. According to A. Ossendovsky, Genghis Khan wore a ring on his right hand with the image of a swastika, into which a ruby ​​was set. Ossendovsky saw this ring on the hand of the Mongol governor. At present, this magical symbol is known mainly in India and Central and East Asia.

Swastika in India

Swastika in Russia (and on its territory)

Various types of swastikas (3-beam, 4-beam, 8-beam) are present on the ceramic ornament of the Andronovo archaeological culture (Southern Urals of the Bronze Age).

The rhombus-meander swastika ornament in the Kostenkovskaya and Mezinskaya cultures (25-20 thousand years BC) was studied by V. A. Gorodtsov. So far, there is no reliable data on where the swastika was first used, but its earliest image was not registered in Russia.

The swastika was used in rituals and construction, in homespun production: in embroideries on clothes, on carpets. The swastika was used to decorate household utensils. She was also present on the icons. Embroidered on clothes, the swastika could have a certain protective meaning.

The swastika symbol was used as a personal sign and a talisman symbol by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Images of the swastika are found on hand-drawn postcards of the Empress. One of the first such "signs" was placed by the Empress after the signature "A." on a Christmas card drawn by her, sent on December 5, 1917 from Tobolsk to her friend Yu. A. Den.

The swastika was depicted on some banknotes of the Provisional Government of 1917 and on some Soviet signs printed with the cliché "Kerenok", which were in circulation from 1918 to 1922. .

In November 1919, the commander of the South-Eastern Front of the Red Army, V. I. Shorin, issued a statement that approved the distinctive sleeve insignia of the Kalmyk formations using a swastika. The swastika in the order is indicated by the word "lyungtn", that is, the Buddhist "Lungta", meaning - "whirlwind", " vital energy» .

Also, the image of the swastika can be seen on some historical monuments in Chechnya, in particular, on ancient crypts in the Itum-Kalinsky district of Chechnya (the so-called "City of the Dead"). In the pre-Islamic period, the swastika was a symbol of the sun god among pagan Chechens (Dela-Malkh).

The swastika and censorship in the USSR

On the territory of modern Israel, images of the swastika were discovered during excavations in the mosaics of ancient synagogues. So, the synagogue on the site of the ancient settlement of Ein Gedi in the Dead Sea dates from the beginning of the 2nd century, and the synagogue on the site of the modern kibbutz Maoz Chaim in the Golan Heights operated between the 4th and 11th centuries.

In North, Central and South America the swastika is found in Maya and Aztec art. In North America, the Navajo, Tennessee, and Ohio tribes used the swastika symbol in ritual burials.

Thai greeting Swatdi! comes from the word svatdika(swastika).

The swastika as the emblem of the Nazi organizations

Nevertheless, I was forced to reject all the countless designs sent to me from all over by young supporters of the movement, since all these projects boiled down to only one theme: they took the old colors and on this background drew a hoe-shaped cross in various variations. […] After a series of experiments and alterations, I myself drew up a completed project: the main background of the banner is red; a white circle inside, and in the center of this circle is a black hoe-shaped cross. After long alterations, I finally found the necessary ratio between the size of the banner and the size of the white circle, and finally settled on the size and shape of the cross.

In the view of Hitler himself, she symbolized "the struggle for the triumph of the Aryan race." This choice combined both the mystical occult meaning of the swastika, and the idea of ​​the swastika as an “Aryan” symbol (due to its prevalence in India), and the already established use of the swastika in the German extreme right tradition: it was used by some Austrian anti-Semitic parties, and in March 1920 during the Kapp putsch, it was depicted on the helmets of the Erhardt brigade that entered Berlin (here, perhaps, there was the influence of the Baltic states, since many fighters of the Volunteer Corps encountered a swastika in Latvia and Finland). Already in the 20s, the swastika became increasingly associated with Nazism; after 1933, it finally began to be perceived as a Nazi symbol par excellence, as a result of which, for example, it was excluded from the emblems of the scouting movement.

However, strictly speaking, not any swastika was a Nazi symbol, but a four-pointed one, with the ends pointing to the right side and rotated by 45 °. At the same time, it should be in a white circle, which in turn is depicted on a red rectangle. It was this sign that was on the state banner of National Socialist Germany from 1933 to 1945, as well as on the emblems of the civil and military services of this country (although in decorative purposes, of course, were used, including by the Nazis, and other options).

Actually, the Nazis used the term to designate the swastika that served as their symbol. Hakenkreuz ("Hackenkreuz", literally "hook cross", translation options also - "crooked" or "arachnid"), which is not a synonym for the word swastika (German. Swastika), which is also used in German. It can be said that "Hackenkreuz"- the same national name for the swastika in German, as "solstice" or "kolovrat" in Russian or "hackaristi" in Finnish, and is usually used specifically to refer to the Nazi symbol. In Russian translation, this word was translated as "hoe-shaped cross".

On the poster of the Soviet graphic artist Moor "Everything on" G "" (1941), the swastika consists of 4 letters "G", symbolizing the first letters of the names of the leaders of the Third Reich written in Russian - Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Goering.

Geographical objects in the form of a swastika

forest swastika

Forest swastika - forest plantation in the form of a swastika. They are found both in open areas in the form of a corresponding schematic planting of trees, and in the forest area. In the latter case, as a rule, a combination of coniferous (evergreen) and deciduous (deciduous) trees is used.

Until 2000, a forest swastika existed northwest of the settlement of Zernick, in the district of Uckermark, in the state of Brandenburg in northwestern Germany.

On a hillside near the village of Tash-Bashat, in Kyrgyzstan, on the border with the Himalayas, there is a forest swastika "Eki Narin" ( 41.447351 , 76.391641 41°26′50.46″ N sh. 76°23′29.9″ E d. /  41.44735121 , 76.39164121 (G)).

Labyrinths and their images

Buildings in the shape of a swastika

Complex 320-325(English) Complex 320-325) - one of the buildings of the naval landing base in Coronado (Eng. Naval Amphibious Base Coronado ), in San Diego Bay, California. The base is operated by the US Navy and is the central training and operations base for the Special Forces and Expeditionary Forces. Coordinates 32.6761, -117.1578.

The building of the Complex was built between 1967 and 1970. The original design consisted of two central buildings for the boiler plant and a relaxation area and a threefold repetition of a 90-degree angle to the central buildings of the L-shaped barracks building. The completed building is shaped like a swastika when viewed from above.

Swastika computer symbol

The Unicode character table has the Chinese characters 卐 (U+5350) and 卍 (U+534D), which are swastikas.

Swastika in culture

In the Spanish TV series "Black Lagoon" (Russian version of "Closed School"), a Nazi organization developing in the depths of a secret laboratory under a boarding school had a coat of arms in which the swastika was encrypted.

Gallery

• Swastika in European culture



Swastika in a 2nd century AD Roman mosaic

see also

Notes

1. R. V. Bagdasarov. Radio program "Swastika: blessing or curse" on "Echo of Moscow".
2. Korablev L. L. Graphic magic of the Icelanders. - M.: "Veligor", 2002. - S. 101
3. http://www.swastika-info.com/images/amerika/usa/cocacola-swastika-fob.jpg
4. Gorodtsov V. A. Archeology. Stone period. M.; Pg., 1923.
5. Yelinek Jan. Large Illustrated Atlas primitive man. Prague, 1985.
6. Tarunin A. Past - Kolovrat in Russia.
7. Bagdasarov, Roman; Dymarsky Vitaly, Zakharov Dmitry Swastika: blessing or curse. "The Price of Victory". "Echo of Moscow". Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
8. Bagdasarov, Roman.. - M .: M., 2001. - S. 432.
9. Sergei Fomin. Materials for the history of the Tsaritsyn Cross
10. Letters from the Royal Family from imprisonment. Jordanville, 1974, p. 160; Dehn L. The Real Tsaritsa. London, 1922. P. 242.
11. There. S. 190.
12. Nikolaev R. Soviet "credit cards" with a swastika? . Site "Bonistika". - the article was also published in the newspaper "Miniature" 1992 No. 7, p. 11. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
13. Evgeny Zhirnov. To assign the right to wear a swastika to all Red Army soldiers // Vlast magazine. - 08/01/2000 - No. 30 (381)
14. http://www.echo.msk.ru/programs/victory/559590-echo/ Interview with historian and religious scholar Roman Bagdasarov
15. http://lj.rossia.org/users/just_hoaxer/311555.html LYUNGTN
16. Kuftin B. A. material culture Russian Meshchera. Part 1. Women's clothing: shirt, poneva, sundress. - M.: 1926.
17. W. Shearer. Rise and fall of the Third Reich
18. quote from R. Bagdasarov's book "Mysticism of the Fiery Cross", M., Veche, 2005
19. Discussion of the terms Hakenkreuz and Swastika in the LiveJournal community "Linguaphiles" (in English)
20. Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf"
21. Kern German. Labyrinths of the world / Per. from English. - St. Petersburg: Azbuka-klassika, 2007. - 432 p.
22. Azerbaijani Carpets
23. Li Hongzhi. Zhuan Falun Falun Dafa

Literature

In Russian

1. Wilson Thomas. Swastika. ancient famous symbol, its movement from country to country, with observations on the movement of some crafts in prehistoric times / Translated from English: A. Yu. Moskvin // The history of the swastika from ancient times to the present day. - Nizhny Novgorod: Books Publishing House, 2008. - 528 p. - S. 3-354. - ISBN 978-5-94706-053-9.
   (This is the first publication in Russian of the best fundamental work on the history of the swastika, written by the curator of the department of prehistoric anthropology National Museum USA by Thomas Wilson, and published for the first time in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution (Washington) in 1896).
2. Akunov V. The swastika is the oldest symbol of mankind (a selection of publications)
3. Bagdasarov R.V. Swastika: sacred symbol. Ethnoreligious Essays. - Ed. 2nd, corrected. - M .: White Alvy, 2002. - 432 p. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 5-7619-0164-1
4. Bagdasarov R.V. Mystic of the fiery cross. Ed. 3rd, add. and corrected - M.: Veche, 2005. - 400 p. - 5000 copies. - (Labyrinths of occult knowledge). -

No, this is not a fake and not a lure with a provocative headline. Here we will talk literally about fascist symbols, literally on the emblem of the Russian public service.
So, my dear readers, I present to your attention the emblem of the Federal Bailiffs Service of Russia

We are interested in the objects that the double-headed eagle holds in its paws, because these are not just objects - these are symbols! Let's ask Wikipedia what it has to say about these subjects?
We look here https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_FSSP_Russia and what do we see there?
Golden double-headed eagle with raised wings, crowned with one large and two small crowns. The crowns are connected by a dark green ribbon. In the right paw of the eagle is a silver scroll with a seal, in the left is a silver lictor bundle. On the chest of the eagle there is a figured shield with a field of dark green color. In the field of the shield is a golden "pillar of the Law". Well, everything is clear: the “pillar of the Law” is a worthy symbol, a silver scroll, and even with a seal, is also quite worthy, a bunch of lictors ... And what is this?
Isn't this the same bunch that the ancient Roman lictors wore? A bundle of birch twigs tied with a ribbon, symbolizing the right of the lictor to enforce decisions by force? So this is fascia, or as FASCIA taught me at school !!! The very fascia that became the symbol of the political radical organization of Benito Mussolini - Fascio di combattimento - "Union of Struggle"


Those same fascists, thanks to which the members of that party began to be called fascists, and everything they did was fascism!

Here people come to you in a graphite-black uniform with fascist symbols on their sleeves ... Do you think these are the Gestapo, or some other SS men? No, these are civil servants of the Russian Federation. No, you are not dreaming! These are not extremists, not neo-Nazis - these are civil servants, they are here on business, on a serious matter, they are at work. At work, you know? And with all their appearance they should personify the state. The same state, which at the cost of tens of millions of ruined lives, through it is impossible, through ... So they, that's it, they should look the right way. Vanya Pupkin can walk drunk with a swastika around the city. Ziganut a couple of times until they give in the face. He may have put on this swastika for this, in order to get punched in the face, to serve for days for propaganda of Nazi symbols, and then tell everyone what a hero he is, how he stood up against the bloody gebni. But these are in the public service ... In the form approved by no less than the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 540 of July 26, 2010.

In accordance with the decisions of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, among others, the National Fascist Party of Italy (Partito Nazionale Fascista), the Fascist Republican Party of Italy (Partito Fascista Republicano) and the previously described Fasci di Combattimento were classified as criminal organizations, and the leadership of these organizations was recognized as war criminals. Taking into account the decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal, the attributes of all the above organizations can be attributed to the Nazi (fascist) symbols. And if this is so, then why is literally fascist symbols, literally, literally a symbol of the Russian civil service. Yes, not one! Here is the emblem of the Federal Penitentiary Service, the Federal Penitentiary Service.

The same bundle in the paw of an eagle ... But how to relate to this? How is this to be understood, provided that we are talking about a state that considers itself an ardent opponent, the antipode of fascism?

Today, many people, having heard the word "swastika", immediately imagine Adolf Hitler, concentration camps and the horrors of the Second World War. But, in fact, this symbol appeared even before new era and has a very rich history. It also received wide distribution in Slavic culture, where there were many of its modifications. A synonym for the word "swastika" was the concept of "solar", that is, sunny. Were there any differences in the swastika of the Slavs and the Nazis? And, if so, what were they expressed in?

First, let's recall what a swastika looks like. This is a cross, each of the four ends of which is bent at a right angle. Moreover, all corners are directed in one direction: to the right or to the left. Looking at such a sign, a feeling of its rotation is created. There are opinions that the main difference between the Slavic and fascist swastikas lies in the direction of this very rotation. The Germans have it right-hand traffic(clockwise), and our ancestors - left-hand (counterclockwise). But this is not all that distinguishes the swastika of the Aryans and Aryans.

Also an important distinguishing feature is the constancy of color and shape of the sign of the Fuhrer's army. The lines of their swastika are quite wide, absolutely straight, black. The underlying background is a white circle on a red canvas.

But what about the Slavic swastika? First, as already mentioned, there are many swastika signs that differ in shape. The basis of each symbol, of course, is a cross with right angles at the ends. But the cross may not have four ends, but six or even eight. Additional elements may appear on its lines, including smooth, rounded lines.

Secondly, the color of the swastika signs. There is also diversity here, but not so pronounced. The predominant symbol is red on a white background. The red color was not chosen by chance. After all, he was the personification of the sun among the Slavs. But there are also blue yellow colors on some of the signs. Thirdly, the direction of movement. Earlier it was said that among the Slavs it is the opposite of fascist. However, this is not quite true. We meet both right-handed swastikas among the Slavs, and left-handed ones.

We have considered only the external distinctive attributes of the swastika of the Slavs and the swastika of the Nazis. But much more important facts are the following:

• Approximate time of sign appearance.
• The value given to it.
• Where and under what conditions was this symbol used.

Let's start with the Slavic swastika

It is difficult to name the time when it appeared among the Slavs. But, for example, among the Scythians, it was recorded in the fourth millennium BC. And since a little later the Slavs began to stand out from the Indo-European community, then, for sure, they were already used by them at that time (the third or second millennium BC). Moreover, among the Proto-Slavs they were fundamental ornaments.

Swastika signs abounded in the everyday life of the Slavs. And therefore it is impossible to attribute the same meaning to all of them. In fact, each symbol was individual and carried its own semantic load. By the way, the swastika could be either an independent sign or be part of more complex ones (moreover, most often it was located in the center). Here are the main meanings of the Slavic swastika (solar symbols):

• Sacred and Sacrificial fire.
• Ancient wisdom.
• Home.
• Unity of the Genus.
• Spiritual development, self-improvement.
• The patronage of the gods in wisdom and justice.
• In the sign of Valkykria, it is a talisman of wisdom, honor, nobility, justice.

That is, in general, we can say that the meaning of the swastika was somehow sublime, spiritually high, noble.

Archaeological excavations have given us a lot of valuable information. It turned out that in ancient times the Slavs put similar signs on their weapons, embroidered on a suit (clothing) and textile accessories (towels, towels), carved on elements of their homes, household items (dishes, spinning wheels and other wooden devices). They did all this mainly for the purpose of protection, in order to protect themselves and their home from evil forces, from grief, from fire, from the evil eye. After all, the ancient Slavs were very superstitious in this regard. And with such protection, they felt much more secure and confident. Even the mounds and settlements of the ancient Slavs could have a swastika shape. At the same time, the ends of the cross symbolized a certain direction of the world.

Nazi swastika

• Adolf Hitler himself adopted this sign as a symbol of the National Socialist movement. But, we know that he did not come up with it. In general, the swastika was used by other nationalist groups in Germany even before the emergence of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. Therefore, let us take the time of appearance for the beginning of the twentieth century.

An interesting fact: the person who suggested to Hitler to take the swastika as a symbol initially presented a left-sided cross. But the Fuhrer insisted on replacing it with a right-hand one.

• The meaning of the swastika among the Nazis is diametrically opposed to that of the Slavs. According to one version, it meant the purity of German blood. Hitler himself said that the black cross itself symbolizes the struggle for the victory of the Aryan race, creative work. In general, the Fuhrer considered the swastika an ancient anti-Semitic sign. In his book, he writes that the white circle is the national idea, the red rectangle is the social idea of ​​the Nazi movement.
• And where was the fascist swastika used? First, on the legendary flag of the Third Reich. Secondly, the military had it on the belt buckles, as a patch on the sleeve. Thirdly, the swastika "decorated" official buildings, occupied territories. In general, it could be on any attributes of the Nazis, but these were the most common.

So in this way, the swastika of the Slavs and the swastika of the Nazis has tremendous differences. This is expressed not only in external features, but also in semantic ones. If among the Slavs this sign personified something good, noble, high, then among the Nazis it was a truly Nazi sign. Therefore, you should not, having heard something about the swastika, immediately think about fascism. After all Slavic swastika was lighter, more humane, more beautiful.

After World War I, Europe was in a state of economic and cultural crisis. Hundreds of thousands of young people went to war, naively dreaming of heroic deeds on the battlefield for honor and glory, and returned disabled in every way. The spirit of optimism that marked the early years of the 20th century is nothing but memories.

It was during these years that a new political movement entered the political arena. Fascists in different countries Europe was united by the fact that they were all ultranationalists. The fascist parties, organized according to a strictly hierarchical principle, were joined by people of different social classes, who were eager for active action. They all claimed that their own country or ethnic group is in danger, and believed themselves to be the only political alternative that could counter this threat. Democracy, foreign capitalism, communism, for example, or, as was the case in Germany, Romania and Bulgaria, other nations and races were declared dangerous. The purpose of creating such an imaginary threat was to organize a mass movement capable of uniting the country and forcibly crushing competing ideas and external forces that allegedly sought to destroy the nation. The state was to take complete control of every member of society, and industry was to be organized in such a way as to achieve maximum labor productivity.

Within the general framework of such a strategy, of course, there were different versions of ideologies - depending on the historical, cultural and political background of each country. In countries with a strong Catholic Church, fascism was often combined with elements of Catholicism. In some European countries the fascist movement degenerated into small marginal groups. In others, the fascists managed to come to power, and then the development was characterized by the cult of the fascist leader, disregard for human rights, control of the press, the glorification of militarism and the suppression of the labor movement.

Italy and the "bundle of rods", or "bunch of brushwood"

The word "fascism" was originally used to refer to the ideology of the Partito Nazionale Fascista party in Italy. The leader of the Italian fascists was former journalist Benito Mussolini. For many years, Mussolini was fond of the socialist movement, but during the First World War he became a nationalist.

After World War I, Italy's economy was in ruins, unemployment was at an all-time high, and democratic traditions were in decline. The war cost the lives of more than 600 thousand Italians, and although Italy was on the winning side, the country was in crisis. Many believed that Italy had lost as a result of the Treaty of Versailles.

On May 23, 1919, the first fascist group Fasci di Combattimenti was formed. Skillfully using the social ferment in the country, Mussolini turned his group into a mass organization. When it was transformed into a political party in the fall of 1921, it already had 300,000 members. Six months later, the movement united 700,000 members. In the 1921 elections, the Fascist Party received 6.5% of the vote and entered parliament.

However, the National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista) was not an ordinary political party. The fascist movement attracted, above all, young men. Many of them were veterans of the war, knew how to obey discipline and handle weapons. Fighting groups appeared in the movement, where the right of the strong was extolled, and gradually violence became an important part of the entire party ideology. With their bloody attacks on the communists and other representatives of the labor movement, the fascists took the side of the employers during the strikes, and the conservative government used them to suppress the socialist opposition.

In 1922, the Nazis took power in Italy. Mussolini threatened that he would march on Rome with his militants. Following this threat, on 31 October he was invited to an audience with King Victor Emmanuel III, who offered Mussolini the post of prime minister in a conservative coalition government. It was a peaceful takeover of power, but in the mythology of fascism, the event was called the "march on Rome" and was described as a revolution.

Mussolini was in power for 22 years, until July 25, 1943, when the Allied troops entered Italy, and the king removed the dictator. Mussolini was arrested, but he was freed by German paratroopers, giving him the opportunity to flee to Northern Italy, where on September 23, the Duce proclaimed the infamous "Republic of Salo" - a German protectorate. The "Republic of Salo" lasted until April 25, 1945, when the Allied troops occupied this last bastion of Italian fascism. April 28, 1945 Benito Mussolini was captured by the partisans and was executed.

totalitarian state

Mussolini, like many of his associates, went to the front as a soldier during the First World War. Life in the trenches seemed to him an ideal society in miniature, where everyone, regardless of age or social origin, worked for the sake of a common goal: the defense of the country from an external enemy. Having come to power, Mussolini planned to change Italy to the ground, to create a country where the whole society would be involved in a gigantic production machine and where the fascists would have total control. The expression "totalitarian state" arose in the early years of the fascist regime in the ranks of its political opponents to describe just such a mode of government. Mussolini then began to use the term to describe his own ambitious plans. In October 1925, he formulated the slogan: "Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state."

All political power in society had to come personally from Mussolini, who was called "Duce", that is, "leader" or "leader". To motivate this concentration of power in the hands of one man, the Italian press began to praise Mussolini. He was described as the personification of the ideal of a man, such myths were created around him and such a cult of his personality that seems ridiculous in the eyes of a modern person. For example, he was described as a "superman" who is able to work 24 hours a day, has fantastic physical strength and once allegedly stopped the eruption of Mount Etna with his eyes.

Heirs of the Roman Empire

The Italian state was relatively young and socially and even linguistically heterogeneous. However, even before the Nazis came to power, nationalists sought to unite citizens around a single historical heritage - the history of ancient rome. Ancient Roman history has been an important part of schooling since the end of the 19th century. Even before the outbreak of the First World War, historical colossus films were being created.

Naturally, in this atmosphere, Mussolini tried to present the fascists as the heirs of the Romans, fulfilling a historical task predetermined by fate - the return of the former power and splendor of the collapsed empire. During the reign of the Duce, the main attention was paid to the period of the emergence of the Roman Empire, its military superiority, and the social structure of that time was portrayed as similar to that which Mussolini sought to build. It is from Roman history that many of the symbols used by the Nazis are borrowed.

"Bunch of brushwood" - "fascia"

The very word "fascism" has a common root with the party symbol of Mussolini and his henchmen. Fascio littorio, lictor fascia
- this was the name of a bunch of brushwood or a rod with a bronze hatchet in the center. Such "bundles", or "sheaves", were carried by Roman lictors - low-ranking employees, clearing them in the crowd, even for important people.

In ancient Rome, such a “bunch of brushwood” was a symbol of the right to hit, beat, and generally punish. Later it became a symbol of political power in general. In the 18th century, during the Enlightenment, the fascia represented republican rule as opposed to monarchy. In the 19th century, it began to mean strength through unity, since the rods tied together are much stronger than the sum of each twig or whip. In the second half of the century, the words "fascina", "fascia", "bundle" began to mean small leftist groups in politics. And after the unions held several strikes in Sicily in the mid-1890s, the term took on a connotation of radicalism.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the word "fascists" was quite common. So called radical Italian political groups, both right and left. However, with the spread of the Fasci di Combattimenti throughout the country, Mussolini monopolized the term. Gradually, the word "fascia" began to be associated precisely with the ideology of the Italian fascists, and not in general with political authority, as before.

The “bunch of brushwood”, or “bundle of rods”, was not only a symbol of the Nazis' perception of themselves as the heirs of Rome. The symbolism also meant the spiritual and physical "rebirth" of the Italian people, the basis of which was authority and discipline. The branches connected in one bundle became the personification of a united Italy under the leadership of the Duce. In his manifesto The Doctrine of Fascism (Dottrina del fascismo, 1932), Mussolini wrote: “[Fascism] wants to transform not only the external forms of human life, but also its very content, man, characters, faith. This requires discipline and authority, which impresses souls and completely subdues them. Therefore, they are marked by the lictor fascia, a symbol of unity, strength and justice.

After Mussolini came to power, the fascia filled the daily life of Italians. They were found on coins, banners, official documents, manhole covers and postage stamps. They were used by private associations, organizations and clubs. Two huge "sheaves" stood on the sides of Mussolini when he made speeches to the people in Rome.

Since 1926, members of the fascist party were required to wear this sign - the party emblem - on civilian clothes. In December of the same year, a decree was issued on giving the symbol of state significance. Three months later, the "sheaf" was included in the image of the state emblem of Italy, taking a place to the left of the coat of arms of the Italian royal house. In April 1929, the fascia replaced the two lions on the shield of the royal dynasty. So the state and the fascist party merged into one. And the fascia became a visible symbol of the “new order.

Fascist "style"

Mussolini not only wanted to change society, but he also sought to transform the Italian people in accordance with the fascist ideal. The Duce began with members of the party who were the first to dress and behave in accordance with the fascist model, which then became associated with right-wing extremist movements around the world. For the Nazis, the word "style" was not only a matter of taste in choosing clothes. It was about closeness to the fascist ideal in everything: in habits, behavior, actions and attitude to life.

Fascism was the ideology of war, and its adherents dressed like soldiers. They marched, sang songs of struggle, took oaths of allegiance, took oaths and wore uniforms. The uniform included boots, trousers, a special headdress, and a black shirt.

Initially, black shirts were worn by members of militant fascist groups who fought in the streets with communists and other political opponents. They looked like the elite troops of the First World War and were called "Arditi". When Mussolini came to power in 1922, he disbanded the militants and organized a national militia in their place. But black shirts remained and over time acquired such a status that a person who put them on at the wrong time could be arrested and put on trial.

In 1925, Mussolini said at a party congress: “The black shirt is not clothing for every day and not a uniform. This is a battle uniform that only people can wear, pure soul and heart."

The "ten commandments" of fascism, which were formulated in October 1931, said: "He who is not ready, without the slightest hesitation, to sacrifice his body and soul for Italy and the service of Mussolini, he is not worthy to wear a black shirt - a symbol of fascism" . After coming to power, black shirts began to be worn by civil servants of all departments. In 1931, all professors, and a few years later, teachers at all levels, were required to wear black shirts at all times. solemn ceremonies. From 1932 to 1934, detailed rules were developed for wearing shirts (wearing starched collars was "absolutely forbidden") in combination with accessories - boots, a belt and a tie.

Roman greeting

The so-called Roman salute was also part of the fascist style of behavior. Greeting with the outstretched right hand, palm down with the second half of XVIII centuries associated with ancient Rome. It is not known if it was actually used, but there are images showing similar gestures.

french artist Jacques-Louis David depicted the oath or oath of the Horatii on a canvas of 1784, where the twins, three brothers, hold out their hands, swearing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the Roman Republic. After the French Revolution, David painted another picture, where the new, revolutionary, government swears allegiance new constitution with the same gesture, throwing forward and up the right hands. Inspired by the canvas of David, artists depicted a similar greeting in paintings on ancient Roman themes for another century.

In the middle of the 19th century, the outstretched right hand increasingly took on the character of a military salute, common both among different political groups and at the level whole country. In the United States, for example, since the 1890s, schoolchildren have been saluting with their right hand when the American flag is raised. This continued until 1942, when America entered the war against Italy and Germany and it became politically impossible to use the same gesture as the Nazis to greet.

The Italian fascists considered this salutatory gesture as a symbol of the heritage of ancient Rome, and propaganda described it as a salute of masculinity, in contrast to the usual handshake, which began to be considered a weak, feminine and bourgeois greeting.

Style export

The Italian fascists were considered the founders of the style that was adopted by all other groups of a similar ideological direction in Europe in the 20s and 30s. Among the Nazis, the habit of marching in dark-colored shirts spread.

Members of the British Union of Fascists, the Dutch Mussertpartiet and the Bulgarian National Fascist Party were blindly copying the Italians - all of them were "blackshirts". The Spanish Falangists in 1934 refused to introduce black shirts to distinguish themselves from the Italian Fascists and switched to blue uniforms. So did the Portuguese national syndicalists, the Swedish supporters of Lindholm, the Irish in the Army Comrades Association and several French groups: Faisceau, Solidarité Française and Le Francisme. In Germany, members of the assault squads of the National Socialist Party (NSDAP) wore brown shirts. Green shirts were worn by members of the Hungarian "Arrow Cross Party" (Nyilaskeresztes part) - "nilashists", Croatian Ustashe and the Romanian "Iron Guard". Gray shirts were worn by members of the Swiss National Front and Icelandic National Socialists. There was a small group in the US that called themselves the Silver Shirts.

The Roman salute with the raised hand was used by various nationalist groups in Europe even before Mussolini came to power in Italy. With the victorious march of the Italian fascists, this gesture began to spread more and more. The fascia symbol was adopted by other fascist associations inspired by Mussolini's successes, such as the British Union of Fascists, the Bulgarian National Fascist Association, the Swiss Fascismus and the Swedish Svenska fascistiska kampförbundet.

In the nature of fascism, however, lies the glorification of its own culture. Therefore, most groups in other countries began to use local National symbols or signs that better reflected the local version of the fascist ideology.

Fascist groups and symbols in other countries

Belgium

Between the world wars, two parallel fascist movements arose in Belgium. The first of these, for the most part, attracted the Walloons, the French-speaking Belgians. The leader of the movement was the lawyer Leon Degrelle, editor-in-chief of the Catholic and conservative magazine Christus Rex. The organization he created became the basis of the Rexistpartiet formed in 1930. Rexism, as the ideology of this party came to be called, combined the theses of Catholicism with purely fascist elements, such as corporatism and the abolition of democracy. Gradually, the Rexists drew closer to German National Socialism, which led to the party losing the support of the church, and with it, many supporters. During World War II, the Rexists supported the German occupation of Belgium, and Degrelle volunteered for the SS.

In the emblem of the Rexist party, the letters "REX" were combined with a cross and a crown as symbols of Christ's kingdom on earth.

The second notable fascist movement in Belgium found supporters in the Flemish part of the population. Already in the 1920s, groups of Flemish nationalists became more active in the country, and in October 1933 a significant part of them united in the Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond (VNV) party under the leadership of Staff de Klerk. This party adopted many of the ideas of the Italian fascists. De Klerk was called "den Leiter", "leader". In 1940, his party collaborated with the occupation regime. It was banned immediately after the war.

The colors of the emblem of the VNV party are taken from the coat of arms of the Dutch national hero William of Orange. Triangle - christian symbol Trinity. In the symbolism of Christianity, the triangle can also represent equality and unity. The circle in the emblem is also a Christian symbol of unity.

Finland

In Finland, fascism spread more widely than in the rest of the Nordic countries. Nationalist currents were strong throughout the period between the two world wars. The country gained independence from Russia in 1917. After the Civil War of 1918, when the Whites defeated the Reds, who were supported by Soviet Russia, the fear of a communist revolution was strong. In 1932, the Isänmaallinen kansanliike (IKL) party was formed as a continuation of the anti-communist nationalist Lapua movement of the 1920s.

The IKL was a purely fascist party, with the addition of its own highly nationalistic dream of an ethnically homogeneous Greater Finland, which would also include the territories of today's Russia and Estonia, as well as the requirements of a corporate society. All this was presented against the backdrop of the ideology of the "superman", in which the Finns were presented as biologically superior to neighboring peoples. The party existed until 1944. She managed to put forward her candidacy in three elections and received just over 8% of the vote in the 1936 elections, and three years later the number of votes cast for her dropped to 7%.

Members of the IKL party wore a uniform: black shirt and blue tie. The party banner was also of blue color with the emblem: inside the circle - a man with a club, sitting on a bear.

Greece

After the 1936 elections, Greece was in difficult situation. Fearing a growing trade union movement, the king appointed defense minister Ioannis Metaxas as prime minister. Metaxas took advantage of a series of strikes to declare a state of emergency and immediately abolish the country's democratic institutions. On August 4, 1936, he proclaimed a regime called the “August 4th regime” and began to create an authoritarian dictatorship with elements of fascism, taking as a model the National Union that was in power in Portugal. Troops were repeatedly introduced into Greece, and in 1941 a government loyal to Hitler came to power in the country. The regime collapsed when Greece, despite Metaxa's pro-German sympathies, sided with the Allies in World War II.

Metaxa chose a stylized double-edged ax as a symbol of the "August 4th regime", since he considered it the oldest symbol of Hellenic civilization. Indeed, double axes-axes, real and in images, in Greek culture for thousands of years, they are often found among archaeological finds period of the Minoan civilization in Crete.

Ireland

In 1932, the fascist organization Army Comrades Association (ACA) was formed in Ireland, originally created to guard meetings of the nationalist party Cumann nan Gaedhael. Soon, under the leadership of former General and Chief of Police Owen O'Duffy, the ACA became independent and changed its name to the "National Guard".

Inspired by the Italian fascists, members of the organization from April 1933 began to wear "party" sky-blue shirts, for which they were nicknamed "Blue Shirts". They also adopted the Roman salute and threatened to march on Dublin in imitation of Mussolini's march on Rome. In the same year, 1933, the party was banned and O'Duffy weakened the fascist rhetoric. Later he was among the founders of the nationalist party Fine Gael.

The banner of the ACA organization, which later became the flag of the National Guard, was a variant of the banner of the Irish Order of St. Patrick, introduced in 1783: a red St. Andrew's cross on a white background. The sky blue color goes back to the legend of how a white cross appeared in the sky in honor of St. Andrew (this motif also exists on the flag of Scotland).

Norway

Vidkun Quisling founded the nationalist National Accord (Nasjonal Samling) party in 1933. Soon the party took an orientation towards fascism and Nazism. Before the outbreak of World War II, the National Accord was the fastest growing party in Norway, and after the country was occupied by Germany, Quisling became Minister-President of the country. By 1943, the party had about 44,000 members. On May 8, 1945, the party was dissolved, and Quisling's name became synonymous throughout the world with a traitor to the motherland.

The National Accord Party used the Scandinavian traditional flag as a symbol, that is, a yellow cross on a red background. Local branches of the party designated themselves the "cross of Olaf" - a variant of the "solstice". This sign has been a symbol of Norway since the Christianization of the country by St. Olaf in the 11th century.

Portugal

After World War I, Portugal lay in ruins. After the military putsch of 1926, already in 1930 the National Union party was formally created. In 1932, former finance minister Antonio Salazar took over the leadership of the party and soon became prime minister. Salazar, who was in power in Portugal until his death in 1970, introduced a complete dictatorship and an ultra-reactionary political system, some elements of which can be regarded as fascist. The party remained in power until 1974, when the regime was overthrown and democracy was introduced in the country.

The National Union used in its symbolism the so-called Mantua cross. This cross, like the Fascist Iron Cross, is a black and white cross patté, but with narrower crossbars. It was used, among others, by the Nazis in France.

Fascist in pure there was another grouping in Portugal in the 30s. It was formed in 1932 and was called the National Syndicalist Movement (MNS). The leader of the movement was Roland Preto, who as early as the early 1920s admired Mussolini and saw similarities between his fascism and his National Syndicalism. Inspired by the Italians, members of the movement wore blue shirts, for which they were nicknamed "blueshirts".

The MNS was more radical than the National Union in power and criticized the Salazar regime for being too timid in transforming Portuguese society. In 1934, the MNS was disbanded by order of Salazar, but continued its activities underground until its leadership was expelled from the country after an unsuccessful coup attempt in 1935. Preto settled in Spain, where he took part in the civil war on Franco's side.

The MNS movement was heavily influenced by Catholicism. Therefore, the cross of the Portuguese Order of the Crusader Knights of the 14th century was chosen as its symbol.

Romania

After the First World War, Romania, like other European countries, was overtaken by depression. And just as in Germany and Italy, economic problems and fear of a communist revolution led here to the emergence of extreme nationalist movements. In 1927, the charismatic leader Corneliu Codreanu created the Legion of Archangel Michael, or the Iron Guard. The Iron Guard combined in its ideology religious mysticism with bestial anti-Semitism. Members of the "guard" were recruited most often among students. Codreanu's goal was the "Christian and racial cleansing" of the nation. Soon, from a tiny sect, the Legion of Michael the Archangel turned into a party that received 15.5% of the vote in the parliamentary elections of 1937, thus becoming the third largest party in the country.

The "Iron Guard" was perceived as a threat by the regime of King Carol II. When the king introduced a dictatorship in 1938, Codreanu was arrested and then killed, allegedly while trying to escape. As a result, Codreanu gained the fame of a "martyr of fascism", and he is still revered by modern Nazis around the world.

During the Second World War, members of the Iron Guard, who were called "legionnaires", collaborated with the German occupation forces and became famous for their cruelty.

Legionnaires greeted each other with the Roman or salute and wore green shirts, so they were called "Greenshirts" (green was supposed to symbolize renewal).

The symbol of the organization has become a stylized version of a three-part interlaced christian cross resembling prison bars. This sign was intended to symbolize martyrdom. The symbol was sometimes called the "Cross of Michael the Archangel" - the guardian angel of the "Iron Guard".

Switzerland

In the 1920s, small fascist groups began to form in Switzerland, following the example of neighboring Italy. In 1933, two such groups merged into a party called the National Front. This party was heavily influenced by the German Nazis; following their example, she founded a youth and women's organization, and in the mid-30s, her own armed militia, which was called Harst or Auszug.

In the 1933 local elections, the Swiss National Front gained voter support on a wave of nationalism inspired by the rise of the Nazis in Germany. The maximum number - more than 9 thousand members - the party reached in 1935, having received 1.6% of the vote and one seat in the Swiss parliament. The party was led by Ernst Biedermann, Rolf Henie and Robert Tobler. In 1940, the Front was banned by the government, but continued to operate until 1943.

The National Front has created its own version of the Italian fascist style - with gray shirts. Members of the organization also adopted the Roman greeting. The symbol of the Front was a variant of the Swiss flag, in which the white cross reached the borders of the red background.

Spain

The Spanish Falange was created in 1933. At first, like the Italian fascists and German Nazis, the Falangists tried to gain power through elections, but they failed to win over a sufficient number of voters who voted for conservative parties supported by the Catholic Church.

The next chance came after the victory in the 1936 elections of the socialist party Popular Front. The Spanish military, led by General Francisco Franco, refused to recognize the results of the elections and began an armed uprising that culminated in the civil war of 1936-1939. Initially Franco, however, he allowed the Falange, whose membership increased significantly after the elections, to become the most important part of the political apparatus, and adopted the political program of the party. With the help of Italy and Germany, Franco and the Falangists won the civil war. However, despite the support, during the Second World War, the Falangists did not take the side of Hitler, and thanks to this they managed to maintain power in the future.

After the war, Spain, like neighboring Portugal, became an authoritarian dictatorship. The Franco regime lasted until 1975. The Phalanx was formally dissolved in 1977.

The Phalanx symbol is borrowed from the coat of arms of the reign of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the unifiers of Spain in the 15th century. In 1931, the yoke and arrows were taken with the symbols of the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional Sindicalista party, which later merged with the Falange. From ancient times, the yoke symbolized work for a common goal, and arrows symbolized power. The red and black background are the colors of the Spanish syndicalists.

Great Britain

The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was founded in 1932 by former Conservative MP and Labor minister Sir Oswald Mosley. Mosley built his organization in the image and likeness of the Italian fascists and introduced a black uniform, for which the members of the Union were called "black shirts". The number of BUF reached 50 thousand people. In the mid-1930s, due to the fact that its members were involved in numerous violent incidents, the popularity of the party fell. In 1940, the organization was banned, and Mosley spent most of World War II in prison.

Oswald Mosley believed that the British colonial empire was the modern heir to the Roman Empire, and therefore initially used a variant of the Roman fascia as a party symbol. In 1936 the party adopted new symbol: Lightning inside a circle.

The colors were borrowed from the British flag. The circle is an ancient Christian symbol of unity. Lightning is a symbol of action, activity. In the postwar period, the same symbolism was used by the American fascist group Party national revival. It is still found among right-wing extremists - for example, the British terrorist organization Combat 18 used a lightning bolt and a circle in the logo of The Order newspaper in the early 90s of the XX century.

Sweden

In Sweden, the Swedish Fascist Struggle Organization (Sveriges Fascistiska Kamporganisation, SFKO) was established in 1999. The "bunch of rods" symbol was used both as a sign of the party and as the name of its main organ Spöknippet.

After party leaders Konrad Hallgren and Sven Olaf Lindholm visited Germany, the party moved closer to National Socialism and in the autumn of 1929 changed its name to the Swedish National Socialist People's Party.

In 1930, it merged with other Nazi parties: the National Socialist Peasants' and Workers' Association of Birger Furugard and the Novoshvedskaya Party. New organization at first it was called the New Swedish National Socialist Party, and soon became the Swedish National Socialist Party (SNSP). In the 1932 elections to the second chamber of the Riksdag, the party ran for candidates in nine constituencies and received 15,188 votes.

Over time, the ideological differences between Furugård and Lindholm escalated to such an extent that on January 13, 1933, Lindholm and his supporters were expelled from the party. The next day, Lindholm formed the National Socialist Workers' Party (NSAP). The parties began to be called "Lindholm" and "Furugord".

In October 1938, the NSAP changed its name again to the Swedish Socialist Association (SSS). Lindholm attributed the lack of success in recruiting new members to the fact that the party got too close to German National Socialism and used as a symbol German swastika. His party called its ideology "folk socialism" (folksocialism), and instead of the swastika, they took the "sheaf of the Vasa dynasty" (vasakärven) as the party symbol.

This heraldic symbol of the unifier of Sweden, King Gustav Vasa, has an important role in Sweden. national importance. The word vase in Old Swedish means a sheaf of ears. In the Middle Ages, various variants of such "sheaves" or "bundles" were used in the construction of significant buildings and the laying of roads. The "sheaf", depicted on the coat of arms of the Vasa dynasty, served, in particular, to fill ditches during the storming of fortresses. When Gustav Vasa ascended the Swedish throne in 1523, this symbol appeared on the coat of arms of the Swedish state. The king's slogan "Varer svensk" (approximately "be a Swede") was often quoted in Nazi and Fascist circles.

Germany

The National Socialist Workers' Party (NSDAP) of Germany was formed in 1919. In the 1920s, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the party turned into a mass movement, and by the time it came to power, its ranks numbered almost 900,000 members.

German National Socialism in many ways resembled Italian fascism, but there were differences on several points. Both ideologies are marked by a pronounced personality cult of the leader. Both of them sought to unite society into a single national movement. Both National Socialism and Fascism are clearly anti-democratic, and both are marked by anti-communism. But if the Nazis considered the state the most important part of society, the Nazis instead spoke of the purity of the race. In the eyes of the Nazis, the total power of the state was not an end, but a means to achieve another goal: the good for the Aryan race and the German people. Where the Nazis interpreted history as a constant process of struggle between different forms of the state, the Nazis saw the eternal struggle between races.

This was also reflected in the Nazi symbol, the swastika, an ancient sign that in the 19th century was combined with the myth of the Aryan race as the crown of creation. The Nazis adopted many of the outward signs of fascism. They created their own version of the fascist "style" and introduced the Roman salute. See chapters 2 and 3 for more on this.

Hungary

As in other European countries, fascist groups of various deviances arose in Hungary between the world wars. Some of these groups united in 1935 to form the National Will Party. Two years later, this party was banned, but in 1939 it reappeared under the name Arrow Cross. Hungarian Movement. In May of that year, it became the second largest party in the country and won 31 seats in parliament. With the outbreak of World War II, it was banned again, but in October 1944, the German occupation authorities put in power the so-called government of national unity, headed by Arrow Cross chairman Ferenc Salashi. This regime lasted only a few months, until February 1945, but in a short time sent about 80 thousand Jews to concentration camps.

Supporters of the "Salashists" (named after the leader of the party) took their name from the Christian cross with pointed ends, a symbol used by the Hungarians in the 10th century. In the ideology of the Salashists, the Hungarians were the dominant nation, and the Jews were considered the main enemies. Therefore, the sign of the crossed arrows is in second place after the swastika, among the most anti-Semitic symbols of fascism. The crossed arrows, as well as the custom of marching in green shirts, were borrowed by them from the early fascist group of 1933, the HNSALWP, which later became part of the National Will Party.

During the reign of the Szálasi government, a flag arose in Hungary, in the center of which a white circle is located on a red background, and in it are black crossed arrows. Thus, the colors and structure of the German flag with a swastika were completely repeated. The SS troops, formed from Hungarian volunteers, also used this symbol for the Hungarian Divisions No. 2 and No. 3. Today, this symbol is prohibited in Hungary.

In addition, the “Salashists” used the red-white-striped flag from the coat of arms of the dynasty of the Hungarian princes Arpad, who ruled the country from the end of the 9th century until 1301.

Austria

In 1933, Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss abolished parliamentary rule and introduced a one-party system led by the Fatherland Front party. The party combined Italian fascism and elements of Catholicism in its program, in other words, professed clerical fascism. The Fatherland Front was in opposition to German National Socialism, and in 1934, during an attempted putsch, Dollfuss was killed. Clerical fascism dominated the country until 1938, when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany.

The flag of the Fatherland Front Party is a so-called crutch cross on a red and white background. The cross has the same ancient roots as the crosses of the crusader knights, and in the Christian tradition is called cross potent. Its use in the 1930s in Austria was an attempt to compete with the Nazi swastika.