Hammer and sickle

Quick Facts: Who was Hammer and sickle?

Subject:

Hammer and sickle

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A communist symbol representing the unity between industrial workers and peasants.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The hammer and sickle (Unicode: U+262D ☭ HAMMER AND SICKLE) is a communist symbol that represents unity between workers and peasants. It was designed in 1918 by Yevgeny Kamzolkin and adopted during the Russian Revolution at the end of World War I. After the Russian Civil War, the hammer and sickle became more widely used as a symbol for labor within the Soviet Union (USSR) and for international proletarian unity. It was taken up by many communist movements around the world, some with local variations. The hammer and sickle, or variations of it, remain commonplace in communist states, such as China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam, but also some former Soviet republics following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, such as Belarus and Russia. Some countries have imposed bans on communist symbols, where the display of the hammer and sickle is prohibited.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

One example of hammer-and-sickle symbolism prior to its political instrumentalization by the Soviet Union is found in Chilean currency circulating since 1894. In 1918, Yevgeny Ivanovich Kamzolkin designed a 'hammer and sickle' symbol as a decoration for the May Day celebrations in the Zamoskvorechye District of Moscow. It originally featured a sword, but Lenin strongly objected, disliking the militaristic connotations. On 6 July 1923, the 2nd session of the Central Executive Committee (CIK) adopted the emblem. In 1919, the new Republic of Austria introduced a sickle and a hammer to its coat of arms, one in each talon of its supporting eagle, to represent the farming and industrial classes.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

They were removed in 1934 with the establishment of the Fascist Federal State of Austria and returned in 1945 after the defeat of Nazi Germany (which had absorbed Austria in 1938) in the Second World War. In his work, Daily Life in a Crumbling Empire: The Absorption of Russia into the World Economy, sociologist David Lempert hypothesizes that the hammer and sickle symbol served as a secular replacement for the patriarchal cross. The State Emblem of the Soviet Union and the Coats of Arms of the Soviet Republics showed the hammer and sickle, which also appeared on the red star badge on the uniform cap of the Red Army uniform and in many other places. Serp i Molot (transliteration of Russian: cерп и молот, "sickle and hammer") is the name of the Moscow Metallurgical Plant. Serp i Molot is also the name of a stop on the electric railway line from Kurski railway station in Moscow to Gorky, featured in Venedikt Yerofeyev's novel, Moscow-Petushki.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1894: 1894 Milestone — One example of hammer-and-sickle symbolism prior to its political instrumentalization by the Soviet Union is found in Chilean currency circulating since 1894.
2. 1918: 1918 Milestone — It was designed in 1918 by Yevgeny Kamzolkin and adopted during the Russian Revolution at the end of World War I.
3. 1919: 1919 Milestone — In 1919, the new Republic of Austria introduced a sickle and a hammer to its coat of arms, one in each talon of its supporting eagle, to represent the farming and industrial classes.
4. 1923: 1923 Milestone — On 6 July 1923, the 2nd session of the Central Executive Committee (CIK) adopted the emblem.
5. 1934: 1934 Milestone — They were removed in 1934 with the establishment of the Fascist Federal State of Austria and returned in 1945 after the defeat of Nazi Germany (which had absorbed Austria in 1938) in the Second World War.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Hammer and sickle

True or False: “The hammer and sickle was originally designed to represent only the alliance between factory workers and landowning nobility.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): It was intended to symbolize the worker-peasant alliance, with the hammer representing the industrial proletariat and the sickle representing the peasantry.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Hammer and sickle