Red Star

The five-pointed red star is now often perceived as a symbol for the socialist or communist worldview. The red star should metaphorically shine people's path to classless society , but is also interpreted as an internationalist symbol in the labor movement , with the five points standing for the five civilized continents . When used in state symbols, it is often meant to refer to a form of socialism or communism ; however, this is not always the case, cf. z. B. the flag of California .

Red Star

Use in coats of arms and on flags

The red star can be found on the flags of Panama , New Zealand , California etc. In addition, the red star is and was often seen on the flags and coats of arms of communist and socialist countries. However, it is not red in all cases. For example, the flags of China , Angola , Mozambique and Vietnam use a yellow star on a red background, but they have the same meaning as the red star. The connection of the star with the hammer and sickle symbol (which is to express the partnership of the working class with the peasantry) has not been unusual since the Bolsheviks as a symbol for the workers-and-peasants state or the dictatorship of the proletariat .

In heraldry , the red star is one of the common figures . It is a common special form of the heraldic star .

Further use

The red star on the tombstone of the family of the cabaret artist Dietrich Kittner and the punk rocker Konrad Kittner at the Engesohde city cemetery in Hanover

Soviet star in the exhibition Stars 2018 in the Museum of European Cultures in Berlin-Dahlem

In 1908 the novel "Red Star" by Alexander Bogdanow was published , which had a great influence in the run-up to the October Revolution of 1917 and is considered the first Bolshevik utopia . The soldiers of the Red Guard and the Red Army wore a red star on their headgear. In the Soviet Union, an airship was christened Krasnaya Zvezda ( Russian for Red Star) in 1920 . The newspaper published by the then Soviet Defense Ministry since 1924 was also called the Red Star, which is still used by the now Russian military newspaper . The red star is also perceived as a symbol of the red terror and the gulag .

The terrorist organization Red Army Fraction also used a corresponding symbol.

Some football clubs have or had a red star in their name, u. a. Red Star Paris since the century before last , but also Roter Stern Belgrade , Roter Stern Leipzig and Roter Stern Brno .

The Dutch brewery Heineken , the Italian mineral water brand San Pellegrino , the Daimler AG subsidiary Western Star Trucks and the software company Mozilla also use the red star as a symbol - albeit without reference to communism. In the case of Mozilla, the star is usually depicted with a Godzilla- like dragon or the letter "M" inside. The logo was intended to illustrate the revolutionary aspirations of the project in the, at times, almost monopoly browser market. Today's Stroemfeld Verlag used to be called Roter Stern (founded in 1970). The expression Stroemfeld / Red Star is still used today.

medal

There was a Soviet Order of the Red Star , which was donated in 1929.
This is worn on the right side of the chest.

Prohibition

Since the fall of the Eastern Bloc , the red star has been banned from public life in some countries.

shape

The red star has the mathematical shape of a pentagram . As a raised version (three-dimensional) it corresponds to a detail of the great dodecahedron .

Pentagram
Large dodecahedron

Examples

Flag of the Soviet Union
Flag of North Korea
Flag of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Medallion at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

Red Army faction logo

Red Star Belgrade logo

Macy’s company logo

Flag of the EZLN in Mexico

Heineken company logo

Logo from the Sternburg beer

Lone Star Flag of the California Revolution of 1836 against Mexican rule
Flag of California with Star in Old Glory Red ( # 9E1A36 )
Flag of Panama ; blue and red stand for conservative and liberal parties
New Zealand White Ensign , national flag and coat of arms show 4 red stars on a white background