More languages
More actions
m (Removed duplicate links) Tag: Visual edit |
General-KJ (talk | contribs) m (Added for Tamaryn) Tag: Visual edit |
||
| (12 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The hammer and sickle (Unicode: "☭") is a symbol meant to represent | <blockquote>''For the YouTube channel, see [[The Hammer and Sickle]]''</blockquote>[[File:Communist symbol stalin flag.png|213x213px|thumb|The hammer and sickle is a symbol for the international Communist movement.]] | ||
The '''hammer and sickle''' (Unicode: "☭") is a symbol meant to represent working class [[solidarity]] – a union between the [[peasantry]] and [[proletariat]]. It was first adopted during the [[October Revolution|Russian Revolution]], the hammer representing the workers and the sickle representing the peasants.<ref>{{Citation|author=Whitney Smith|title=Encyclopedia Britannica|chapter=flag of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|chapter-url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics}}</ref> | |||
== Semiotic analysis == | |||
In concordance with the tripartite system of categorizing signs devised by the [[United States of America|Statesian]] polymath Charles Sanders Peirce, the hammer and sickle classify as an index – the category of signs which utilizes the likeness of a physical object to indicate an associated meaning; in this case, the unity between the two major groups forming the masses of the working class within the context of the early days of the [[Russian revolution of 1917|Bolshevik Revolution]], the peasantry and the proletariat.<ref name=":0">{{Web citation|newspaper=Media Studies|title=Charles Peirce’s Sign Categories|url=https://media-studies.com/peirce-sign-categories/}}</ref> | |||
Notably, the hammer and sickle presents the unique characteristic of being an "index of indexes", as its two constituent components too function as indexes for their respective classes, the proletariat for the hammer and the peasantry for the sickle. Indeed, the two signs have been used separately of each other in various contexts throughout history.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
Through the act of these two individual signs being crossed together they attain a new identity, that of one single index communicating a more complex and inherently socialist message, the unity of the working class in a revolutionary mass movement. As other proletarian movements adopted the Bolshevik hammer and sickle, its meaning has further abstracted to an indicator of [[Marxism]], communism, and the proletarian struggle as a whole.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
== Variations == | |||
[[File:Hammer and sickle variants.png|thumb|Detailed list of variants of the hammer and sickle and related symbols]] | |||
Different parties and countries have adapted the hammer and sickle to their conditions, including: | |||
=== Hammer, compass === | |||
* [[German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)|German Democratic Republic]] | |||
=== Hammer, dove === | |||
* [[Communist Party of Britain]] | |||
=== Hammer, gear === | |||
* [[Communist Party of Turkey]] | |||
=== Hammer, sickle, gear === | |||
* [[Communist Party of the United States of America|Communist Party USA]] | |||
=== Hammer, sickle, paintbrush === | |||
* [[Workers' Party of Korea]] | |||
=== Hoe, AK-47 === | |||
* [[People's Republic of Mozambique (1975–1990)|People's Republic of Mozambique]] | |||
=== Machete, gear === | |||
* [[People's Republic of Angola (1975–1992)|People's Republic of Angola]] | |||
=== Pickaxe, anchor === | |||
* [[Far Eastern Republic (1920–1922)|Far Eastern Republic]] | |||
== References == | |||
[[Category:Marxist symbols]] | |||
Latest revision as of 12:40, 31 October 2024
For the YouTube channel, see The Hammer and Sickle
The hammer and sickle (Unicode: "☭") is a symbol meant to represent working class solidarity – a union between the peasantry and proletariat. It was first adopted during the Russian Revolution, the hammer representing the workers and the sickle representing the peasants.[1]
Semiotic analysis[edit | edit source]
In concordance with the tripartite system of categorizing signs devised by the Statesian polymath Charles Sanders Peirce, the hammer and sickle classify as an index – the category of signs which utilizes the likeness of a physical object to indicate an associated meaning; in this case, the unity between the two major groups forming the masses of the working class within the context of the early days of the Bolshevik Revolution, the peasantry and the proletariat.[2]
Notably, the hammer and sickle presents the unique characteristic of being an "index of indexes", as its two constituent components too function as indexes for their respective classes, the proletariat for the hammer and the peasantry for the sickle. Indeed, the two signs have been used separately of each other in various contexts throughout history.[2]
Through the act of these two individual signs being crossed together they attain a new identity, that of one single index communicating a more complex and inherently socialist message, the unity of the working class in a revolutionary mass movement. As other proletarian movements adopted the Bolshevik hammer and sickle, its meaning has further abstracted to an indicator of Marxism, communism, and the proletarian struggle as a whole.[2]
Variations[edit | edit source]
Different parties and countries have adapted the hammer and sickle to their conditions, including:
Hammer, compass[edit | edit source]
Hammer, dove[edit | edit source]
Hammer, gear[edit | edit source]
Hammer, sickle, gear[edit | edit source]
Hammer, sickle, paintbrush[edit | edit source]
Hoe, AK-47[edit | edit source]
Machete, gear[edit | edit source]
Pickaxe, anchor[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Whitney Smith. Encyclopedia Britannica: 'flag of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Charles Peirce’s Sign Categories". Media Studies.