Nazi cross meaning. Key travel destinations

August 21st, 2015 , 08:57 pm

Looking at this Tibetan yak, I noticed the swastika ornament. And I thought: the swastika is “fascist”!

I have come across many times attempts to divide the swastika into “right-handed” and “left-handed”. They say that "f The "ashist" swastika is "left-handed", it rotates to the left - "backward", i.e. counterclockwise in time. The Slavic swastika, on the contrary, is “right-handed.” If the swastika rotates clockwise ("right-handed" swastika), then this means an increase in vital energy, but if it rotates counterclockwise (left-handed), then this indicates a "suction" of vital energy to Navi, the afterlife of the dead.

michael101063 c A very ancient sacred symbol writes: "... you need to know that the swastika can be left-sided and right-sided. The left-sided one was associated with lunar cults, black magic of blood sacrifices and the downward spiral of involution. The right-sided one was associated with solar cults, white magic and the upward spiral of evolution .

It is no coincidence that the Nazis used and continue to use the left-handed swastika, just like the black sorcerers Bon-po in Tibet, to whom expeditions of the Nazi occult Institute Ahnenerbe went for sacred knowledge of antiquity.

It is no coincidence that there has always been close communication and cooperation between the Nazis and black sorcerers. And it is also not accidental that the Nazis massacred civilians, since in essence they are bloody sacrifices to the forces of darkness."

And so I look at this yak and I feel sorry for him: the stupid Tibetans have hung him all over with a “fascist” “left-handed” swastika, through which the Navy will suck out all his energy and he, poor fellow, will become hobbled and die.

Or maybe it’s not the Tibetans who are stupid, but those who divide it into the “malicious” left-sided side and the “beneficent” right-sided side? It is obvious that our distant ancestors did not know such a division. Here is an ancient Novgorod ring found by the expedition of Ak. Rybakova.

If you believe modern idle “reasoning”, then the owner of this ring was a mentally abnormal person, a withered evil spirit with a penis at half past six. This is of course complete nonsense. If this form of swastika was associated with something negative, neither animals nor (especially) people would wear it.

R. Bagdasarov, our main “expert” on swastikas, notes that there are no clear meanings for the “left” and “right” swastikas even in India, not to mention other cultures. In Christianity, for example, both versions of the swastika are used.

If we divide the swastika into “positive” and “negative”, then it turns out that the clergyman worships both God and the devil at the same time, which again looks like complete nonsense.

So there are no “right-handed” or “left-handed” swastikas. A swastika is a swastika.

After the First World War, 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 the sake of honor and glory, and returned disabled in all respects. All that remains of the spirit of optimism that marked the first years of the 20th century are memories.

It was during these years that a new political movement entered the political arena. What united fascists in different European countries was that they were all ultranationalists. 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 was in danger, and believed themselves to be the only political alternative that could counter this threat. For example, democracy, foreign capitalism, communism, 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 violently crushing competing ideas and external forces that allegedly sought to destroy the nation. The state had to take full control of every member of society, and industry had to be organized in such a way as to achieve maximum labor productivity.

Within the general framework of such a strategy, naturally, there were different variants 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, fascists succeeded in coming to power, and developments were marked by the cult of the fascist leader, disregard for human rights, control of the press, celebration of militarism, and suppression of the labor movement.

Italy and the “bundle of rods”, or “bundle 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 passionate about the socialist movement, but during the First World War he became a nationalist.

After World War I, Italy's economy was devastated, unemployment reached record highs, and democratic traditions declined. 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 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 unrest 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 included 300 thousand people. Another six months later the movement united 700 thousand members. In the elections of 1921, the fascist party received 6.5% of the votes and entered parliament.

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

In 1922, the fascists took power in Italy. Mussolini threatened to march on Rome with his fighters. Following this threat, on October 31, 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 seizure 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 Allied troops entered Italy and the king removed the dictator. Mussolini was arrested, but he was freed by German parachute troops, allowing him to escape to Northern Italy, where on September 23 the Duce proclaimed the infamous "Republic of Salo" - a German protectorate. The "Republic of Salo" existed until April 25, 1945, when Allied troops occupied this last bastion of Italian fascism. On April 28, 1945, Benito Mussolini was captured by partisans and executed.

Totalitarian state

Mussolini, like many of his comrades, went to the front as a soldier during the First World War. Life in the trenches seemed to him to be an ideal society in miniature, where everyone, regardless of age or social background, worked towards a common goal: the defense of the country from an external enemy. Having come to power, Mussolini planned to change Italy to its core, to create a country where the entire 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 among its political opponents to describe precisely this method of government. Mussolini then began to use this term to describe his own ambitious plans. In October 1925, he formulated the slogan: “Everything is 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 man, such myths and such a cult of his personality were created around him, which in the eyes of modern man seems funny. 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 with his gaze the beginning eruption of Mount Etna.

Heirs of the Roman Empire

The Italian state was relatively young and socially and even linguistically heterogeneous. However, even before the fascists 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 school teaching since the late 19th century. Even before the outbreak of the First World War, colossal historical 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 rise of the Roman Empire, its military superiority, and the social structure of that time was portrayed as similar to the one that Mussolini sought to build. It is from Roman history that many of the symbols used by the fascists are borrowed.

"Bundle of brushwood" - "fascia"

The word “fascism” itself has a common root with the party symbol of Mussolini and his henchmen. Fascio littorio, lictor's fascia
- this was the name of a bundle of brushwood or rods with a bronze hatchet in the center. Such “bundles” or “sheaves” were carried by Roman lictors - low-ranking officials, clearing them in the crowd even for important people.

In Ancient Rome, such a “bundle of brushwood” was a symbol of the right to hit, beat and generally punish. Later it became a symbol political power at all. In the 18th century, during the Enlightenment, the fasces represented republican rule as opposed to monarchy. In the 19th century, it came to mean strength through unity, since rods tied together are much stronger than the sum of each twig or lash. In the second half of the century, the words “fascination”, “fascia”, “ligament” began to mean small leftist groups in politics. And after several strikes by trade unions in Sicily in the mid-1890s, the term acquired a connotation of radicalism.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the word “fascists” was quite common. This was the name given to radical Italian political groups, both right and left. However, with the spread of the Fasci di Combattimenti party throughout the country, Mussolini monopolized the term. Gradually, the word “fascia” began to be associated specifically with the ideology of the Italian fascists, and not generally with political authority, as before.

The “bundle of brushwood” or “bundle of rods” was not only a symbol of the fascists’ 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 tied into 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 conquers them. Therefore, they are marked by the lictorial fasces, a symbol of unity, strength and justice.”

After Mussolini came to power, the fasces pervaded the daily lives 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 giving the symbol national significance. Three months later, the "sheaf" was included in the image of the Italian national coat of arms, taking its place to the left of the Italian coat of arms royal house. In April 1929, the fasces replaced the two lions on the shield royal dynasty. Thus 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 party members 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 fascists, the word “style” was not only a matter of taste in the choice of clothing. It was about closeness to the fascist ideal in everything: in habits, behavior, actions and attitude to life.

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

Black shirts were originally worn by members of militant fascist groups who fought in the streets with communists and other political opponents. They looked like elite troops from 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 wearing one at the wrong time could be arrested and put on trial.

In 1925, Mussolini said at a party congress: “The black shirt is not everyday wear or a uniform. This is a battle uniform that only humans can wear, pure souls and heart."

The “ten commandments” of fascism, which were formulated in October 1931, stated: “He who is not ready, without the slightest hesitation, to sacrifice his body and soul for Italy and in the service of Mussolini, is not worthy to wear the black shirt - the 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. ceremonies. From 1932 to 1934, detailed rules were developed for wearing shirts (wearing starched collars was “absolutely prohibited”) in combination with accessories - boots, belt and tie.

Roman greeting

The fascist style of behavior also included the so-called Roman salute. Greeting with the outstretched right hand, palm down with the second half of the XVIII centuries associated with Ancient Rome. It is unknown whether it was actually used, but there are images showing similar gestures.

French artist Jacques-Louis David depicted the oath or oath of the Horatii in a 1784 painting where the twins, three brothers, with outstretched arms, vow 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 to the new constitution with the same gesture, throwing its right hands forward and upward. Inspired by canvas David, artists for another century depicted a similar greeting in paintings on ancient Roman themes.

IN mid-19th century, the outstretched right hand increasingly took on the character of a military greeting, widespread both among various political groups and at the level of the entire country. In the USA, for example, since the 90s of the 19th century, schoolchildren have saluted 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.

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

Export style

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

Blindly copying the Italians were members of the British Union of Fascists, the Dutch Mussertpartiet party and the Bulgarian National Zadruga Fascists - all of them were “Black Shirts”. 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 National Socialist Party (NSDAP) storm troopers wore brown shirts. Green shirts were worn by members of the Hungarian "Arrow Cross Party" (Nyilaskeresztes part) - "Nylasists", Croatian Ustasha 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 raised arm salute 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 widely. The Fascia symbol was also adopted by other fascist associations inspired by Mussolini's successes, such as the British Union of Fascists, the Bulgarian National Zadruga Fascisti, the Swiss Fascismus and the Swedish Svenska fascistiska kampförbundet.

It is in the nature of fascism, however, to praise one's own culture. Therefore, most groups in other countries began to use local ones instead of the lictorial fascia. National symbols or signs that better reflected a local version of fascist ideology.

Fascist groups and symbols in other countries

Belgium

During the period between the world wars, two parallel fascist movements arose in Belgium. The first of these mostly attracted the Walloons, the French-speaking Belgians. The leader of the movement was lawyer Leon Degrelle, editor-in-chief of the Catholic and conservative magazine Christus Rex. The organization he created became the basis of the Rexistpartiet party formed in 1930. Rexism, as the ideology of this party came to be called, combined the theses of Catholicism with purely fascist elements, for example, corporatism and the abolition of democracy. Gradually, the Rexists became 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 the kingdom of Christ 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 into the Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond (VNV) party under the leadership of Staf de Klerk. This party accepted 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 VNV party emblem are taken from the coat of arms of the Dutch national hero William of Orange. The triangle is the Christian symbol of the Trinity. In Christian symbolism, the triangle can also represent equality and unity. The circle in the emblem is also a Christian symbol of unity.

Finland

Fascism spread more widely in Finland than in the rest of Northern Europe. 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, a continuation of the anti-communist nationalist Lapua movement of the 20s.

The IKL was a purely fascist party with the addition of its own extreme nationalist dream of an ethnically homogeneous Greater Finland, which would include the territories of today's Russia and Estonia, as well as demands for a corporate structure of society. All this was presented against the backdrop of the “superman” ideology, in which the Finns were presented as biologically superior to neighboring peoples. The party existed until 1944. She managed to stand as a candidate 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: a black shirt and a blue tie. The party banner was also blue with an emblem: inside the circle was a man with a baton sitting on a bear.

Greece

After the 1936 elections, Greece was in a difficult situation. Fearing the 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 “4th of August regime” and began to create an authoritarian dictatorship with elements of fascism, taking as a model the actions of the National Union, which was in power in Portugal. Troops were repeatedly brought 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 “4th of August regime”, since he considered it the most ancient symbol of Hellenic civilization. Indeed, double axes, real and in images, in Greek culture for thousands of years, they are often found among archaeological finds period of the Minoan civilization on Crete.

Ireland

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

Inspired by the Italian fascists, members of the organization began wearing sky-blue “party” shirts in April 1933, which is why 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. Also in 1933, the party was banned and O'Duffy weakened his fascist rhetoric. Later he was among the founders of the nationalist party Fine Gael.

The ACA banner, 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 comes from the legend of how a white cross appeared in the sky in honor of St. Andrew (this motif also appears on the flag of Scotland).

Norway

Vidkun Quisling created the nationalist party National Accord (Nasjonal Samling) in 1933. Soon the party took an orientation towards fascism and Nazism. Before the outbreak of World War II, National Accord was the fastest growing party in Norway, and after the occupation of the country by Germany, Quisling became the country's minister-president. By 1943, the party had about 44 thousand 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 "Olaf's cross" - 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 the First World War, Portugal lay in ruins. After the military coup of 1926, the National Union party was formally created in 1930. In 1932, the leadership of the party was taken over by former Finance Minister Antonio Salazar, who soon became prime minister. Salazar, who held power in Portugal until his death in 1970, introduced a complete dictatorship and 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 to the country.

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

Another group in Portugal in the 1930s was fascist in its purest form. It was formed in 1932 and was called the National Syndicalist Movement (MNS). The leader of the movement was Roland Preto, who even in the early 20s admired Mussolini and saw similarities between his fascism and his national syndicalism. Inspired by the Italians, members of the movement wore blue shirts, earning them the nickname "Blue Shirts."

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

The MNS movement was under strong influence Catholicism. Therefore, the cross of the Portuguese Order of Christ 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 communist revolution led to the emergence of extreme nationalist movements here. In 1927, charismatic leader Corneliu Codreanu created the Legion of Archangel Michael, or the Iron Guard. The “Iron Guard” combined religious mysticism with brutal anti-Semitism in its ideology. Members of the “guard” were most often recruited among students. Codreanu's goal was the "Christian and racial purification" of the nation. Soon, from a tiny sect, the Legion of the Archangel Michael turned into a party that received 15.5% of the votes in the 1937 parliamentary elections, 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 imposed a dictatorship in 1938, Codreanu was arrested and then killed, allegedly while trying to escape. As a result, Codreanu gained fame as a “martyr of fascism” and is still revered by modern Nazis around the world.

During World War II, members of the Iron Guard, called "legionnaires," collaborated with the occupying German forces and became notorious for their brutality.

Legionnaires greeted each other with the Roman salute or salute and wore green shirts, which is why they were called "greenshirts" ( green color was supposed to symbolize renewal).

The symbol of the organization was a stylized version of an intertwined Christian cross divided into three parts, reminiscent of 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 be created in Switzerland, following the example of neighboring Italy. In 1933, two such groups merged to form 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 - their 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 Nazi rise to power in Germany. The party reached its maximum number of more than 9 thousand members in 1935, receiving 1.6% of the vote and one seat in the Swiss parliament. The party was led by Ernst Biederman, Rolf Henie and Robert Tobler. In 1940, the Front was banned by the government, but continued its activities until 1943.

The National Front 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 version of the Swiss flag, in which a white cross reached the borders of a red background.

Spain

The Spanish Phalanx was created in 1933. At first, like the Italian fascists and German Nazis, the Falangists tried to come to power through elections, but they failed to win over enough voters to vote for conservative parties supported by the Catholic Church.

The next chance came after the victory of the socialist Popular Front party in the 1936 elections. The Spanish military, under the leadership of General Francisco Franco, refused to recognize the election results and began an armed uprising, which resulted in the civil war of 1936-1939. Initially Franco, he allowed the Falange, whose membership increased significantly after the elections, to become the most important part of the political apparatus, and adopted the party's political program. 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 Phalangists did not take Hitler’s side, and thanks to this they managed to retain 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 disbanded in 1977.

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

Great Britain

The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was created in 1932 by former Conservative MP and Labor government minister Sir Oswald Mosley. Mosley built his organization in the image and likeness of the Italian fascists and introduced a black uniform, for which members of the Union were called “Blackshirts.” The number of BUF reached 50 thousand people. In the mid-1930s, the party's popularity declined due to its members being involved in numerous violent incidents. In 1940 the organization was banned, and most Mosley spent 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 version of the Roman fasces as a party symbol. In 1936, the party adopted a new symbol: a lightning bolt 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 post-war period, the same symbols were used by the American fascist group the National Revival Party. It is still found among right-wing extremists - for example, the British terrorist organization Combat 18 used lightning and a circle in the logo of The Order newspaper in the early 90s of the 20th century.

Sweden

In Sweden, the Swedish Fascist Struggle Organization (Sveriges Fascistiska Kamporganisation, SFKO) was created in 2006. The symbol of the "bundle of rods" 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 became closer to National Socialism and in the fall of 1929 changed its name to the Swedish National Socialist People's Party.

In 1930, it merged with other Nazi parties: Birger Furugård's National Socialist Farmers' and Workers' Association and the New Sweden Party. The new organization was first 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 stood as candidates in nine electoral districts and received 15,188 votes.

Over time, the ideological differences between Furugård and Lindholm worsened 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 “Furugård”.

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 became too close to German National Socialism and used it as a symbol German swastika. His party called its ideology “folksocialism”, and instead of the swastika, it adopted the “Vasakärven sheaf” as its party symbol.

This heraldic symbol of the unifier of Sweden, King Gustav Vasa, has important national significance in Sweden. The word vase in Old Swedish means a sheaf of ears of grain. In the Middle Ages, various versions of such “sheaves” or “bundles” were used in the construction of significant buildings and laying roads. The “sheaf” depicted on the coat of arms of the Vasa dynasty served, in particular, to fill ditches during the assault on 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" (roughly "be a Swede") was often quoted in Nazi and fascist circles.

Germany

National Socialist workers' party(NSDAP) Germany was founded in 1919. In the 1920s, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the party grew into a mass movement, and by the time it came to power its ranks numbered almost 900 thousand members.

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

This was 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 details.

Hungary

As in other European countries, fascist groups of various persuasions arose in Hungary during the period between the world wars. Some such groups united in 1935 to form the National Will Party. Two years later, this party was banned, but in 1939 it re-emerged under the name “Arrow Cross. Hungarian movement". In May of the same year, it became the country's second largest party 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 installed the so-called government of national unity, led by Arrow Cross chairman Ferenc Szálasi, in power. This regime lasted only a few months, until February 1945, but a short time sent about 80 thousand Jews to concentration camps.

Supporters of the "Salashists" (named after the party leader) 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 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 from the early fascist group of 1933 HNSALWP, which later became part of the National Will Party.

During the reign of the Szalasi government in Hungary, a flag appeared in the center of which there is a white circle on a red background, and in it there are black crossed arrows. Thus, the color scheme 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 banned in Hungary.

In addition, the “Salashists” used the red-white-striped flag from the coat of arms of the dynasty of Hungarian princes Arpad, which 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 under the leadership of the Fatherland Front Party. The party combined Italian fascism and elements of Catholicism in its program, in other words, it professed clerical fascism. The Fatherland Front was in opposition to German National Socialism, and in 1934, Dollfuss was killed during a putsch attempt. Clerical fascism dominated the country until 1938, when Austria was annexed 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.

The version that it was Hitler who had the brilliant idea to make the swastika a symbol of the National Socialist movement belongs to the Fuhrer himself and was voiced in Mein Kampf. Probably, nine-year-old Adolf first saw a swastika on the wall of a Catholic monastery near the town of Lambach.

The swastika sign has been popular since ancient times. A cross with curved ends has appeared on coins, household items, and coats of arms since the eighth millennium BC. The swastika symbolized life, sun, and prosperity. Hitler could see the swastika again in Vienna on the emblem of Austrian anti-Semitic organizations.

By christening the archaic solar symbol the Hakenkreuz (Hakenkreuz is translated from German as hook cross), Hitler arrogated to himself the priority of the discoverer, although the idea of ​​the swastika as a political symbol had taken root in Germany before him. In 1920, Hitler, who was, albeit unprofessional and untalented, but still an artist, allegedly independently developed the design of the party logo, proposing a red flag with a white circle in the middle, in the center of which a hooked black swastika spread predatorily.

The color red, according to the leader of the National Socialists, was chosen in imitation of the Marxists who used it. Seeing a hundred and twenty thousand demonstration of leftist forces under scarlet banners, Hitler noted the active influence of the bloody color on the common man. In Mein Kampf, the Führer mentioned the "great psychological significance" of symbols and their ability to powerfully influence emotions. But it was precisely by controlling the emotions of the crowd that Hitler managed to introduce the ideology of his party to the masses in an unprecedented way.

By adding a swastika to the red color, Adolf gave a diametrically opposite meaning to the favorite color scheme of the socialists. By attracting the attention of the workers with the familiar color of the posters, Hitler carried out a “recruitment.”

In Hitler's interpretation, the red color personified the idea of ​​movement, white - the sky and nationalism, the hoe-shaped swastika - labor and the anti-Semitic struggle of the Aryans. Creative work was mysteriously interpreted as anti-Semitic.

In general, it is impossible to call Hitler the author of National Socialist symbols, contrary to his statements. He borrowed the color from the Marxists, the swastika and even the name of the party (slightly rearranging the letters) from the Viennese nationalists. The idea of ​​using symbolism is also plagiarism. It belongs to the oldest party member - a dentist named Friedrich Krohn, who submitted a memorandum to the party leadership back in 1919. However, the savvy dentist is not mentioned in the bible of National Socialism, Mein Kampf.

However, Kron put a different content into the decoding of symbols. The red color of the banner is love for the homeland, the white circle is a symbol of innocence for the outbreak of the First World War, the black color of the cross is grief over losing the war.

In Hitler’s interpretation, the swastika became a sign of the Aryan struggle against “subhumans.” The claws of the cross seem to be aimed at Jews, Slavs, and representatives of other peoples who do not belong to the race of “blond beasts.”

Unfortunately, the ancient positive sign was discredited by the National Socialists. The Nuremberg Tribunal in 1946 banned Nazi ideology and symbols. The swastika was also banned. IN Lately she has been somewhat rehabilitated. Roskomnadzor, for example, recognized in April 2015 that displaying this sign outside of a propaganda context is not an act of extremism. Although a “reprehensible past” cannot be erased from a biography, the swastika is used by some racist organizations.

The eagle is one of the most common figures depicted on coats of arms. This proud and strong king bird symbolizes not only power and dominance, but also courage, bravery and insight. In the 20th century, Nazi Germany chose the eagle as its emblem. Read more about the Imperial Eagle of the 3rd Reich in the article below.

Eagle in heraldry

For symbols in heraldry there is a certain, historically established classification. All symbols are divided into heraldic and non-heraldic figures. If the former, rather, show how different color areas divide the field of the coat of arms itself and have an abstract meaning (cross, border or belt), then the latter depict images of objects or creatures, fictional or very real. The eagle is a natural non-heraldic figure and is considered to be the second most common in this category after the lion.

The eagle has been known as a symbol of supreme power since Antiquity. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified him with the supreme gods - Zeus and Jupiter. This is the personification of active solar energy, power and indestructibility. Often he became the personification of a heavenly god: if a celestial being was reincarnated into a bird, then only into one as majestic as an eagle. The eagle also symbolizes the victory of the spirit over earthly nature: soaring to heaven is nothing more than constant development and ascension over one’s own weaknesses.

Eagle in the symbols of Germany

For historical Germany, the king of birds served as a heraldic symbol for quite a long time. The Eagle of the 3rd Reich is just one of its incarnations. The beginning of this story can be considered the founding of the Holy Roman Empire in 962. The double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of this state in the 15th century, and previously belonged to one of its rulers - Emperor Henry IV. From this moment on, the eagle has always been present on the German coat of arms.

During the period of the monarchy, a crown was placed above the eagle as a symbol of imperial power; during the period of the republic, it disappeared. The prototype of the modern one is the heraldic eagle of the Weimar Republic, adopted as a state symbol in 1926, and then restored in the post-war period - in 1950. When the Nazis came to power, a new image of the eagle was created.

Eagle 3 Reich

After coming to power, the Nazis used the coat of arms of the Weimar Republic until 1935. In 1935, Adolf Hitler himself established a new coat of arms in the form of a black eagle with outstretched wings. This eagle holds in its paws a wreath of oak branches. A swastika is inscribed in the center of the wreath - a symbol borrowed by the Nazis from Eastern culture. The eagle looking to the right was used as a state symbol and was called state or imperial - Reichsadler. The eagle facing left remained as a symbol of the party called Partayadler - the party eagle.

The distinctive features of Nazi symbols are clarity, straight lines, sharp angles, which gives the symbols a menacing, even sinister look. This uncompromising sharpness of angles was reflected in any cultural creation of the Third Reich. Such gloomy majesty was present in monumental architectural structures, and even in musical works.

Symbolism of the swastika

More than 75 years have passed since the defeat of Nazi Germany, and its main symbol - the swastika - still causes many complaints in society. But the swastika is much more ancient symbol, only borrowed by the Nazis. It is found in the symbolism of many ancient cultures and symbolizes the solstice - the course of the luminary across the sky. The word “swastika” itself is of Indian origin: in Sanskrit it means “well-being.” In Western culture, this symbol was known under other names - gammadion, tetraskelion, filfot. The Nazis themselves called this symbol “Hakenkreuz” - a cross with hooks.

According to Hitler, the swastika was chosen as a symbol of the Aryan race's continuous struggle for dominance. The sign was rotated 45 degrees and placed in a white circle against a red background - this is what the flag of Nazi Germany looked like. The choice of the swastika was a very good strategic decision. This symbol is very impressive and memorable, and those who first become acquainted with its unusual shape unconsciously feel the desire to try to draw this sign.

Since then for ancient sign The time has come for swastikas to be forgotten. If previously the whole world did not hesitate to use a rectangular spiral as a symbol of well-being - from Coca-Cola advertising to greeting cards, then in the second half of the twentieth century the swastika was expelled from Western culture for a long time. And only now, with the development of intercultural communication, the true meaning of the swastika begins to be revived.

The symbolism of the oak wreath

In addition to the swastika, there was another symbol on the Wehrmacht coat of arms. The eagle holds the 3rd Reich in its claws. This image means much more to the German people than the swastika. The oak has long been considered an important tree for the Germans: like the laurel wreath in Rome, oak branches became a sign of power and victory.

The image of oak branches was intended to endow the owner of the coat of arms with the power and fortitude of this royal tree. For the Third Reich, it became one of the symbols of loyalty and national unity. The symbolism of leaves was used in the details of uniforms and orders.

Nazi eagle tattoo

Representatives of radical minorities tend to take their loyalty to the group to the extreme. Nazi symbols often become details of tattoos, including the eagle of the 3rd Reich. The designation of the tattoo is on the surface. In order to decide to immortalize the fascist eagle on your body, you must absolutely share and agree with the views of the National Socialists. Most often, the eagle is applied to the back, then the contours of the wings lie clearly on the shoulders. Similar tattoos are also found on other parts of the body, such as the biceps or even the heart.

After the war: defeated eagle

In several museums around the world, the defeated bronze eagle of the 3rd Reich is displayed as a war trophy. During the capture of Berlin, Allied troops actively destroyed all kinds of Nazi symbols. Sculptures the eagle, swastika and other significant images were knocked down from buildings without much ceremony. In Moscow, a similar eagle is displayed in (formerly the Central Museum of the Red Army) and in the Museum of the FSB Border Service. The photo below shows a similar bronze eagle on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.

Wehrmacht eagle without swastika

Today, the Wehrmacht eagle is still associated with Nazi symbols. The characteristic silhouette and contour makes it possible to identify the eagle of the Third Reich in any seemingly neutral image of a bird, even without a swastika. For example, in the city of Orel in December 2016, a scandal erupted due to the fact that a Nazi symbol was discerned in the decor of new benches. However, the local press notes that similar discussions regarding similarity/dissimilarity and associations with fascists arise around almost every new image of an eagle, not only in the city of the same name, but throughout the whole country. Remember, for example, the symbol of Special Communications - an eagle with outstretched wings - was approved back in 1999. When comparing it with the subject of our article, you will notice that the logo really resembles the 3rd Reich eagle in the photo.

In addition to that part of the population that perceives any hint of fascist symbols in the logo as a personal insult, there is also a category of people who treat this with humor. A common pastime for designers is to cut out a swastika from an image of a coat of arms with an eagle so that they can insert whatever they want there. Moreover, there are even caricatures where, instead of an eagle, there can be any other character with wings. For the same reason, the 3rd Reich eagle without a background, drawn in vector format, is popular. In this case, it is much easier to “pull” it out of the original document and add it to any other image.

Yes, reader, let’s puzzle ourselves now with this question: why did Adolf Hitler make the swastika a symbol of National Socialism?!

The fact that the swastika - a gammatic cross - is an Aryan symbol, the majority modern people The planet became known, unfortunately, at the instigation of Hitler. Alas, this is what happened. The Nazi Fuhrer himself claimed that he was an Aryan, and supposedly for this reason he had every right adopt the Aryan swastika.

We all know what this “Aryan” did in history. The Second Unleashed by Him World War(1939-1945) only killed 50 million people of different nationalities and left another 100 million people crippled. And all this atrocity against many peoples was committed under the sign of the Aryan swastika. Here under this sign:

At the same time, it is known that several decades earlier this same cross symbol, only with a different direction of bending its ends, was especially revered in the Russian Empire.

Towel. Tarnogsky district of the Vologda region. End of the 19th century.

What did the swastika sign symbolize in the minds of Russians?

Why the last one Russian Tsar had it with him, and ordinary Russians in the recent past also had a swastika in their home in the form of embroidery and drawings?

If you delve into encyclopedias, you can find the following explanation: "From ancient times, the swastika was a symbol of prosperity for the Slavs."

This definition quite comprehensively explains why this symbol was once widely used. Was it believed that he brings prosperity?! - well, who wouldn’t want to have it?!

Once I saw the same swastika signs on the ancient clothes of Orthodox priests stored in the museum. This museum is located in the Novodevichy Mother of God-Smolensk Monastery.

Personally, this presence of swastikas on the old clothes of Russian clergy surprised me a little, puzzled me and then pushed me to the idea that the swastika is not just"symbol of well-being", behind this cross sign lies something more. And I wanted to dig deeper and explore this topic.

During the search, I learned that the words "symbol of well-being"- it's just an adjective. A simple example: sometimes at weddings the groom is given the task to name 10 adjective words for his bride, and he begins to list: beloved, affectionate, kind, caring, and so on... So the words “symbol of well-being” are adjective words... .

I am sure that most modern people who have not conducted a similar search like me will never guess that in ancient times the swastika sign was, it turns out, the most important symbol of Christianity!

Yes, yes, the most important thing!

I will say more: this was the only cross in true Christianity, if by true Christianity we mean practical activities Jesus Christ and his disciples-apostles numbering 12 people.

So, this symbol of the swastika in the teaching and practice of Jesus Christ graphically designated God, who is the Spirit!

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24).

Have you heard, know these words of Christ the Savior?

From the very beginning, this graphic image of God the Spirit in the form of a swastika filled the Teachings of Jesus Christ with a deep ideological meaning, one might even say a natural scientific meaning.

The image presented here is dated to the 2nd-5th century AD. This drawing (on the left - restored, on the right - a fragment of the original) was found on the wall in the catacombs of Priscilla, in Rome. It is interpreted that the dove here represents the soul of a deceased righteous man who flew to Paradise to receive communion from a vessel with"by the Holy Spirit" . To avoid writing words on the cup"Holy Spirit"or"spirit", who drew replaced the words graphic image- a swastika sign.

Reference: Catacombs of Priscilla- Christian underground burials of the 2nd-5th centuries in Rome, forming three levels. These catacombs arose in the burial place of the Roman family of the consul Aquilius Glabrius. In the 1st century AD e. this family owned vast lands. One of the representatives of this family, Priscilla, was executed by order of Emperor Domitian. In the Greek chapel (Italian: Capella Greca), named after the discovered inscriptions in Greek, a feast scene (an allegory of the Eucharist) is depicted. This chapel contains examples of early Christian art, including ancient image The Virgin Mary with a baby in her arms and the prophet Isaiah or Balaam, dating from the 2nd century.

Exactly the same vessel with"by the Holy Spirit" , which is guarded by birds of paradise, was depicted in an ancient mosaic floor painting, also dating back to early Christian art. And here we also see a swastika. This image is a screenshot from a documentary about Christianity in the early centuries. In 2016 it was shown on Russian TV channel"Culture".

And now you will see a completely interesting mosaic floor painting of one of the early Christian churches. To be honest, this picture impressed me very much!

This is a swastika on the mosaic floor of the Christian Orthodox Church of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, built in the city of Geras (Jerash) in North Jordan in 553.

This floor mosaic painting shows multiple images of swastikas moving in all directions! So the early Christian artist tried to convey through painting the meaning that was previously clear to every Christian believer: "Holy Spirit" moves in space, and in movement he performs some sacred act known only to him.

In the presented picture we find a swastika in the form of “bricks” of different directions of rotation in the projection - left-handed and right-handed.

If a simple flat sign of a swastika symbolizes some kind of rotation around its axis in one direction or another, then by creating such a three-dimensional image of a swastika, the ancient Orthodox artist tried to show some kind of “spiritual movement” in space, in which one can guessspiral movement!

This mosaic picture testifies that in ancient times the first Christians had a natural scientific understanding of"Holy Spirit" !

And there is evidence (practically proof!) that the ancients saw the physical meaning of the “Holy Spirit” - in its spiral movement!

In the language of ancient scientists - Latin - the word spiral (spīralis from spīra) - means “coil, curl.” And the word spiro translated from the same Latin into Russian - means "to blow, to blow, to be alive."

I note that in the old days the people in Russia depicted "gammatic cross" didn’t call it a “swastika”, but called it a word "breeze". Which completely coincides with the meaning of “to blow, to fan, to be alive.” You can talk about this read from historian Roman Bagdasarov.

Now attention! "Holy Spirit" in Latin - Spiritus Sanctus.

As you can see, the root is the same everywhere - "spir", and therefore the meaning is the same!

These are the miracles that open up for someone (they opened up for me a long time ago!) later past centuries from the Nativity of Christ!!!

And now we are all being convinced, and many have already been convinced, literally forced to believe that the main symbol of Christianity is the cross on which, according to the Gospels, the Savior was crucified. And no one among the believers thinks (there is faith - no need for intelligence?) that it is blasphemy to turn the object or instrument of murder of a holy person into a symbol of faith. However, today, alas and ah, Christians of all denominations, after the war unleashed by Adolf Hitler, consider exclusively a wooden crucifixion cross as a symbol of Christianity, and also a golden crucifixion cross, which they hang on their necks. But if you think about it, this cross is nothing more than a symbol of the torment and death of one of the great enlighteners.

It is phenomenal that many people today literally look at the swastika with fear, and at the same time, the crucifixion of Christ the Savior on display does not frighten or shock them at all!

Roman performance entitled: "Look, Christians, what we have done to your God!"

Do you think Adolf Hitler didn't know about the real sacred sense swastikas when he took it as a symbol of Nazism and World War II?!

Do you think he didn’t know that in early Christianity this was a symbol of God, who is spirit?

Of course he did! He had a powerful organization "Ahnenerbe", which was specially created back in 1935 for "studying the traditions, history and heritage of the German race with the aim of occult-ideological support for the functioning of the state apparatus of the Third Reich".

And if he knew everything, then what?

Why was the early Christian symbol of God, a symbol of well-being, (a symbol of receiving good!), which in pre-revolutionary Russia was a holy symbol, used in order to commit treacherous attack on the USSR?

Pay attention to the word “treacherous”, and to the fact that Hitler planned the attack on the USSR on a holy day for the sun-worshipping Slavs. It was, firstly, the summer solstice, and secondly, it was Sunday!

In 1941, in the Sovinformburo reports about Germany's treacherous attack on the USSR was said more than once, and every Soviet person understood it in his own way. Most, of course, thought that this word referred to political relationships and agreements between Stalin and Hitler. This was partly true. But this was even more true in a religious sense: using the swastika as a symbol of war and Nazism, Adolf Hitler literally acted as the Anti-Christ. This was precisely the greatest treachery on his part...

Treacherous in the sense that he used the symbol of the Christian God to kill millions of people...

Continuation of the topic in a separate article "DEVIL'S LAIR: the truth about Switzerland, Zionism and the Jews!"