Russia, like any other country, has three official symbols: flag, coat of arms and anthem. All of them were formed as a result of many historical somersaults. The evolution of Russian state symbols is controversial and eventful. Often, new solutions are fundamentally opposed to old ones. In general, the development of domestic heraldry can be divided into three stages: princely (royal), Soviet and modern.
Russian flag
Modern state symbols of Russia begin with a flag. The rectangular white-blue-red banner is familiar to every resident of the country. It was approved relatively recently: in 1993. A significant event occurred on the eve of the adoption of the constitution of the new state. At the same time, during its existence, democratic Russia had two flags. The first option was used in 1991–1993. There are two main differences between the two versions of the familiar composition. Flag 1991-1993 had a ratio of 2: 1 (the ratio of length and width) and was characterized as white-azure-red, and his successor received a ratio of 2: 3 and is still described in the law as white-blue-red.
Today’s state symbols of Russia were not formed from scratch. For example, citizens began to use the tricolor flag at meetings rallying the RSFSR in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But even this approximate date cannot be called the source of the emergence of an important national symbol.
Peter's cloth
The tricolor flag was first raised in the distant 1693. The cloth fluttered on the ship of Peter I. In addition to the three stripes, a two-headed eagle was present on it. So for the first time not only the white-blue-red palette was used, but also Russian state symbols met. The flag of Peter I has survived to the present day. Now it is stored in the Central Naval Museum. This place was not chosen by chance. In his letters, the autocrat called the flag he introduced "marine." Indeed, from that moment on, the tricolor composition turned out to be tightly connected with the fleet.
All the same, Peter Alekseevich became the creator of the St. Andrew flag. The slanting cross, which refers to the crucifixion of St. Andrew the First-Called, is a symbol of the fleet already modern. So in our country, the military-state symbols of Russia intertwined in a bizarre manner. As for the white-blue-red flag, in the imperial era he acquired a serious competitor.
Black-yellow-white colors
The first information about black-yellow-white banners dates back to the era of Anna Ioannovna (1730). A surge of interest in such a flag occurred after the Patriotic War against Napoleon, when they began to publicly hang it on holidays.
Under Nicholas I, this palette became popular not only in the army, but also among civilians. The black-yellow-white flag received final official status in 1858. Tsar Alexander II issued a Decree according to which this banner was equated with the imperial coat of arms, and since then it has actually become used as a national flag. So one more sign replenished the state symbols of Russia.
Imperial flag
By decree of 1858, the imperial flag was used everywhere: at official demonstrations, celebrations, parades, near government buildings. Black color was a reference to the emblem of the black two-headed eagle. Yellow had roots belonging to Byzantine heraldry. White color was considered the color of St. George the Victorious, eternity and purity.
By decision of a special heraldic meeting in 1896, the former Peter's flag was recognized as Russian and national. The coronation of Nicholas II, which took place a few months later, was noted in white-blue-red colors. However, yellow-black panels continued to be popular among the people (for example, among the Black Hundreds). Today, the flag of the 19th century is primarily associated with Russian nationalists and the Romanov era.
Soviet era
All 3 state symbols of Russia survived the Soviet era, during which previous ideas were completely swept away and forgotten. After 1917, both Russian flags were actually banned. The civil war gave them a new meaning: now these colors were associated with white and simply anti-Soviet movement.
State symbols of Russia were used by many opponents of the USSR, who, contrary to class ideology, wanted to emphasize their nationality. During the Great Patriotic War, the white-blue-red flag was operated by the Vlasovites (and the Andreevsky flag - by some other collaborators). One way or another, but when the time came for the collapse of the USSR, the Russians again remembered the Petrine cloth. Fateful in this sense were the days of the August putsch. In August 1991, opponents of the GKChP massively used white-blue-red colors. After the defeat of the putschists, this combination was adopted at the federal level.
In the Soviet Union , in the years 1924-1991. the red flag with the hammer and sickle was considered official. The RSFSR simultaneously had its own identification mark. In the years 1918-1954. it was a red flag with the inscription "RSFSR". Then the letters disappeared. In 1954-1991 used a red cloth with a sickle, a hammer, a star and a blue stripe on the left edge.
Double headed eagle
Without a coat of arms, the history of state and military symbols of Russia would be inferior. Its modern version was approved in 1993. The basis of the composition is a double-headed eagle. The shield depicts George the Victorious, striking a serpent (dragon) with a spear. Two other required attributes are power and scepter. The official author of the modern coat of arms is People's Artist of the Russian Federation Evgeny Ukhnalev. In his drawing, he summarized the ideas that were embodied in various eras of the country's history.
Symbols of state power in Russia often contradicted each other. So, in 1992-1993. the official emblem was the image of a sickle and a hammer in a wreath of ears of corn. In this short period, both this sign and the one that was used in the RSFSR were used in practice.
Princely Seals
The coat of arms, like other state and military symbols of Russia, has deep historical roots. They go to the era of the birth of princely power. Specialists attribute medieval images used on seals to the first emblems. For this purpose, Moscow princes turned to the silhouettes of their Christian intercessors.
In 1497, a double-headed eagle appeared in Russian heraldry. The first to use it in his press was Grand Duke Ivan III. He understood how important the state symbols of Russia are. The history of the country was closely connected with the Orthodox Byzantium. It was from the Greek emperors that Ivan III borrowed the mythical bird. With this gesture, he emphasized that Russia is the successor to the Byzantine Empire that recently sunk into oblivion.
Coat of arms of the Russian Empire
In the Russian Empire, the coat of arms was never static. He changed many times and gradually became more and more difficult. The Romanovsky coat of arms embodied many features that distinguished the former state symbols of Russia. The history of the "maturation" of this sign is associated with the territorial acquisitions of the empire. Over time, small shields were added to the drawing of the black two-headed eagle, personifying the annexed kingdoms: Kazan, Astrakhan, Polish, etc.
The complexity of the composition of the coat of arms led to the approval in 1882 of three versions of this state symbol at once: Small, Medium and Large. The then eagle, like the modern one, received a scepter and power. Other notable features were: George the Victorious, helmet of Alexander Nevsky, images of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael. The drawing was crowned with the scarlet signature "God bless us!" In 1992, the Constitutional Commission approved the draft imperial black eagle as the coat of arms of the Russian Federation. The idea was not realized due to a failed vote in the Supreme Council.
Sickle, hammer and star
The Bolsheviks who came to power after the revolution approved the Soviet emblem in 1923. Its general appearance did not change until the collapse of the USSR. The only innovations were the addition of new red ribbons, on which, according to the number of languages of the Union republics, the appeal was written "Workers of all countries, unite!" In 1923 there were 6 of them, from 1956 - already 15. Before the Karelian-Finnish SSR became part of the RSFSR, there were even 16 tapes.
The base of the coat of arms was an image of a sickle and a hammer in the sun and on the background of the globe. Along the edges, the composition was framed by ears of corn, around which ribbons with the coveted slogan curled. The central lower of them received an inscription in Russian. The top of the coat of arms was crowned with a five-pointed star. The image had its own ideological meaning, like the rest of the state symbols of Russia. The significance of the drawing was known to all citizens of the country - the Soviet Union was the driving force of the associations of the proletariat and peasants around the world.
national anthem of the Russian Federation
The official state symbols of Russia, meaning, the history of creation and their other aspects are studied by the science of heraldry. However, in addition to images of the flag and coat of arms, there is also a hymn. Without it, no state can be imagined. The modern anthem of Russia is the heir to the Soviet anthem. It was approved in 2000. This is the “youngest” state symbol of Russia.
The author of the anthem music is composer and People's Artist of the USSR Alexander Alexandrov. The melody was written by him in 1939. 60 years later, State Duma deputies voted for it and passed a bill by Russian President Vladimir Putin on a new national anthem.
Some hitch occurred while defining the text. Poems for the Soviet anthem were written by poet Sergei Mikhalkov. In the end, a specially created commission adopted its own new version of the text. At the same time, applications from all citizens of the country were considered.
"God save the Tsar!"
The first national anthem of Russia in the generally accepted sense of the word was the song "God Save the Tsar!" It was used in the years 1833-1917. The initiator of the imperial anthem was Nicholas I. In his travels in Europe, he constantly fell into an awkward situation: orchestras of hospitable countries performed only their own tunes. Russia, however, could not boast of its "musical face." The autocrat ordered to fix the unsightly situation.
Music for the anthem of the empire was written by composer and conductor Alexei Lvov. The author of the text was the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. With the advent of Soviet power, the imperial anthem was erased for a long time not only from everyday life, but also from the memory of many millions of people. For the first time after a long break, "God save the Tsar!" began to play in 1958 in the feature film "Quiet Don".
"International" and the anthem of the USSR
Until 1943, the Soviet government used the international and proletarian “International” as its anthem. Under this melody, a revolution took place, under it during the Civil War the Red Army went into battle. The original text was written by the French anarchist Eugene Potier. The work appeared in 1871 on the fateful days of the socialist movement, when the Paris Commune collapsed.
17 years later, the Flemish Pierre Degeiter composed music to the text of Potier. The result is a classic "International." The anthem text was translated into Russian by Arkady Kots. The fruit of his work hit the press in 1902. The “International” was used as the Soviet anthem at a time when the Bolsheviks were still dreaming of a world revolution. This was the era of the Comintern and the creation of communist cells in foreign countries.
With the onset of World War II, Stalin decided to change the ideological concept. He no longer wanted a world revolution, but he was going to build a new rigidly centralized empire, surrounded by many satellites. The changed realities demanded another hymn. In 1943, the Internationale gave way to a new melody (Alexandrov) and lyrics (Mikhalkov).
"Patriotic song"
In 1990-2000 The Patriotic Song, written by composer Mikhail Glinka in 1833, remained in the status of the Russian anthem. Paradoxical is the fact that during the stay in official status the melody did not acquire a universally recognized text. Because of this, the hymn was performed without words. The lack of intelligible text was one of the reasons for replacing Glinka's melody with Aleksandrov's melody.