It is used almost exclusively to invoke Nazi tyranny and intimidate anyone who does not subscribe to white supremacist views. The word derives from the Sanskrit svastika, which means “good fortune” or “well-being.” Closely identified with “Aryan” civilization in India (referring to Indo-European settlers as opposed to the indigenous population), the swastika was adopted by right-wing groups in early 20th century Germany to represent the racial superiority of “Aryans” whom they equated with “Nordic” or “German-blooded” people in contrast to Jews and other minorities. It was used at least 5,000 years before Adolf Hitler appropriated it for the Nazi flag featuring a black swastika at its center. The swastika has an extensive history and enduring power, predominantly as a symbol of hate. Hitler wrote: “In red we see the social idea of the movement, in white the nationalistic idea, in the swastika the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man.” Swastika The colors and design appear in countless Nazi flags, posters, armbands, and other insignia, falsely conveying continuity between the “glorious” imperial past and the Nazi regime. Adolf Hitler created the flag himself, borrowing the colors of the German Empire that fell at the end of World War I, and implicitly rejecting democracy by harkening back to authoritarian rule. The Nazis were deliberate in their use of graphic design and color in ways we might today call branding. It reads "The 'ideal' person for the chosen people: There’s no accounting for taste." -Courtesy of Frank Liebermann Nazi Colors (black, white, and red) In the Nazi version, the swastika replaced the eagle and the background was changed to red.Īntisemitic cartoon showing a Jew leading a Soviet official by a leash. It also included an iron cross, a traditional German military decoration. That flag featured horizontal and vertical black bands intersected by the Prussian eagle. The German armed forces, for example, flew a modified version of the much older Imperial Reich war flag. Other official flags were also displayed during the Nazi regime. The most widespread Nazi flag featured a black swastika in a white circle on a red field. People also use them to show allegiance to a specific cause or movement. Glossary Nazi Flags and Crossesįor centuries, flags have served as symbols of national pride. See more resources for confronting hate below. The leaders of today’s Neo-Nazi and White Supremacist organizations are not Adolf Hitler, and America is not Germany, but, in order to understand their agenda, it is vital to understand the history of these code words, symbols, and ideologies. The eruption of neo-Nazism and White Supremacy across the country has exposed the public to symbols, terms, and ideology drawn directly from Nazi Germany and Holocaust-era fascist movements.
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