Flag of the Soviet Union
Officially Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Locally Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik · Союз Советских Социалистических Республик
What the flag looks like
A red field with a gold hammer and sickle in the upper hoist corner, beneath a red five-pointed star outlined in gold.
What it means
Red stood for the communist revolution; the crossed hammer and sickle represented the alliance of industrial workers and peasants, and the star the rule of the Communist Party.
How to remember it
The Soviet flag is plain red with just a small gold hammer, sickle and star tucked into the top corner; China
fills that corner with five stars and Vietnam
puts one big star in the middle.
Fun facts
- A red flag with the hammer and sickle was first adopted in 1923; the final version, with a lighter red and fixed proportions, dates from 1955.
- The Soviet flag was lowered over the Kremlin for the last time on the evening of 25 December 1991, after Mikhail Gorbachev resigned.
Soviet Union at a glance
- Existed
- 1922–1991
- Flag used
- 1955–1991
- Today
- Russia and 14 other states
- Capital
- Moscow
- Region
- 1922–1991
- Languages
- Russian
- Currency
- Soviet ruble (руб.)
- Flag adopted
- 1955
Flags often confused with the Soviet Union
- China: The Soviet Union and China both have a red field with gold symbols in the upper hoist corner. The Soviet flag has a small hammer and sickle under a single outlined star; China has one large star and four smaller ones.
- Vietnam: The Soviet Union and Vietnam are both red flags with a gold star. Vietnam has one large star in the center; the Soviet flag has a small outlined star above a hammer and sickle in the upper hoist corner.