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The flag is a red or
scarlet field, with a golden hammer crossed by a golden sickle in the
canton. Above the hammer and sickle is a red five-pointed star
outlined in gold.
In times of revolt, people
have often flown plain red flags to symbolise their struggles and
unite themselves in common causes.
This was the case when the
Bolsheviks seized power from Imperial Russia in 1917.
In 1922 The Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics came into power and by 1923 had formerly
adopted the Red Flag of the Revolution along with the symbol of
Russian Unity the "Hammer and Sickle".
Later that same year, a
red star with gold borders was added to denote that all of Russia was
united under one government.
On August the 15th 1980 a
modification was made to the national flag, making the back of the
flag plain red.
The Flag of the USSR has
been superseded since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Each of the
former states has now established its own government and each has
adopted its own national flag to represent them.
NB: Modern screenprinting
techniques create a mirror image on the back of most USSR flags today,
in spite of the 1980 modification.
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