The flag of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted on March 10, 1919, to serve as the symbol of state of the Ukrainian SSR. Details of the official flag changed periodically before the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, but all were based on the red flag of the Bolshevik Revolution.
The first flag was red with the gold Cyrillic sans-serif letters У.С.С.Р. (USSR, acronym for Ukrayinskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Sovetskaya Respublika in the Russian language). In the 1930s, a gold border was added. In 1937, a new flag was adopted, with a small gold hammer and sickle added above the gold Cyrillic serif letters У.Р.С.Р. (URSR, for Ukrayins’ka Radyans’ka Sotsialistychna Respublika in the Ukrainian language).
The Soviet Union and two of its republics (Ukrainian SSR and Byelorussian SSR) were members of the United Nations (UN). Since all of their flags were red with only small markings in upper left corner, the UN demanded to change the flags in 1949. To comply, the lettering was dropped and a blue stripe (⅓ of width) was added. It was adopted as the official flag of the Ukrainian SSR on November 21, 1949. The other republics of the Soviet Union soon followed the suit and customized the bottom third of their flags.
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Flag of the Ukrainian SSR (1919–1929)
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Flag of the Ukrainian SSR (1929–1937)
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Flag of the Ukrainian SSR (1937–1949)
Famous quotes containing the words flag of the, flag, soviet, socialist and/or republic:
“Swift blazing flag of the regiment,
Eagle with crest of red and gold,
These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter,
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie.”
—Stephen Crane (1871–1900)
“My dream is that as the years go by and the world knows more and more of America, it ... will turn to America for those moral inspirations that lie at the basis of all freedom ... that America will come into the full light of the day when all shall know that she puts human rights above all other rights, and that her flag is the flag not only of America but of humanity.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“In the Soviet Union everything happens slowly. Always remember that.”
—A.N. (Arkady N.)
“Democracy is the wholesome and pure air without which a socialist public organization cannot live a full-blooded life.”
—Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1931)
“Universal empire is the prerogative of a writer. His concerns are with all mankind, and though he cannot command their obedience, he can assign them their duty. The Republic of Letters is more ancient than monarchy, and of far higher character in the world than the vassal court of Britain.”
—Thomas Paine (1737–1809)