Flags- History, Evolution, and Representation.

One of the most basic human needs is the need to belong. It is the reason why we form clans, tribes, religions, etc When our groups succeed, we experience that success as our own. When they lose we are hurt personally. Sense of pride ,beauty ,love ,unity ,family ,acceptance, inclusion ,freedom ,fear ,hate ,anger ,genocide ,barbarism ,propaganda, dream ,happiness ,safety ,division , oppression ,confusion and disappointment all these emotions and feelings can be generated by a flag .It can terrorize and divide us, but it can also unite us. A flag can articulate who we are and what we want. They can mean different things to different people. A flag can be powerful and sometimes the most dangerous thing in the world. It is one of the world’s strongest ideological markers in our cultural repertoire. In history, the usage of the flag was quite different from what it is today.

Earlier they were used as a sign that the ruler was coming or an invader had attacked. Ships used them to send messages back and Forth. Earlier flags were made of hair and sticks but around 6000 years ago, China invented silk, it spread rapidly along with a network of trading routes known as the silk road. Now silk was used to make the most prestigious flags of monarchs, and the flags of the heads of the state. In the 19th century, the formation of the nation-state became prominent, dynasties and monarchs started to fall. Hence, it became crucial for the new “nation-states “to symbolize their unity and foster a feeling of belonging together as a nation-state. A flag acted as a sheer belief system for the people, portraying various notions and ideologies.

As the legendary German writer, Goethe said, “a country starts out from a name and a flag and then it becomes them, just as a man fulfills his destiny “

In Nelson Mandela's speech, he mentions the union of Jack and the 2 Dutch colony flags, all atop the former Dutch flag. They represented the country’s colonizers. After the ban on ANC‘s flag and Nelson Mandela’s arrest, Ethiopia designed a new flag inspired by the black people, being the only country in Africa to not be colonized, it became an ideal for all states in Africa to be represented by their own flags. Flags can unify people as they hold a country's history in them. In more than 60 countries the disrespecting of the national flag is punishable and it has been made a compulsion in many countries to have a flag hanging across their schools.

Adolf Hitler recognized after World War 1, the value of a flag. The disillusionment of the German

people that a symbol could be used to get a group to coalesce around, that gave them a vision of a better future.

Before coming to power, Hitler worked for the education and propaganda department of the military, where he learned the art of influencing the masses. In his autobiography, he wrote that “a striking emblem may be the first cause of awakening interest in a movement. The nazi flag instilled fear but it also had the power to inspire exhilaration. One of the first tasks Hitler did when he became chancellor was banning the old flag and instituting the nazi one. Then he banned Jews from flying it. While created an ‘us ‘, they also created a ‘them ‘ .and this has played this role throughout history. Flags were used to rally citizens to enlist around the world and they became the solemn emblem of the soviet union.

This was also the case with the American flag. The cult of the American flag arose in the 19th century to encourage a culture of patriotism. It was the first country to have a pledge to the flag, flag day, flag week. However, the Vietnam War marked a turning point. As the anti-war movement grew, the flag became politicized, representing 2 different visions of America and each side wore it differently. The anti-war activist Abbie Hoffman wore an American flag shirt and was charged with desecration under a new flag protection law. While President Nixon, who prolonged the Vietnam War, also started wearing the flag, as a pin. Although that law was struck down, the divide stayed as America turned to New threats.

Ultimately we can conclude that flags can trigger people and can act as a barometer of where we are as a society. When our nation’s fundamentals of democracy are being attacked, people do stand behind the symbols and choose aside.

“Flags are not clothes which are silent. They represent our values and reflect our aspirations “

The flag is a projection screen onto which everyone can project their own ideas, their hopes, their fears, and their dreams. A country doesn’t gain patriotism overnight, it is constantly evolving and is constantly developing to what the flags stand for.

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