Flag of Soviet Union

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Names	The Soviet flag, The Hammer and Sickle; The Red and Gold; The Red Banner
Use	Civil and state flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	12 November 1923 (original version) 15 August 1980 (last version used)
Design	A plain red flag with a golden hammer and sickle and a gold-bordered red star in its upper canton.
Variant flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Use	War flag
Proportion	2:3
Design	A plain red flag with a large gold-bordered star in the center.
Variant flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	2:3
Design	A white flag with a red star, hammer and sickle with a blue strip below.

The flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; commonly known as the Soviet flag was the official national flag of the Soviet Union from 1923 to 1991. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from the Russian Revolution. The flag is also an international symbol of the communist movement as a whole. The nicknames for the flag were The Hammer and Sickle and The Red Banner.

The design is a solid field of red adorned with a unique gold emblem in the upper hoist quarter. The red flag was a traditional revolutionary symbol long before 1917, and its incorporation into the flag paid tribute to the international aspect of workers' revolution. The iconic hammer and sickle design was a modern touch – the union of the hammer (workers) and the sickle (peasants) represents the victorious and enduring revolutionary alliance. The famous emblem is topped by an inconspicuous red star representing the rule of the Communist Party.

The first flag with the red star, hammer and sickle was adopted on 13 November 1923. In 1955, a statute on the flag was adopted which resulted in a change of the hammer's handle length and the shape of the sickle. A final modification to the flag was adopted in 1980 in which the colour was brightened to a lighter shade of red. The flag continued to be the official national flag until the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Its imagery is now the basis for the flags of many communist parties: a yellow hammer and sickle on a red background.

The flag of the Soviet Union consisted of a plain red flag with a gold hammer crossed with a gold sickle placed beneath a gold-bordered red star. This symbol is in the upper left canton of the red flag.