The symbol known as the Swastika has rich origins dating to ancient times. Throughout time, it has been used to represent many different things, most of which had positive connotations. Relatively recent events saw the Swastika used in ways that forever changed how most of society feels about it. This essay discusses the global significance of the Swastika, specifically the historical, political, and socio-cultural aspects of its existence over time from ancient to modern society.
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'The Swastika: a Symbol of The Holocaust'
The Swastika has a long and varied history that ranges across different regions, cultures, and religions of the world. The word is derived from the term “svastika” in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and carries positive connotations, such as “conducive to well-being” or “good fortune”.
The earliest known Swastika image dates back 15,000 years and was found in Ukraine, carved on an ivory figure made from a mammoth tusk. One of the earliest cultures known to have used the Swastika is an 8000-year-old Neolithic European culture found in the area now known as Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina.
The Swastika has been used by many different religions and cultures including Buddhism, Jainism, Odinism, and Hinduism. Its meaning is generally positive when clockwise while the counter-clockwise symbol, or “Sauvistika”, represents the opposite in the same way as Yin and Yang represent opposites in Chinese philosophy.
The Swastika has been found all over the world in many forms, from being engraved into ancient African and Asian pottery, stamped on Mesopotamian coins, and woven into blankets by the Navajo in North America. About 1800 Swastikas were recovered from the ancient city of Troy.
The Swastika is an ancient symbol of global significance as an emblem of peace and positivity. Until the 20th century, it was recognized as a symbol of peace and well-being. It was politicized, largely by the Nazi Party, forging forever a strong association between the Swastika and the human rights violations and war-time atrocities they committed.
German nationalists adopted the Swastika as their emblem in the mid-19th century. It had been found in the archaeological ruins of ancient Germanic tribes and the ancient Greeks, so scholars concluded Germans were descended from god-like ancient warriors, the Aryans. Some also noted similarities between the Germanic language and that of Ancient Indian Sanskrit.
At the start of the 20th century, the Swastika was largely untainted and symbolized German nationalism and pride. It was even the official emblem of the German Gymnasts’ League. Soon, Swastikas started to be used in anti-Semitic periodicals, and the Nazi Party officially adopted them as its symbol.
In Adolph Hitler’s 1923 autobiography, Mein Kampf (My Struggle), he wrote that the Swastika symbolized the victory of the Aryan man. Drawing on the links between Swastikas, German history, and the ancient Aryans, he concluded that Swastika was always anti-Semitic. He took credit for the design of the Nazi flag, saying the red background represented the social idea of movement, the white circle the nationalistic idea, and the black Swastika the struggle for the victory of Aryan man.
In 1933, the Nazi Party gained power, ending an era of carefree use of the Swastika. The Weimer Republic flag was replaced with a dual flag solution, comprising the old imperial German flag and the Nazi Party Swastika flag. Use of the new ensign was strictly controlled.
Early evidence of the politicization of the Swastika came in the form of a protest in July 1933, a month after Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. An American group staged an anti-Nazi attack on a German ocean liner, which was flying the two-flag solution, in New York Harbour. They targeted the Nazi emblem, tearing it down. Seven weeks later, Hitler made the Nazi Swastika flag the National flag of Germany and ramped up laws relating to his overall goals of racial purity.
The development of an extreme ideology that is a racially “pure” Germany based on the discredited idea of an ancient and superior Aryan race resulted in a terrible era in world history and left Jewish or otherwise “non-pure” citizens of Germany defenseless against a racist government and political regime, all symbolized by the Swastika.
The crimes that occurred under the new German flag created such a strong link between the Swastika and the atrocities of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust that its use in contemporary western culture remains controversial.
Under the Nazi Party, laws were passed that had mass social and cultural effects, eliminating the rights of “non-pure” citizens, and allowing for people to be prosecuted for not being of “pure” German blood. German Jews were disenfranchised, they were banned from marrying Aryans, using public transport, movie theatres, and places of learning. Jewish businesses were taken from their owners and Jewish wills could be legally voided.
In 1945, when allied forces defeated the German military, they outlawed Nazi organizations, removed Nazi paraphernalia, and criminalized the spreading of Nazi values. Since the German government has continued to prohibit all Nazi propaganda including the Swastika. In present-day Germany, and in some other European nations, public displays of Nazi propaganda and symbols such as the Swastika are prohibited by law.
In the US, because of its citizens’ constitutional rights to free speech, the display or use of Nazi symbols is legal but controversial. Some people and groups openly feature the Swastika in their work or as a part of their attire to symbolize rebellion or because they embrace it as a symbol of hatred and racial purity, uses that most people cannot abide.
Meanwhile, the Swastika continues to hold neutral and even positive significance in some parts of the world where its symbolism is entwined with ancient religious or cultural practices.
Cultural and social effects on those oppressed by the Nazis and their descendants live on. The racial atrocities and mass murder committed by the Nazis made the Swastika the most hate-filled and fearful symbol of the 20th century.
The Swastika remains a globally significant symbol although its meaning changed substantially in the 20th century. It has had a long history of positivity around the world for thousands of years, symbolizing peace for most of that time. Following the Nazi Party's adoption of the Swastika and its subsequent association with the Holocaust, this ancient device took on new meaning as a symbol of hatred and fear. While it remains in use in some parts of the world, its use in contemporary culture is controversial.
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For millions around the world, the Swastika’s benign use ended in the 1930s. For them, it can never be rehabilitated, leading to ongoing debate due to its occasional use by hate groups and in some peaceful religions and cultures around the world.
References
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- The Conversation. (2019). How Nazis twisted the swastika into a symbol of hate. [online] Available at: http://theconversation.com/how-nazis-twisted-the-swastika-into-a-symbol-of-hate-83020 [Accessed 11 Feb. 2019].
- BBC News. (2019). Reclaiming the swastika. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29644591 [Accessed 11 Feb. 2019].
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- Encyclopedia.ushmm.org. (2019). History of the Swastika. [online] Available at: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-swastika [Accessed 13 Feb. 2019].
- Quora. (2019). What is the difference between these two Swastikas 卐 and 卍?. [online] Available at: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-these-two-Swastikas-%E5%8D%90-and-%E5%8D%8D [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
- Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019). How the Symbolism of the Swastika Was Ruined. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/story/how-the-symbolism-of-the-swastika-was-ruined [Accessed 14 Feb. 2019].
- Holocaust-trc.org. (2019). The Swastika: A Sign of Good Luck Becomes a Symbol of Evil – Holocaust Teacher Resource Center. [online] Available at: https://www.holocaust-trc.org/the-holocaust-education-program-resource-guide/the-swastika/ [Accessed 15 Feb. 2019].
