State signs: how Russia got its official symbols
On December 25, 2000, President Vladimir Putin signed federal laws on the state symbols of the Russian Federation — the flag, coat of arms and anthem. Russia has entered the new century as a country that respects history, relies on public opinion, and sets goals for tomorrow. Izvestia recalled how it was.
The Russian Eagle
The oldest symbol of Russia is our coat of arms. The double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of Russia in the XV century, during the reign of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III, nicknamed the Great. His country freed itself from the Horde yoke, began to pursue an independent foreign policy, uniting the Russian lands around Moscow. The Grand Duke married Sofia Palaiologos, the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, who fell under the blows of the Ottoman Turks.
The exhibition "The double–headed eagle - the coat of arms of Russia XV-XXI centuries." in the Armory of the Museum of the Moscow Kremlin
The double—headed eagle was one of the symbols of the Palaiologos dynasty, and Moscow began to consider itself the Third Rome, the heir to the Roman Empire. At the same time, Russia was actively cooperating with the European powers at that time, primarily with the Holy Roman Empire. A Byzantine eagle appeared on the seal of the Grand Duke, which meant that the Russian sovereign was not inferior in status to the emperor. This coat of arms has established itself as a symbol of the Moscow state. It was preserved in Peter the Great's time, when St. Petersburg became the capital of Russia. It was believed that the double-headed eagle meant that our state extended both to the West and to the East, having established itself in Europe and Asia. After the victory over Napoleon, the eagle was depicted with its wings outstretched. Instead of a scepter and a power, a wreath, lightning and a torch appeared in his paws.
Coat of arms of the USSR in the interior of the Northern River Station in Moscow
The drawing of an eagle without royal attributes was proposed by the artist Ivan Bilibin in the summer of 1917 as the coat of arms of the Provisional Government. But after October, new laws of heraldry began to take shape in our country. The hammer and sickle on the background of the globe signified the future world revolution. The ears symbolized peaceful labor and prosperity.
Tricolor cloth
The tricolor flag — white, blue, and red — gained a high status in Russia during the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. In 1667, the construction of the Eagle, the first Russian ship designed to sail across the Caspian Sea, began in the village of Dedinov on the Oka. He set sail under a white, blue and red banner.
"The flag of the Tsar of Moscow in 1693" on display at the Central Naval Museum named after Emperor Peter the Great
In August 1693, already in the time of Peter the Great, the so-called flag of the Tsar of Moscow was approved for the ship "Saint Peter", built in Arkhangelsk: "The flag of his tsarist Majesty of Moscow is divided in three. The upper band is white, the middle one is blue, and the lower one is red. A double-headed eagle is crowned on a golden blue stripe with a royal crown, having a red stamp with a silver St. George in its heart, without a serpent." White, blue and red stripes decorated the sides of the legendary Petrovsky boat.
A sounding symbol
The national anthem is our musical password, a civic prayer that we listen to with reverence. Standing up. The history of this concept explains a lot. It is a sublime song in which we glorify what is dear to us. The history of Russian anthems dates back to the time of Alexander I, when the chant "God save the Tsar" was first performed. During this time, the country's civil prayer has changed more than once. After the revolution, the anthem of Russia and the USSR became the song "Internationale", born in France, in 1871, during the Paris Commune.
The original anthem of the Soviet Union, created by composer Alexander Alexandrov and poets Sergei Mikhalkov and Gabriel El Registan, was first performed throughout the country on New Year's Eve, 1944. It was the year of our country's liberation from occupation, the year of victorious hopes. This means that the anthem had a happy fate from the very beginning. And it deserves it — solemn, pathetic, connected with a historical tradition.
After 1991, the melody of the "Patriotic Song" by the great Mikhail Glinka became the anthem of Russia. In Soviet times, this melody, found in the archive of the great composer after his death, was the anthem of Moscow, and for some time it was played on television every evening as the screensaver of the information program "Time".
Old new symbols
After the collapse of the USSR, Soviet symbols were perceived as anachronistic: they did not correspond to the new state of affairs in politics and ideology... The changes began. The white-blue-red banner was approved as the state flag by the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated August 23, 1991 "On the official recognition and use of the National Flag of the RSFSR", according to which it was prescribed "until a special law establishes a new state symbolism of the Russian Federation, the historical flag of Russia is considered to be a panel of equal horizontal white, azure, scarlet stripes are the official national flag of the Russian Federation." Soon this decision was approved by the Congress of People's Deputies.
One of the sketches of the state coat of arms of Russia (a double-headed eagle without crowns). The year 1992
At first, the Bilibino image of a double-headed eagle without crowns was used as a coat of arms. This idea was supported by the then chairman of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Georgy Matyukhin, who proposed minting the Bilibinsky eagle on Russian coins, which was done. Later, in the fall of 1993, the then President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, signed a decree according to which the double—headed eagle with crowns, a symbol known since the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, became the state emblem of Russia. But the deputies did not approve this provision as a law. Contests for poems to Glinka's hymn were held several times, but they were never completed. The anthem was sung without words.
The new Canon
On December 4, 2000, the new President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, submitted to the State Duma a bill "On the National Anthem of the Russian Federation." On December 8, the State Duma voted for Alexandrov's music as the national anthem. A specially elected commission reviewed about 6 thousand versions of the verses to the main song of the country. The new work by poet Sergei Mikhalkov, which is known to every Russian citizen today, was recognized as the best.
On December 25, 2000, the President signed federal laws on the state symbols of the Russian Federation — the flag, coat of arms and anthem. We rightfully consider ourselves the heirs of the Moscow Tsardom, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union — and all these historical milestones are reflected in the symbols of our country.
Installation of double-headed eagles on the towers of the State Historical Museum. The year 1997
On the same days, the president reviewed the designs of military banners. With such decisions, the revival of the army and respect for shoulder straps begin. In those days, it was urgently needed. The official position of Russia in the first years after the collapse of the USSR was based on a sharp denial of the Soviet experience. But the majority of our country's citizens could not agree with this position. President Vladimir Putin also proposed a balanced approach to the Soviet legacy.
In his message, the president replied to skeptics: "Is there really nothing to remember during the Soviet period of our country's existence, except for Stalin's camps and repressions? Then where will we put Dunaevsky, Sholokhov, Shostakovich, Korolev and achievements in the field of space? Where will we put Yuri Gagarin's flight? But what about the brilliant victories of Russian weapons — since the days of Rumyantsev, Suvorov, Kutuzov?.. But what about the victory in the spring of 1945? I admit that the people and I are mistaken. But I want to appeal to those who disagree with this decision. I ask you not to dramatize events, not to erect insurmountable barriers, not to burn bridges and not to split society once again." This is an important step: at the dawn of the new century, the time has come to realize that we do not consider the Soviet era to be totalitarian or criminal, and we do not abandon the historical legacy, which, like the legacy of any time, does not need to be idealized. The Parliament, relying on the civilian majority, approved the President's proposals.
The standard of the President of the Russian Federation on the motorcade car
On the first day of 2001, immediately after Vladimir Putin's televised New Year's greetings, a new Russian national anthem was played, to Alexandrov's familiar and beloved music. Today it seems like it has always been there. Years have passed, and the accuracy and timeliness of this decision has become apparent. The 21st century was beginning, and Russia was concentrating. Years of ideological strife have turned out to be something secondary compared to the fact that we are united as citizens of a great country - despite differences in views and preferences. We consider ourselves the heirs of the entire historical path of Russia, indivisible, without exceptions.
The author is the deputy editor—in-chief of the magazine "Historian"
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
